Tracy is a very troubled child living in a therapeutic care home in the 1980s. 'Finding Helen' uses an engaging mix of her caseworker's notes, heartfelt poetry which she writes to express her innermost thoughts and feelings, and a narrative of her volatile true-life story. As her case-worker Helen and the other staff attempt to understand the reasons behind Tracy's abusive and self-destructive behaviour, Tracy is torn between her desire to kill those around her and her desperate need to be loved. But as her negative behaviour escalates and the threat of psychiatric care becomes increasingly likely, can one woman's love be enough to save her?

This is a realistic dissection of the current status of children's rights at multiple levels of government and private society. Each chapter focuses on one aspect of children's rights (i.e. poverty, statelessness, sexual abuse, nutrition, education, armed conflict, etc.). A dynamic mix of commonsensical reasoning, formal legal inquiry, and practical yet professional language enables readers from stratified segments of the population to engage seamlessly with the material. Rejecting the ivory tower view that real world progress can be sustained through continuance of the same regulatory and political measures that broke ground in the latter 20th century, the author delves deeper into more pragmatic elements of children's rights why they are not universal and what prevents their achievement. Detailed scrutiny of data, law, and contemporary social attitudes move the text from one paradoxical situation to the next perpetual limitation in the quest for eradication of abuse and deprivation of fundamental human rights. However, hope is not lost in the midst of these empirical findings. Instead, thorough contemplation of the failures and shortcomings of child protective systems resurrects a spirit of compassion, and a more personal challenge emerges for readers, who are urged to undertake small-scale actions. We live in a time of unparalleled communications, where virtually anybody with a mobile phone can access information about people around the globe from any place. The critical mass in the movement for human rights which start in childhood years has long been established. The word has spread across the land through varied forms of media. Children's rights today are not threatened by ignorance inasmuch as they are by disinterest, disengagement, and outright opposition to those rights in practice. In order to breathe new life into the discussion, fresh and resourceful ways of thinking about the subject are needed. For rights to grow and evolve through the 21st century, stakeholders cannot afford to alienate potential allies with the same bullish rhetoric that led to the disillusionment of millions of supporters. Today's participants are tech-savvy, independent, and not overly optimistic about accomplishing goals in the shortest of terms. Child Protection in an Interconnected World is written for those who understand that failure has occurred time and again, and that only through acceptance of the factual essence of our condition may we find a suitable path toward continued growth and achievement as individuals and collectives. The book advocates the idea that changes and improvements can and will happen, but they will be incremental, transgenerational, and built upon mutual cooperation from the bottom up.

Child welfare services are intended to prevent the abuse or neglect of children; ensure that children have safe, permanent homes; and promote the well-being of children and their families. As the U.S. Constitution has been interpreted, states bear the primary responsibility for ensuring the welfare of children and their families. At the state level, the child welfare "system" consists of public child protection and child welfare workers, private child welfare and social service workers, state and local judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement personnel. These representatives of various state and local entities assume interrelated roles while carrying out child welfare activities, including investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect; providing services to families to ensure children's safety in the home; removing children from their homes when that is necessary for their safety; supervising and administering payments for children placed in foster care; ensuring regular case review and permanency planning for children in foster care; helping children leave foster care to permanent families via reunification with parents or, when that is not possible, via adoption or legal guardianship; offering post-permanency services and supports; and helping older children in foster care, and youth who leave care without placement in a permanent family, to transition successfully to adulthood. This book begins with a review of federal appropriations activity in FY2015 as it relates to child welfare programs, including the effect of the automatic spending cuts, known as sequestration. The book provides a short description of each federal child welfare program, including its purpose and recent funding levels. In addition, funds appropriated for the PSSF program support grants to state or tribal highest courts under the Court Improvement Program; grants to regional partnerships to improve the outcomes of children affected by their Child Welfare: Funding for Services Under Title IV-B of the Social Security Act Congressional Research Service 3 parents' substance abuse; grants to states and territories for monthly caseworker visits of children in foster care; and program-related research, evaluation, training, or technical assistance are also discussed in this book.

This book is the result of an interagency workgroup tasked with developing a strategy to support students and youth with disabilities in reaching their goals of economic empowerment and independence as they transition to adulthood. It focuses on five Federal systems that play key and inter-related roles in preparing youth with disabilities as they transition into adulthood - vocational rehabilitation, social security, juvenile justice, behavioral health, and workforce investment. The book summarizes each system's role, the extent of its use by the population, and central programs and authorizing legislation. In addition, challenges and recommendations for each system are identified, as are common themes and trends across systems. Moreover, the book provides information on the challenges students with disabilities may face accessing federally funded transition services; and the extent to which federal agencies coordinate their transition activities.

Youth with disabilities face several challenges as they transition out of high school. In addition to the social and emotional challenges associated with moving out of the guidance and supervision of supportive staff, teachers and friends in schools, and leaving home to enter the workforce, youth must be prepared and be able to navigate an increasingly complex world to obtain and maintain employment over the long-term. Among the most pressing issues for youth with disabilities are the development of knowledge and skills with regards to financial independence, money management and an understanding of asset development strategies. All too often, youth with disabilities live in poverty and face barriers to stable employment opportunities. In addition, government programs with confusing and conflicting eligibility criteria make accessing needed support services extremely difficult which often leads to unsuccessful transitions from school to post-secondary education, employment and independent living. Young people with disabilities may want to learn how to save money and build assets, but getting a job and saving a portion of their income may cause them to lose their disability benefits and other important support services, like health care. In order to address these concerns, comprehensive financial literacy programs customized to meet the needs of youth with all types of disabilities is paramount and in a diverse society such as ours, educators and policymakers should reexamine various cultures' value systems and recognize the importance of guiding youth/disabilities towards moral decisions on humanistic, rather than purely economic bases. This book explores efficacy and overall adequacy of financial literacy programs for youth with disabilities, and highlights promising practices that have been shown to improve participants' knowledge of money management and asset development strategies. Additionally, it explores the extent to which the "generic" financial literacy curricula and/or educational programs that target nondisabled youth address the needs of youth with disabilities by highlighting gaps in instructional domains and practices in existing programs. Finally, the implications for future research and policies related to financial literacy and employment for youth with disabilities are discussed.

Children in rural areas face particular risks to their health and well-being. Some risks relate to their demographic characteristics; rural children are more likely to live in poverty than those in urban areas. Some relate to their physical environment; the risks of injury and of death from injury are greater among rural children. Since 2003, the National Survey of Children' Health (NSCH) has presented in-depth National and State-level data on the health and well-being of children in their families and communities. The survey provides a snapshot of children's physical, mental, and developmental health status; access to health care; activities at school, outside of school, and at home; and their safety and security in their neighborhoods and at school. The NSCH, supported and developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal and Child Health Bureau and conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the only nationally-representative survey that considers children's health and well-being within the contexts of the family and community. This book presents indicators of the health and well-being of children, the supportive and risk factors in the family environment, and aspects of the neighborhood that may support or threaten families and children.

In the past few decades, researchers and practitioners have moved away from the idea of fatherhood as a single, monolithic concept. Examining the challenges of vulnerable fathers such as those in poverty or in prison, they have developed valuable new strategies for cultivating the positive involvement of fathers in the lives of their children. Drawing on the innovative work of Prospere, a Quebec organization that brought together fathers, university researchers, and health and social service practitioners, Fathering details innovative approaches that support positive father involvement. It provides numerous examples of strategies and interventions with fathers, lessons learned from these practices on how to better support vulnerable fathers and families, and in-depth information on ways of designing, implementing, evaluating, and disseminating the results of participatory action research (PAR) - a methodology which put fathers at the heart of the project's decision-making.

Children in the U.S. are not faring well. Despite major advances in public health, hygiene, and treatment for acute infections, child health outcomes in the U.S. are among the bottom for developed countries. As we enter the third decade of a child obesity epidemic, children born in the last ten years are now likely to have a shorter lifespan than their parents. Coupled with an epidemic of childhood mental health issues - many of them unaddressed due to stigma or lack of recognition - plus the impacts of gun violence, poverty, and youth incarceration contribute to an overall culture that fails to prioritize the health and welfare of our youngest members of society. Child Health: A Population Perspective examines both the history of child health and the three dynamics that most define it: the principles and dynamics between children, families, and communities; social determinants of health; and life course health development. With both theoretical grounding and illustrative case studies, this book provides a core framework for students in maternal and child health to better understand the issues facing children today - and how to serve them best.

Adolescent Health Literacy and Learning offers insights to all those who care about promoting and assisting adolescent health development: health education teachers, health practitioners, and youth care workers. Adolescent health is of worldwide concern, especially as we learn that health habits and attitudes established in adolescence continue into adulthood. For example, chronic diseases such as diabetes that began in mid to late adulthood are becoming more prevalent in younger ages. Academics, clinicians and teachers are searching for ways to raise the health literacy and health outcomes of adolescents to better prepare them for the future. There is a need to raise the profile of adolescent health literacy and learning in order to address issues in adolescent and adult health. This edited volume features expert Canadian health literacy scholars writing on topics such as digital technology, software applications to health promotion, advertising, gender, suicide, nutrition, fitness, and mental health specifically for adolescents. It contains theoretical and practical ideas as well as resources for practitioners and educators to assist adolescents with interacting more critically with health information. The hope is that this book will help young people grow into adults who are more health literate. All contributing authors are experts in adolescent health literacy. Many take a uniquely Canadian perspective as well. They all acknowledge the impact of a variety of individuals and groups on adolescents, but also encourage the development of an adolescent's sense of individual identity, critical thinking, social responsibility and even activism as part of their health literacy.

Each day, the safety and well-being of some children is threatened by child abuse and neglect. Intervening effectively in the lives of these children and their families is not the sole responsibility of any single agency or professional group, but rather is a shared community concern. In the area of neglect, both the field and the community increasingly recognize the impact of many factors such as poverty, unemployment, and housing, as well as individual and family characteristics. This book delves deeper into the root causes, symptoms, and consequences of neglect, as well as the interdisciplinary ways to prevent both its occurrence and recurrence. This book also reviews definitions and strategies for assessing neglect, presents lessons learned about prevention and intervention, and suggests sources of training and informational support. Strategies for addressing neglect, beginning with prevention, are included.

All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territories have child abuse and neglect reporting laws that mandate certain professionals and institutions to report suspected maltreatment to a child protective services (CPS) agency. Most states recognise four major types of maltreatment: neglect, physical abuse, psychological maltreatment, and sexual abuse. Although any of the forms of child maltreatment may be found separately, they can occur in combination. This book provides data collected on child maltreatment from 2013; and discusses statutes identifying persons who are required to report suspected child maltreatment to an appropriate agency, such as child protective services, a law enforcement agency, or a State's toll-free child abuse reporting hotline.

Congress has maintained an interest in the effects of gang violence in Central America, and on the expanding activities of transnational gangs with ties to that region operating in the United States. Since FY2008, Congress has appropriated significant amounts of funding for anti-gang efforts in Central America, as well as domestic anti-gang programs. This book examines the U.S.- funded international anti-gang efforts and describes the gang problem in Central America; discusses country approaches to deal with the gangs; and analyses U.S. policy with respect to gangs in Central America. The book discusses how unaccompanied alien children are treated in comparison to unauthorized adults and families with children in the specific contexts of asylum and expedited removal.

Combining institutional ethnography and community-based research, Youth Work is a sophisticated examination of the troubling experiences of young people living outside the care of parents or guardians, as well as of the difficulties of the frontline workers who take responsibility for assisting them. Drawing from more than a year of on-site research at an Ontario youth emergency shelter, Naomi Nichols exposes the complicated institutional practices that govern both the lives of young people living in shelters and the workers who try to help them.

A troubling account of how a managerial focus on principles like "accountability" and "risk management" has failed to successfully coordinate and deliver services to vulnerable members of society, Youth Work shows how competitive funding processes, institutional mandates, and inter-organizational conflicts complicate the lives of the young people that they are supposed to help. Nichols's book is essential reading for those involved in education, social services, mental health, and the justice system, as well as anyone with an interest in social justice.

First-hand, human stories of hope, resilience, determination, and family: a call to see the world's children as our own, by the President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF

In "I Believe in ZERO," President and CEO of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF Caryl M. Stern draws on her travels around the world, offering memorable stories that present powerful and sometimes counter-intuitive lessons about life. "I Believe in ZERO" reflects her--and UNICEF's--mission to reduce the number of preventable deaths of children under the age of five from 19,000 each day to zero.
Each of the stories in "I Believe in ZERO "focuses on a particular locale--Bangladesh, Mozambique, earthquake-ravaged Haiti, the Brazilian Amazon--and weaves together fascinating material on the country and its history, an account of the humanitarian crises at issue, and depictions of the people she meets on the ground. Stern tells of mothers coming together to affect change, of local communities with valuable perspectives of their own, and of children who continue to sustain their dreams and hopes even in the most dire of situations. Throughout, Stern traces her emerging global consciousness--and describes how these stories can positively impact our own children.
In this incredibly moving book, Stern hopes to open hearts and minds and leave readers with the belief that no child anywhere should lack basic human support--and that every child and mother can be an inspiration.

Despite being commonplace in American households a generation ago, corporal punishment of children has been subjected to criticism and shifting attitudes in recent years. Many school districts have banned it, and many child advocates recommend that parents no longer spank or strike their children. In this book, social theorist Michael Donnelly and family violence expert Murray A. Straus tap the expertise of social science scholars and researchers who address issues of corporal punishment, a subject that is now characterized as a key issue in child welfare. The contributors discuss corporal punishment, its use, causes, and consequences, drawing on a wide array of comparative, psychological, and sociological theories. Together, they clarify the analytical issues and lay a strong foundation for future research and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The diverse challenges that clinicians and children's workers tasked with safeguarding babies and young children face are complex, and this unique book looks at effective, practice-based and evidence-informed approaches to working across a wide range of issues. It outlines relevant theory and good practice, gathering case examples from around the world to illustrate what interventions look like in direct practice. Leading contributors address a wide range of challenges, including babies and very young children who have a serious illness, have complex diagnoses, or have been exposed to violence or adversity in early childhood. This is an essential guide for those who work to support and safeguard the welfare of babies and very young children, including professionals in health care, social work, mental health and child protection settings, as well as paediatricians, child psychologists and child psychiatrists.

Expert authors from a wide range of backgrounds bring together the fundamentals of counselling practice with children and young people in this landmark handbook. It covers all your students need to know about theory and practice approaches, the counselling process, and practice issues and settings. This second edition is updated with the latest developments and research in an ever-changing field, and includes new content on: Diversity and difference Mental illness Safeguarding and risk assessment Child and young people's development Attachment theory and application Each chapter includes a chapter introduction and summary, reflective questions and activities, helping trainees to cement their learning. With chapters contributed by leading specialists and academics in the field, this book is essential reading for trainees and practitioners working with children and young people.

HEALTH, SAFETY, AND NUTRITION FOR THE YOUNG CHILD, 9th Edition, covers contemporary health, safety, and nutrition needs of infant through school-age children--and guides teachers in implementing effective classroom practices--in one comprehensive, full-color volume. Concepts are backed by the latest research findings and linked to NAEYC standards. The book emphasizes the importance of respecting and partnering with families to help children establish healthy lifestyles and achieve their learning potential. Early childhood educators, professionals, and families will find the latest research and information on many topics of significant concern, including food safety, emergency and disaster preparedness, childhood obesity, children's mental health, bullying, resilience, chronic and acute health conditions, environmental quality, and children with special medical needs. Also provided are easy-to-access checklists, guidelines, and activities that no early childhood student or professional should be without.

Despite being commonplace in American households a generation ago, corporal punishment of children has been subjected to criticism and shifting attitudes in recent years. Many school districts have banned it, and many child advocates recommend that parents no longer spank or strike their children. In this book, social theorist Michael Donnelly and family violence expert Murray A. Straus tap the expertise of social science scholars and researchers who address issues of corporal punishment, a subject that is now characterized as a key issue in child welfare.The contributors discuss corporal punishment, its use, causes, and consequences, drawing on a wide array of comparative, psychological, and sociological theories. Together, they clarify the analytical issues and lay a strong foundation for future research and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Reg Pengelly has gained considerable experience of managing arrangements to safeguard children in both the police service and the NHS. This short and practical guide has been written for the benefit of all managers who are either directly responsible for safeguarding children or whose organisations provide services that children use. The book will be especially useful to managers working for the growing number of private sector providers who may be commissioned by public organisations and who by dint of their contractual obligations are under a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

Research findings showed that secondary school students in Hong Kong face many challenges. In particular, morbid emphasis on academic excellence has created much competition and stress in high school students. It was estimated that around one-fifth of secondary school students in Hong Kong had different forms of mental disorders. In a three-year longitudinal study, it was found that the prevalence rates of Internet addiction in Secondary 1, Secondary 2 and Secondary 3 students were 26.4%, 26.6% and 22.5%, respectively. In the same study, suicidal ideation in junior secondary school students was found in more than one-tenth of the students. At the same time, there were more than two-tenths of students showing signs of self-harm and suicidal behaviour in junior secondary years. The number of adolescents experiencing economic disadvantage has increased while family solidarity has dropped in recent years. In spite of these adolescent developmental issues, the lack of life education and life skills training in secondary school students has made the situation worse. Although moral and civic education is one of the pillars in the new 6-year secondary school curriculum, there are several problems involved. First, the coverage on social and emotional learning in the curriculum guide is very thin. Second, although there are curricula materials on life skills training in the field, validated curricula are almost non-existent. In fact, in a review of adolescent prevention and positive youth development programs in Asia, Shek and Yu pointed out that there were very few validated evidence-based programs in Hong Kong. Third, training in social-emotional learning and adolescent prevention programs is grossly inadequate in Hong Kong. Finally, while nobody would dispute the importance of life skills and psychosocial competence, such topics are seldom taught in depth in the school contexts.

In Necessary Spaces: Exploring the Richness of African American Childhood in the South, Saundra Murray Nettles takes the reader on a journey into neighbourhood networks of learning at different times and places. Using autobiographical accounts, Nettles discusses the informal instructional practices of community "coaches" from the perspective of African American adults who look back on their childhood learning experiences in homes, libraries, city blocks, schools, churches, places of business, and nature. These eyewitness accounts reveal ""necessary spaces," the metaphor Nettles uses to describe seven recurring experiences that converge with contemporary notions of optimal black child development: connection, exploration, design, empowerment, resistance, renewal, and practice. Nettles weaves the personal stories with social scientific theory and research and practical accounts of community-based initiatives to illuminate how local communities contributed human, built, and natural resources to support children's achievement in schools. The inquiry offers a timely and accessible perspective on how community involvement for children can be developed utilising the grassroots efforts of parents, children, and other neighbourhood residents; expertise from personnel in schools, informal institutions (such as libraries and museums); and other sectors interested in disparities in education, health, and the quality of physical settings. Grounded in the environmental memories of African American childhood, Necessary Spaces offers a culturally relevant view of civic participation and sustainable community development at the local level. Educational researchers and policy makers, pre-service and in-service teachers, and people who plan for and work with children and youth in neighbourhoods will find this book an engaging look at possibilities for the social organisation of educational resources. Qualitative researchers will find a model for writing personal scholarly essays that use the personal to inform larger issues of policy and practice. In Necessary Spaces, local citizens in neighbourhoods across the United States will find stories that resonate with their own experiences, stimulate their recollections, and inform and inspire their continuing efforts to create brighter futures for children and communities.

In this book, the authors present topical research in the study of the current issues, practices and challenges related to child welfare today. Topics include mental health oversight for children and adolescents in child welfare custody; children in foster care and excessive medications; youth sexuality and health conditions; secondary traumatic stress in child welfare professionals; transforming mental health practices in child-serving systems; educational vulnerability of children and youth in foster care; developing a child welfare and child protection system in China; and mindfulness training for addressing the needs of child welfare system children and families.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed by President Obama in March 2010 is a landmark in U.S. social legislation, and the Supreme Court's recent decision upholding the Act has ensured that it will remain the law of the land. The new law extends health insurance to nearly all Americans, fulfilling a century-long quest and bringing the United States to parity with other industrial nations. Affordable Care aims to control rapidly rising health care costs and promises to make the United States more equal, reversing four decades of rising disparities between the very rich and everyone else. Millions of people of modest means will gain new benefits and protections from insurance company abuses - and the tab will be paid by privileged corporations and the very rich. How did such a bold reform effort pass in a polity wracked by partisan divisions and intense lobbying by special interests? What does Affordable Care mean-and what comes next? In this updated edition of Health Care Reform and American Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know (R), Lawrence R. Jacobs and Theda Skocpol-two of the nation's leading experts on politics and health care policy-provide a concise and accessible overview. They explain the political battles of 2009 and 2010, highlighting White House strategies, the deals Democrats cut with interest groups, and the impact of agitation by Tea Partiers and progressives. Jacobs and Skocpol spell out what the new law can do for everyday Americans, what it will cost, and who will pay. In a new section, they also analyze the impact the Supreme Court ruling that upheld the law. Above all, they explain what comes next, as critical yet often behind-the-scenes battles rage over implementing reform nationally and in the fifty states. Affordable Care still faces challenges at the state level despite the Court ruling. But, like Social Security and Medicare, it could also gain strength and popularity as the majority of Americans learn what it can do for them.

Internationally recognized as the gold standard in providing services to children with special needs and their family members, family-centred practice has developed substantially over the past two decades. However, there has not been until now a basic practice text for guiding professional education and skill building across diverse areas. Filling this significant gap, Partnering with Parents is a primer on family-centred practice for professionals working in children's health and developmental services. The material in this textbook spans interdisciplinary training across key child service sectors (particularly child development, child mental health, and children's health). The authors identify and discuss the key principles of the model as it is practiced in Canada, with a focus on working alliances, empowerment methods, and the development of social support resources. Providing examples of the application of family-centred practice in a wide range of service settings, Partnering with Parents will be useful for the social workers, nurses, psychologists, and allied health professionals who work together in complex service situations.