Virtually every child welfare system has been harshly criticized for the way it treats abused and neglected children. The system has been so problematic for some states that lawsuits have been filed against them. To remedy these problems, system-wide policy reform has received a good deal of attention, but this approach lacks the empirical research needed to move the field forward to better serve children and families. This study answers the question: Does child welfare reform via litigation produce long-term effects on child outcomes and state child welfare budgets after the case is closed? The study employed mixed research methods. The qualitative portion relies on case studies of four states that were developed through a series of in-depth interviews and an extensive historical document analysis. For each state, the study examined 1) the association between litigation and state funding for child welfare systems, 2) examined the relationship between litigation and child outcomes over time, and 3) studied key stakeholders’ perceptions of litigation’s impact on budget and child outcomes. The quantitative portion of the study utilized outcome data that are available for all 50 states to compare states that have undergone comprehensive class action litigation with those that have not. Case studies of 4 states (Alabama, Kansas, New Mexico, Utah) included a qualitative analysis and five major themes emerged: leadership, policy interventions (e.g. budget, data monitoring, legislation), direct interventions (e.g. caseload decreases, trainings, etc.) , settlement agreement characteristics and litigation’s value as a method of reform. A method called Qualitative Comparative Analysis was used to identify themes and subthemes identified from the qualitative analysis that play instrumental roles in impacting outcomes. Findings indicate that litigation appears to positively impact child welfare systems functioning during the lawsuit, but it is difficult to see how these systems changes impact outcomes. Many reforms are difficult to sustain due to their reliance on increased budgets which decline post litigation. Reform is also reliant on supportive leadership, which is subject to frequent turnover. Study participants viewed litigation as effective at garnering attention for problems in the child welfare system, but at a very high cost (e.g. financial, length of time, adversarial environment, etc.). Decreased caseload, increased budget, and effective data collection systems were found to be instrumental in positively impacting outcomes. A faster, less costly and less adversarial method of reform is needed. / text

This study examined the unique and joint association between mothers’ and fathers’ reported emotion coaching tendency and six to eight-year-old children’s (N= 74, 33 boys and 44 girls co-residing with parents) social competence. Parents completed questionnaires assessing their emotion coaching to children’s negative emotions, children’s emotion regulation and social skills. Mothers’ and fathers’ emotion coaching tendency showed an addictive effect on children social competence and such processes were dependent on child gender. Moreover, child emotion regulation mediated the positive effect of maternal emotion coaching on children’s social competence. Parenting programmes seem worthy of educating both mothers and fathers on the importance of emotions and emotion regulation of their children. / published_or_final_version / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Chinese parenting has received considerable attention from researchers around the globe. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the scholarly literature on Chinese parenting to determine how it has been conceptualized in the English language literature. A search of relevant keywords in electronic databases and reference lists of publications was conducted, followed by a narrative synthesis of the findings. Results show that the existing literature focused on the following six interrelated topics/themes: (i) different aspects/components of Chinese parenting (beliefs, values, practices and goals); (ii) relationships among parenting components; (iii) comparisons between Chinese and non-Chinese parents; (iv) parenting and child outcomes; (v) parenting styles; and (vi) factors that influence Chinese parenting. In general, existing studies examined Chinese parenting through describing parenting values, beliefs, practices and styles, and investigating the interrelationships between goals, practices and child outcomes. Implications and limitations of the review are discussed. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

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