Children in the child welfare system face a multitude of challenges following maltreatment. These children frequently go on to report poor outcomes in many facets of their life, including education. It is thought that children who are removed from their home following maltreatment and placed in out-of-home placement (OHP), experience even more challenges due to their removal from their home and environment. The literature surrounding maltreated children's educational outcomes suggest that these children struggle in school when compared to children who have not experienced maltreatment. However, literature surrounding the educational outcomes of maltreated children who experience OHP, versus maltreated children who do not experience OHP, tend to collectively present with mixed results. The purpose of this study was to isolate the effect of OHP on the educational outcome of, school engagement, to get a clearer picture of how OHP affects the educational outcomes of maltreated children. This study utilized data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW II) with a total sample of 1,490 children. Propensity score matching was employed to isolate the effect of OHP on school engagement. The results indicate that there is no statistically significant difference in the school engagement of maltreated children who experience OHP, when compared to the school engagement on maltreated children who remain in-home. Direction for future research, and clinical implications are addressed. / Master of Science / Children who experience any form of abuse (physical, sexual, neglect, and other), tend to experience a number of challenges in many parts of their life following the abuse. It is thought that children who are removed from their home following abuse and placed in out-of-home placement (OHP), experience even more challenges due to their removal from their home, family, and school. OHP is when the child is removed from the home and placed with a temporary caregiver in a: family or non-family foster home, group home, residential care, etc. When looking at the challenges that these abused children face, it is common for these children to experience challenges with school and their academics. The purpose of this research study was too narrow in on how OHP affects the child’s ability to do well in school, specifically how it affects the child’s school engagement. School engagement is best described as the way the child interacts and responds to school, including their attitudes and thoughts about school. The results indicate that there is no significant difference in the school engagement of children who experience abuse and OHP, when compared to the school engagement of children who experience abuse and remain in their original home. The results of this research study suggest that it is less about OHP, and more about abuse, that makes it difficult for abused children to have positive school engagement.

No description available.

UA Open Access Publishing Fund / This study examined associations between alcohol misuse and childhood maltreatment and out-of-home placement among urban lesbian, gay, and bisexual (referred to as two-spirit) American Indian and Alaska Native adults. In a multi-site study, data were obtained from 294 individuals who consumed alcohol during the past year. The results indicated that 72.3% of men and 62.4% of women engaged in hazardous and harmful alcohol use and 50.8% of men and 48.7% of women met criteria for past-year alcohol dependence. The most common types of childhood maltreatment were physical abuse among male drinkers (62.7%) and emotional abuse (71.8%) among female drinkers. Men and women reported high percentages of out-of-home placement (39% and 47%, respectively). Logistic multiple regressions found that for male drinkers boarding school attendance and foster care placement were significant predictors of past-year alcohol dependence. For female drinkers, being adopted was significantly associated with a decreased risk of past-year drinking binge or spree. Dose-response relationships, using number of childhood exposures as a predictor, were not significant. The results highlight the need for alcohol and violence prevention and intervention strategies among urban two-spirit individuals.

Child maltreatment and household dysfunction have long been linked to delinquency, adult criminality, and sexual offending. However, the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), factors related to out-of-home placement, and the onset of maladaptive behaviors has not thoroughly been explored in adolescents who have engaged in sexually abusive behavior. In the present study, we examined archival records of 120 male youths who have received treatment for sexually abusive behavior. As expected, the male adolescents in this sample have experienced higher rates of ACEs than samples of adult males in the community, adult males who committed sexual offenses, and juvenile justice–involved males as reported in the literature. Discrete-time survival analyses yielded increased risks of onset of aggression and sexually abusive behavior during early childhood and mid-to-late childhood, with significant associations between higher ACE scores and a greater number of out-ofhome placements. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Titel: Vi måste trolla med knäna- Socialsekreterares erfarenheter av eftervård till unga som lämnar dygnsvården Syfte: Syftet med studien var att undersöka vad socialsekreterare anser attsamhällsplacerade unga har för behov i övergången mot ett självständigt vuxenliv, samtderas erfarenheter av de stöd- och hjälpinsatser som erbjuds de unga eftersamhällsplaceringens avslut. Metod: För att besvara studiens syfte och frågeställningar genomfördes tvåfokusgruppsintervjuer på två olika avdelningar inom en Socialtjänst i Sverige. Resultat: Resultatet av studien visade att socialsekreterarna anser att de unga somlämnar dygnsvården har olika förutsättningar och är i stort behov av socialt stöd ochpraktiskt stöd. Resultatet visade även att de eftervårdsinsatser som erbjuds idag intetillgodoser de identifierade behoven. Socialsekreterarna måste således trolla med knänaoch hitta egna lösningar. Diskussion: Samhället har ett stort ansvar för de placerade barnen även efter avslutadplacering och därför behöver lagen kring eftervård bli tydligare. / Title: Leaving social care in Sweden- Social workers experiences of working with young care leavers Aim: The study aims at examining what social workers consider necessary for youngcare leavers during their transition to adulthood, together with social workers experiences of working with aftercare. Method: To achieve the aim of the study, two focus group interviews were conductedwith social workers from two different sections of social services in one municipality in Sweden. Results: The result showed that according to the social workers, the young care leaversare a vulnerable group and in need of social and practical support. The study alsoshowed that the existing aftercare policies and services offered to care leavers does notmeet the identified needs. The social workers cannot therefore provide for the needs ofthe care leavers thus being forced to make things work out of the impossible. Discussion: The social services within municipalities are solely responsible for care andaftercare of the out of home placed children and youth. Therefore, there is need fordistinct policies and guidelines on aftercare.

No description available.

台灣的社會和家庭型態在近年來快速變遷，家中存在的壓力使兒童及少年成為容易受傷害的一群，許多關於兒少保護的資料皆顯示出兒童及少年受虐的比例逐年不斷地攀升。兒少保護工作具有相當高的危險性和挑戰性，各縣市從事兒少保護的社工員即擔負此重責大任，當發現兒少有危險或原生家庭無法提供其適當的照顧時，則社工員會運用公權力將兒少帶離原生家庭。家外安置是根據兒童及少年福利法而建立的制度，根據法規的精神，若受虐兒少存在立即的危險情況或原生家庭目前不適合居住等情形時，則社工員會進行家外安置，以確保兒少的利益。 　本研究透過質性研究的方法，探討兒保社工員在面對受虐兒少是否需進行繼續安置時，其抉擇的因素為何，並了解其在抉擇的過程中面臨到的問題及處理方式為何。透過本研究希望瞭解：第一，兒少保社工員對於家外安置的看法為何？第二，影響兒少保社工員採取繼續安置的抉擇因素為何？第三，兒少保社工員在繼續安置抉擇過程中面臨到的問題及處理方式為何？本研究並進行北部五縣市（台北縣、桃園縣、基隆市、新竹縣、新竹市）跨區域的比較，了解北部各縣市的差異性。最後，將研究結果形成建議，提供兒少保護相關領域的社工員未來在面對這樣議題時的參考。 　　依據研究目的，研究者邀請北部地區十七位在兒少保護機構工作超過一年以上的社工員進行一對一的深度訪談，研究結果如下列幾點： 一、社工員認為家外安置的功能是：「公權力的示範」、「給孩子一個安全的生活環境」、「可能產生負面效果的權宜之計」、以及「暫時舒緩家中存在的壓力」。 二、社工員考量受虐兒少是否繼續安置的抉擇因素包括：兒少年齡、兒少意願和自主性、兒少與原生家庭的依附程度、兒少身心狀況、兒少自我保護功能、兒少人身安全、兒少受虐程度、兒少受虐歷史、兒少受虐型態、施虐者施虐原因、施虐者身心狀況、施虐者親職功能、施虐者對於處遇的配合程度、施虐者改變的動力和程度、其他親屬的照顧資源、家庭其他成員的保護能力、安置能否發揮功能、社工員人身安全的考量、安置資源有無、施虐者對兒少的脅迫。 三、決定受虐兒少需進行繼續安置最關鍵的因素為兒少人身安全是否可確保以及家庭功能的整體評估。 四、各個縣市在安置處理模式和安置資源使用狀況存在差異性。 五、兒少保社工員對於緊急安置和繼續安置考量的差異在於：行政裁量VS.法院裁定；公權力初步展現VS.較長期的家庭重建；立即性保護兒少安全VS.長期間掌控兒少的風險。 六、社工員在安置過程中面臨到的困境主要有兩類，一為評估面上的困難，包括教養的尺度難以衡定、客觀證據力不足時該如何判斷、如何評斷出什麼是正確的資訊、精神虐待類型難以評估；二為執行面上的困難，包括安置資源不足、72小時的時間限制、後送單位品質的問題、青少年後續配套資源的不足、關於安置的法律議題不熟悉、相關網絡成員的壓力、來自外界聲音的壓力、社工員人身安全的憂慮。 　　最後，本研究對於社會工作實務、政府政策、以及進一步研究的部份提出建議，提供給相關領域的機構和工作人員作為參考。 / In Taiwan, types of the society and families are changing rapidly in recent years. Pressure at home makes children and adolescents vulnerable. Statistical data about child and adolescent protection indicates that the percentage of abuse is climbing year after year. Jobs of child and adolescent protection are highly dangerous and challenging. Social workers in different cities and counties take these great responsibilities. When they find out any children/adolescents are in danger or families-of-origin can not provide proper care, the social workers would use public power to bring those children away from their families-of-origin. Out-of-home placement is a system based on Child and Youth Welfare Law. According to spirit of law, if there exists immediate danger for children and adolescents, or families-of-origin are not appropriate for living, social workers would proceed with out-of-home placement to ensure their well-being. This research is using qualitative method to discuss what determines social workers’ decisions to proceed with continuous placement, and what problems they face in the process of making decisions and how they deal with them. This research aims at understanding the following questions. First, what are child and adolescent protection social workers’ point of views regarding out-of-home placement? Second, what affects social workers’ decisions to proceed with continuous placement? Third, what problems do child and adolescent protection social workers face when they are making decisions of continuous placement and how do they cope with those problems? This research also conducted a cross area comparison between five cities/counties in north part of Taiwan including Taipei County, Taoyuan County, Keelung City, Hsin-Chu County, and Hsin-Chu City to understand difference in them. Finally, suggestions are made based on research results to provide reference for child and adolescent protection social workers when in the future they face these kinds of issues. 　　Based on objectives of the research, the researcher invited seventeen social workers that have worked over one year in child and adolescent protection institutions in north part of Taiwan for one-to-one in-depth interviews. Research results are as follows. First, social workers think the functions of out-of-home placement are, “demonstration of public power”, “to provide a safe environment for children”, “a tentative strategy with negative effects” and “a temporary release of stress at home”. Second, the factors that determine social workers’ decisions of continuous placement include children and adolescents’ ages, their inclination, autonomy, attachment to their family-of-origin, physical and psychological conditions, self-protection function, personal safety, children and adolescents’ degree of abuse, history of abuse, types of abuse, and abusers’ reasons to abuse, abusers’ physical and psychological conditions, abusers’ parenting function, degree of cooperation with placement, abusers’ motivation and degree of change, other family caring resource, other family members’ abilities of protection, effectiveness of placement, safety consideration for social workers, availability of placement resource, abusers’ threats to children and adolescents. Third, the key factors to decide continuous placement for abused children and adolescents are whether safety of children and adolescents can be assured and overall evaluation of family function. Forth, cities and counties are different in terms of placement types and usage of placement methods. Fifth, the difference between considerations of emergent and continuous placement is: administrative discretion VS. court discretion, preliminary effect of public power VS. longer-term family reconstruction, immediate protection of children and adolescents VS. risk of long-term control of children and adolescents Sixth, the main difficulties that social workers face in the process of placement fall into two categories. One is difficulty of evaluation, including difficulty to judge whether the discipline is appropriate, how to judge when there is no enough objective evidences, how to screen the right information, difficulties to determine types of mental abuse. The other is difficulty of implementation, including insufficiency of placement resource, time limit of 72 hours, problems of placement family quality, insufficiency of supporting resources for adolescents afterwards, unfamiliarity with legal issues of placement, pressure from other network members, pressure from the public voices, and concerns about social workers’ safety. Last, the research provides suggestions regarding social work practices, government policies, and further research for related institutions and workers’ reference.

Les populations autochtones canadiennes ont un passé difficile qui influence leur vécu actuel. Les recherches canadiennes et ailleurs dans le monde s’entendent sur la surreprésentation des enfants autochtones en protection de l’enfance. Au Canada, la surreprésentation s’explique présentement par la présence de conditions de vie dégradées plutôt qu’en raison d’un traitement différentiel des services de protection à l’égard des enfants autochtones. La présente étude ajoute aux connaissances sur les mauvais traitements et la réponse des services de protection de la jeunesse aux enfants autochtones québécois en s’intéressant à trois questions : leur surreprésentation, leurs différences par rapport aux autres enfants et les prédicteurs du placement. D’abord, à partir des données administratives de la protection de la jeunesse, la surreprésentation des enfants autochtones est évaluée à trois étapes des services : les signalements retenus, les situations fondées et les placements. Les enfants autochtones et les autres enfants sont comparés sur un ensemble de caractéristiques personnelles, familiales, parentales des signalements et des services rendus. Les prédicteurs du placement des enfants desservis par la protection de la jeunesse sont enfin vérifiés, en portant une attention particulière à l’importance du statut autochtone dans cette prédiction. Les résultats révèlent une augmentation de la surreprésentation des enfants autochtones d’une étape à l’autre des services de protection considérés. Ces enfants ont plus souvent des conditions de vie difficiles et sont confrontés à davantage de facteurs de risque que les autres enfants. Le statut autochtone est important dans la prédiction du placement, même après l’ajout d’un ensemble de caractéristiques pouvant contribuer à la prédiction. La complexité d’accès aux services de première ligne dans les communautés autochtones ou l’influence d’une variable non considérée, telle la pauvreté matérielle et économique, constituent de possibles explications. Les implications pour la recherche et la pratique sont discutées. / Canadian Aboriginal populations have for a while experienced difficulties that influence their actual lives. Research in Canada and elsewhere in the world acknowledges the overrepresentation of aboriginal children in child welfare services. In Canada, the overrepresentation of aboriginal children in child welfare services is mostly explained by the existence of risky life conditions rather than by the hypothesis of differential treatment of aboriginal children by child welfare. The actual study adds knowledge concerning child maltreatment in the aboriginal children population and the way Québec child welfare responds to aboriginal children by an examination of their overrepresentation, their differences with other children and the predictors of out-of-home placement. Using administrative data of Québec child welfare services, the overrepresentation of aboriginal children is first verified at three steps of the child welfare trajectory: the retained reports, the substantiated cases and the out-of-home placements. Aboriginal children are compared with other children on personal, family, parental and services characteristics. Predictors of out-of-home placement for children receiving child welfare services are finally investigated, with a specific attention to the aboriginal status in that prediction. Results reveal an increase in the overrepresentation of aboriginal children as they progress in the different steps of child protective services trajectory. These children live more often with hard life conditions and have to face more risk factors than other children. The importance of aboriginal status in out-of-home placement decisions remains substantial, even when many other characteristics increasing out-of-home placement risks are added. The complexities to access primary care in aboriginal communities or the influence of an unmeasured variable, such as material or economic poverty are possible explanations. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Les jeunes avec antécédents de placement sont surreprésentés parmi les jeunes adultes qui ont vécu un passage à la rue. Ce qui pourrait être interprété par certains comme un naufrage est vécu par d’autres comme une opportunité : l’expérience de la rue que font les jeunes est façonnée par leurs expériences antérieures. L’objectif de cette recherche était de combler un trou dans les connaissances concernant l’articulation entre l’expérience de placement et l’expérience de rue chez les jeunes. À partir de la méthodologie des récits de vie, j’ai rencontré six jeunes adultes en situation de rue qui, durant l’enfance ou l’adolescence, avaient fait l’objet d’un retrait du milieu familial en vertu de la Loi sur la protection de la jeunesse au Québec. Leur trajectoire a été étudiée sous l’angle de la « vulnérabilisation », un processus double d’appauvrissement matériel et de refoulement vers une position sociale dévalorisée. Les jeunes de mon étude ont vécu trois formes de vulnérabilisation dans le contexte du placement : la déliaison familiale, la disqualification professionnelle et sociale, et la stigmatisation. Les jeunes ont répondu à ces dynamiques en acceptant et en intériorisant la vulnérabilité, en la niant ou en la refusant, ou encore en la rationalisant et en la négociant. Cette étude permet de mieux comprendre l’articulation entre l’expérience du placement et celle de la rue chez les jeunes. Les résultats sont utiles pour informer d’autres études, ainsi que pour éclairer les pratiques auprès de cette population spécifique. / Youth with a history of out-of-home placement are overrepresented among young adults who end up on the streets. What could be viewed as a failure by some is experienced as an opportunity by others: youth’s lived experience of the streets is shaped by what they’ve known prior to arriving on the streets. The goal of this research was to fill a gap in our knowledge around the connection between the lived experience of out-of-home care and the lived experience of homelessness among youth. Using the method of récits de vie, I met with six young people who were living on the streets and, as children or adolescents, had been removed from their families to be placed in out-of-home care under youth protection laws in Quebec (Canada). Their life trajectories were studied through the lens of “vulnerabilisation”: a process leading to both material impoverishment and relegation to an unfavourable social position. While in care, the young people in my study experienced three forms of vulnerabilisation: weakening of family ties, professional and social disqualification, and stigmatisation. The youth responded to these processes by accepting and identifying with their vulnerable status, by refusing or negating this status, or by rationalizing and negotiating their status. This study helps us better understand how the experience of out-of-home care and street life are connected in young people’s lives. My results could support further studies, as well as inform practices with this specific population.

Texas houses the largest number of school-aged individuals with intellectual disabilities in state-administered institutions than any other state in the nation. Despite current conditions of legal and procedural constraints on such placements, the number of admissions of school-aged individuals has been increasing in recent years. Prior to conducting this study, a review of literature was completed, which provided an historical overview of the care for people with intellectual disabilities, the damaging effects of institutionalization in all areas of child development, and the reasons for placement of children with intellectual disabilities in institutions was completed. The purpose of the study was to gain an understanding of the decision-making processes involved in the placement of individuals under the age of 22 in Texas state supported living centers and the community services determined as necessary. Surveys were distributed to five groups of individuals who are typically involved in the decision-making process: parents of current residents under age 22 of state supported living centers, Local Authority interdisciplinary team members, local Community Resource Coordination Group interagency members, local County Judges, and the Directors of the state supported living centers. A sixth group surveyed included parents who sought placement for their child in the institution, but accepted Medicaid waiver-funded community-based services instead. Although the families expressed a strong commitment to keep their family member at home as long as possible, the results indicate that the Local Authority for intellectual disability services influences the majority of families' decisions to place their child in the institution as well as a severe lack of appropriate, adequate and accessible community-based services to meet the needs of families. Both parent groups rated improved public school and personal attendant services as the most necessary for the prevention of out-of-home placement. The availability of behavior supports and respite services were viewed by both the parents and the professionals as important in preventing out-of-home placement. / text