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Barnes, Jacqueline ; MacPherson, Kristen ; Senior, Rob
2006 Journal of Children's Services
The study reported here aimed to evaluate the impact on parenting and the home environment of community volunteer home visiting offered during or soon after pregnancy to potentially vulnerable mothers. A cluster-randomised study allocated Home-Start schemes to intervention or comparison (existing services) conditions. Mothers were screened at routine health checks. Families in intervention and comparison areas were assessed at two and 12 months. The results showed that comparing families receiving support and those in comparison areas, there were few differences. There was a greater reduction in parent-child relationship difficulties for supported families, but they offered their children fewer healthy foods. There was no evidence of enhanced parenting, organisation of the home environment or more appropriate use of health services. Comparing families receiving support with a second comparison group, living in intervention areas but not receiving support, no differences were found. The article concludes that a more structured approach may be required to make changes in parenting behaviour and the home environment.
Jacqueline Barnes; Kristen MacPherson; Rob Senior
2006 Journal of Children's Services
doi: 10.1108/17466660200600028
The study reported here aimed to evaluate the impact on parenting and the home environment of community volunteer home visiting offered during or soon after pregnancy to potentially vulnerable mothers. A cluster‐randomised study allocated Home‐Start schemes to intervention or comparison (existing services) conditions. Mothers were screened at routine health checks. Families in intervention and comparison areas were assessed at two and 12 months. The results showed that comparing families receiving support and those in comparison areas, there were few differences. There was a greater reduction in parent‐child relationship difficulties for supported families, but they offered their children fewer healthy foods. There was no evidence of enhanced parenting, organisation of the home environment or more appropriate use of health services. Comparing families receiving support with a second comparison group, living in intervention areas but not receiving support, no differences were found. The article concludes that a more structured approach may be required to make changes in parenting behaviour and the home environment.
Jessica Asscher; Jo Hermanns; Maja Deković
2006 Journal of Children's Services
doi: 10.1108/17466660200600029
The prevalence, correlates (child behaviour problems and negative parenting) and determinants (risk and protective factors) of parental need for support were examined in a community sample of 177 mothers with a child aged 1.5‐3.5 years, in order to draw a profile of families that need parenting support. A substantial number of the mothers reported needing support (40% reported need for information, 10% reported family and social support needs). This need was related to child behaviour problems and to negative parenting. Maternal depression, difficult temperament of the child and negative life events, as well as total number of risk factors, significantly predicted the need for support. Satisfaction with support (but not number of support sources) acted as a protective factor.
Asscher, Jessica J; Hermanns, Jo MA; Deković, Maja MA
2006 Journal of Children's Services
The prevalence, correlates (child behaviour problems and negative parenting) and determinants (risk and protective factors) of parental need for support were examined in a community sample of 177 mothers with a child aged 1.5-3.5 years, in order to draw a profile of families that need parenting support. A substantial number of the mothers reported needing support (40% reported need for information, 10% reported family and social support needs). This need was related to child behaviour problems and to negative parenting. Maternal depression, difficult temperament of the child and negative life events, as well as total number of risk factors, significantly predicted the need for support. Satisfaction with support (but not number of support sources) acted as a protective factor.
2006 Journal of Children's Services
This article considers ways in which the implementation of children's rights can be measured in law, policy and practice. It identifies best practice and lessons to be learnt when undertaking the process of auditing the implementation of children's rights. It draws on the author's experience of four different research projects whose task was to measure the extent to which children's rights were being protected and promoted. The article highlights the value of rights-based research, which attempts to operationalise children's rights by measuring their practical implementation with regard to international standards including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). It sets out the lessons to be learnt from such research, including how to develop appropriate and effective benchmarks, how to maximise existing standards to this end, and how to apply them in line with the general principles of the CRC.
2006 Journal of Children's Services
doi: 10.1108/17466660200600030
This article considers ways in which the implementation of children's rights can be measured in law, policy and practice. It identifies best practice and lessons to be learnt when undertaking the process of auditing the implementation of children's rights. It draws on the author's experience of four different research projects whose task was to measure the extent to which children's rights were being protected and promoted. The article highlights the value of rights‐based research, which attempts to operationalise children's rights by measuring their practical implementation with regard to international standards including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). It sets out the lessons to be learnt from such research, including how to develop appropriate and effective benchmarks, how to maximise existing standards to this end, and how to apply them in line with the general principles of the CRC.
Gould, Nick ; Richardson, Joanna
2006 Journal of Children's Services
This article reports on the first health technology appraisal conducted jointly between the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE). The appraisal systematically reviewed evidence for the clinical effectiveness of parent-training/education programmes in the management of children with conduct disorders. This appraisal is highly topical in the light of cross-cutting policy agendas concerned with increasing parenting capacity. It is also methodologically innovative in its approach to synthesising the meta-analysis of trial evidence on outcomes of programmes with qualitative evidence on process and implementation. The appraisal found parent-training/education programmes to be effective in the management of children with conduct disorders, and it identifies the generic characteristics of effective programmes. It is concluded that this approach offers an exemplar for the development of systematic reviewing of complex psychosocial interventions that are relevant to integrated children's services.
2006 Journal of Children's Services
doi: 10.1108/17466660200600031
This article reports on the first health technology appraisal conducted jointly between the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE). The appraisal systematically reviewed evidence for the clinical effectiveness of parent‐training/education programmes in the management of children with conduct disorders. This appraisal is highly topical in the light of cross‐cutting policy agendas concerned with increasing parenting capacity. It is also methodologically innovative in its approach to synthesising the meta‐analysis of trial evidence on outcomes of programmes with qualitative evidence on process and implementation. The appraisal found parent‐training/education programmes to be effective in the management of children with conduct disorders, and it identifies the generic characteristics of effective programmes. It is concluded that this approach offers an exemplar for the development of systematic reviewing of complex psychosocial interventions that are relevant to integrated children's services.
2006 Journal of Children's Services
In the Netherlands young people with a child protection measure can be admitted to juvenile justice institutions in special cases. Since 2001 there has been a sudden rise in the number of child protection admissions. This article describes a needs analysis of the child protection cases and shows how the identification of need profiles can provide clues for the development of services. An important outcome of the needs analysis is the urgent need for new services for young people with a conduct disorder, with residential as well as non-residential with (intensive) family interventions as a central element. Due to political and media attention on the subject, the government plans to spread intensive family interventions over the country and finances have become available to develop five new residential settings. The focus on the use of security in handling this group of young people is also discussed.
2006 Journal of Children's Services
doi: 10.1108/17466660200600032
In the Netherlands young people with a child protection measure can be admitted to juvenile justice institutions in special cases. Since 2001 there has been a sudden rise in the number of child protection admissions. This article describes a needs analysis of the child protection cases and shows how the identification of need profiles can provide clues for the development of services. An important outcome of the needs analysis is the urgent need for new services for young people with a conduct disorder, with residential as well as non‐residential with (intensive) family interventions as a central element.Due to political and media attention on the subject, the government plans to spread intensive family interventions over the country and finances have become available to develop five new residential settings. The focus on the use of security in handling this group of young people is also discussed.
Kaoukji, Dwan ; Little, Michael
2006 Journal of Children's Services
The Government's vision for children's services in England and Wales, Every Child Matters (DfES, 2003), and the subsequent Children Act 2004 are ground-breaking in that they encourage local authorities to focus on child outcomes and demand the integration of previously separate services, such as social care and education. Previous articles in this series were by Herbert Laming (2006), whose inquiry helped pave the way for the 2004 legislation, Tom Jeffery (2006), the Director-General of the central government Directorate for Children, Young People and Families, and John Coughlan (2006), a Director of Children's Services in one local authority and president of the Association of Directors of Social Services. This article offers the perspective Tim Byles, Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools, a joint venture between Partnerships UK - established by HM Treasury six years ago - and the Department for Education and Skills - the UK government's lead department on children's services. The remit of Partnerships for Schools is to rebuild or renew every secondary school in England over a 15-year time period. Previously, Tim Byles was Chief Executive in Norfolk, a local authority with a population of 830,000 and a budget of £1.25 billion. In that job, Tim took a pivotal role not only in implementing the Children Act 2004, but also in working with central government to resolve problems that emerged as the bill passed through parliament. What follows is an edited transcript of Tim Byles's comments.
2006 Journal of Children's Services
doi: 10.1108/17466660200600033
The Government's vision for children's services in England and Wales, Every Child Matters (DfES, 2003), and the subsequent Children Act 2004 are ground‐breaking in that they encourage local authorities to focus on child outcomes and demand the integration of previously separate services, such as social care and education. Previous articles in this series were by Herbert Laming (2006), whose inquiry helped pave the way for the 2004 legislation, Tom Jeffery (2006), the Director‐General of the central government Directorate for Children, Young People and Families, and John Coughlan (2006), a Director of Children's Services in one local authority and president of the Association of Directors of Social Services.This article offers the perspective Tim Byles, Chief Executive of Partnerships for Schools, a joint venture between Partnerships UK ‐ established by HM Treasury six years ago ‐ and the Department for Education and Skills ‐ the UK government's lead department on children's services. The remit of Partnerships for Schools is to rebuild or renew every secondary school in England over a 15‐year time period. Previously, Tim Byles was Chief Executive in Norfolk, a local authority with a population of 830,000 and a budget of £1.25 billion. In that job, Tim took a pivotal role not only in implementing the Children Act 2004, but also in working with central government to resolve problems that emerged as the bill passed through parliament. What follows is an edited transcript of Tim Byles's comments.