Children & SocietyPub Date : 2026-04-23Epub Date: 2025-07-07DOI: 10.1111/chso.12990
Christa Järvinen, Helena Blomberg, Christian Kroll
{"title":"Poor Children in Our School? Child Poverty-Related Beliefs and Practices Among Primary School-Based Professionals in Finland","authors":"Christa Järvinen, Helena Blomberg, Christian Kroll","doi":"10.1111/chso.12990","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12990","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Despite being viewed as highly equal welfare societies, child poverty remains an unsolved problem in the Nordic countries. This article investigates the various types of institutionalised, underlying beliefs about child poverty held by professionals working within the Finnish primary school system, and how these assumptions shape school practices related to equality issues. Based on focus group interviews with 34 school-based professionals, the study found that while economically vulnerable pupils are routinely encountered, poverty is rarely discussed among staff or with families. Our results highlight the need for critical self-reflection by school-based professionals, as patterns of inadequately poverty-sensitive thought and behaviour were detected.</p>","PeriodicalId":47660,"journal":{"name":"Children & Society","volume":"40 3","pages":"393-402"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/chso.12990","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148068074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Children & SocietyPub Date : 2026-04-23Epub Date: 2025-09-21DOI: 10.1111/chso.13006
Hilary Jenkinson
{"title":"The Importance of Relationship in Independent Advocacy for Care-Experienced Young People","authors":"Hilary Jenkinson","doi":"10.1111/chso.13006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.13006","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Independent advocacy services for children and young people with care experience aim to connect with, empower and facilitate service users to have their voices heard and address issues of importance and concern to them. This paper gives an account of a review of independent advocacy services for those with care experience in Ireland, with a particular focus on the views and experiences of young adults and advocates. The article highlights how supportive relationships emerge as a strong priority for those engaged in the advocacy process and proceeds to explore the findings of this study in light of relevant national and international literature and research. In view of the research findings and the strong focus on relationships and support that unfold, a model of advocacy is proposed which places relationships at its heart, serving to provide an effective and essential foundation from which other key elements of independent advocacy such as voice, participation and empowerment are enabled. Such a model will, it is proposed, enhance the experience and heighten the impact of advocacy interventions for young people and the advocacy professionals that work with them.</p>","PeriodicalId":47660,"journal":{"name":"Children & Society","volume":"40 3","pages":"546-555"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/chso.13006","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148087821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Children & SocietyPub Date : 2026-04-23Epub Date: 2025-08-04DOI: 10.1111/chso.12991
Henning Årman, Mari Kronlund Rimfors, Camilla Rindstedt, David Cardell
{"title":"The Becoming of Children and Caregiving Fathers—A Video Ethnography of Individual Parent Conversations at Swedish Child Health Centres","authors":"Henning Årman, Mari Kronlund Rimfors, Camilla Rindstedt, David Cardell","doi":"10.1111/chso.12991","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12991","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The current study explores conversations fathers and nurses at Swedish Child Health Centres. Video-ethnographic methods allow for the analysis of naturally occurring interaction and the analysis focuses on how the participants address fathers' accounts of inadequacy and being secondary to the mother in terms of being able to provide care and comfort to his infant child. Using an ethnomethodological approach, the analysis focuses on how the participants make sense of social identities in relation to fatherhood, childhood and care practices. We argue that the participants construe both father and infant child as involved in a process of becoming as they highlight the temporal aspects of fatherhood and childhood and emphasise future possibilities of care.</p>","PeriodicalId":47660,"journal":{"name":"Children & Society","volume":"40 3","pages":"403-416"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/chso.12991","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148064571","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Children & SocietyPub Date : 2026-04-23Epub Date: 2025-08-22DOI: 10.1111/chso.12998
Sonia Carcelén-García, Oliver Carrero Márquez, Myriam Durán Vilches
{"title":"Online Risk Behaviours Among Adolescents: Identifying Areas of Digital Vulnerability","authors":"Sonia Carcelén-García, Oliver Carrero Márquez, Myriam Durán Vilches","doi":"10.1111/chso.12998","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12998","url":null,"abstract":"<p>As a period during which they undergo important physical, emotional and social changes, adolescence is of great importance for minors. In addition, adolescence is an initial stage in terms of children's use of their own mobile devices and their first access to the internet and social networks, an activity that becomes a generalised habit in late adolescence. Here, a qualitative study is performed using 3 discussion groups with Spanish adolescents (14–16 years old) to identify areas of digital vulnerability, complemented by a quantitative study of a sample of 300 Spanish adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age to determine in which digital activities adolescents perceive more risk in each of the previously identified areas. The main results of the study indicate that although adolescents feel confident and secure in their digital activity (internet and social networks), they feel greater vulnerability and perceive a greater degree of risk in activities in which their privacy is endangered, especially when their personal information is used without prior consent. In contrast, adolescents perceive a lower degree of risk in activities that are directly linked to their digital leisure, such as video games or visiting <i>influencer</i> sites. Finally, this study reveals that girls and 12–13-year-olds are more aware of the dangers of the internet; therefore, their perception of risk is greater than that of boys and 14–15-year-olds, groups that are particularly vulnerable because they perceive a low level of risk in their digital activities.</p>","PeriodicalId":47660,"journal":{"name":"Children & Society","volume":"40 3","pages":"474-488"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/chso.12998","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148087141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Children & SocietyPub Date : 2026-04-23Epub Date: 2025-09-11DOI: 10.1111/chso.12999
Jihye Kim, Wendy Olsen, Mohammed Ibrahim
{"title":"Teenage Pregnancy and Adolescents' Attitudes Toward Marriage and Pregnancy: Primary Data Analysis in Akatsi North, Ghana","authors":"Jihye Kim, Wendy Olsen, Mohammed Ibrahim","doi":"10.1111/chso.12999","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12999","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A high prevalence of teenage pregnancy in Ghana has raised critical concerns. This study aims to understand the causes of early pregnancy in Akatsi North, Ghana, while also assessing the underlying attitudes of young people toward future marriage and pregnancy. The study was conducted from November 2022 to May 2023, using a primary survey of 600 students selected through cluster sampling, along with focus group discussions. Findings suggest that peer pressure and adolescents' aspirations and attitudes based on gender can be important factors influencing students' family planning. We discuss diverse ways that social actors, such as NGOs, can play a positive role in delivering accurate sexual and reproductive health knowledge, encouraging positive and moral peer pressure and supporting the aspirations of girls and boys for future education and work.</p>","PeriodicalId":47660,"journal":{"name":"Children & Society","volume":"40 3","pages":"460-473"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/chso.12999","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148073808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"‘We Become Tough and Strong … When We Are Able to Push Through’: Experiences of Children and Adolescents in Zongo Communities in Accra, Ghana","authors":"Raqeeba Mwiniya Abass, Joana Salifu Yendork, Doreen Ahwireng, Ethel Obeng-Treve, Benjamin Amponsah","doi":"10.1111/chso.13005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.13005","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The Zongo communities have become epicentres for social vices such as drug use, sexual exploitation, violence and fraudulent activities. Despite these issues, little research has been done on the experiences of children and adolescents living in these communities. Therefore, this study explored the lived experiences of 10 children and adolescents in Zongo communities and how they cope with the challenges they experience. Findings from thematic analysis show that while negative experiences were prevalent, participants also had rewarding experiences. Negative experiences pertained to inadequate healthcare, poor parental care and supervision, lack of public amenities, theft and swindling (scamming), low socio-economic status and exposure to violence. Positive experiences included resilience attributes and self-dependence. Further, the findings show that participants used both adaptive strategies such as survival skills, social support and religious coping and maladaptive coping strategies such as drug use, fraudulent activities and the use of violence. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions that enhance protective factors while mitigating risks, ultimately fostering a safer and more supportive environment for the children and adolescents in these communities.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47660,"journal":{"name":"Children & Society","volume":"40 3","pages":"535-545"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148089608","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Children & SocietyPub Date : 2026-04-23Epub Date: 2025-09-08DOI: 10.1111/chso.13000
Nguyen Hoai Pham, Tú Anh Trinh, Yogeshwar V. Navandar, Ariane Cuenen, Geert Wets, Davy Janssens
{"title":"Traffic Safety Education From a Lifelong Learning Perspective: Policy Recommendations for Vietnam, India and Nepal","authors":"Nguyen Hoai Pham, Tú Anh Trinh, Yogeshwar V. Navandar, Ariane Cuenen, Geert Wets, Davy Janssens","doi":"10.1111/chso.13000","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.13000","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Higher secondary school students are at high risk on roads. Traffic safety education (TSE) should be a lifelong learning process to enhance traffic safety for this vulnerable group. This qualitative study, using focus groups and in-depth interviews with important stakeholders (higher secondary school students, parents, teachers, police and experts), investigates the current state of TSE for higher secondary school students in Vietnam, India and Nepal from a lifelong learning perspective. Results indicate that while formal, non-formal and informal learning exist, there is a need for innovation to meet students' needs. Realistic learning resources, gamification, virtual reality, simulations and a graduated licence programme are promising ways to engage students. A co-creation platform based on design thinking places students at the centre and ensures shared responsibility among stakeholders. Policy recommendations are formulated to guide educators, practitioners and policymakers in developing effective TSE for students in the targeted countries.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47660,"journal":{"name":"Children & Society","volume":"40 3","pages":"489-502"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148071281","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Children & SocietyPub Date : 2026-04-23Epub Date: 2025-09-14DOI: 10.1111/chso.13002
Jenny Krutzinna, Katre Luhamaa, Tarja Pösö, Marit Skivenes
{"title":"What About Their Future? An Analysis of Child Protection Systems' Focus on the Future of Newborn Children in Care Order Decisions","authors":"Jenny Krutzinna, Katre Luhamaa, Tarja Pösö, Marit Skivenes","doi":"10.1111/chso.13002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.13002","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This article examines whether and how governments and child protection systems consider the future of infants when making care order decisions. Infants' placements can be long-term, so it is important to understand how the child's future is discussed—both generally and in relation to becoming an adult who can participate in society and live independently. The empirical analysis draws on unique data from new-born removal judgements (<i>n</i> = 216), covering 220 children across eight European countries. Findings show that few judgements consider the child's future as an adult. Two main types of future orientation emerge: a prevention focus, emphasising the need to protect the child's immediate future from existing harm, and a provision focus, oriented towards secure attachment, developmental needs, and permanent relationships. Country differences are evident, with only English judgements considering a broad range of future outcomes, including adulthood. In conclusion, there is a concerning blind spot among decision-makers when determining whether a child should grow up in public care. Explicit consideration of the child's prospects for becoming a well-functioning adult is very limited.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47660,"journal":{"name":"Children & Society","volume":"40 3","pages":"513-522"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148078309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Children & SocietyPub Date : 2026-04-23Epub Date: 2026-01-20DOI: 10.1111/chso.13011
Angie Baily, Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen
{"title":"管我们是因为爱我们 To Guan Us Is to Love Us: Understanding Guan Through Adolescent Perceptions","authors":"Angie Baily, Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen","doi":"10.1111/chso.13011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.13011","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This paper investigates how children interpret the practice of guan (Chinese parenting) within the home and its relationship to family language policy (FLP). The study involved nine adolescent participants from six families. Using a written reflective task, the study explores the attitudes of adolescents towards the practice of guan and its effectiveness in the development and maintenance of the heritage language (HL). Data were collected as part of a larger research project investigating multilingualism among Chinese families in Ireland. The findings show that adolescents view parental guan as necessary and effective in HL development through parental encouragement, parental support and parental investment. The article responds to the linguistic and demographic changes in Irish society and makes an important contribution to knowledge about cultural practices, which may support the multilingual development of children in transnational families. Its focus on families in rural Ireland provides scope to develop the HL in the absence of large communities and language schools. Critically, the article expands on current scholarly discussions surrounding adolescents, identity, belief and agency within the field of FLP, by shedding light on how adolescents interpret parenting practices and cultural concepts and perceive complex bilingual and bicultural family structures.</p>","PeriodicalId":47660,"journal":{"name":"Children & Society","volume":"40 3","pages":"567-579"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/chso.13011","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148086078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Children & SocietyPub Date : 2026-04-23Epub Date: 2025-09-21DOI: 10.1111/chso.13004
Janniche Elisabeth Broch Wilhelmsen
{"title":"Not Quite Connected: Digital Play, Participation and the Missing Shared Culture in Early Childhood","authors":"Janniche Elisabeth Broch Wilhelmsen","doi":"10.1111/chso.13004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.13004","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This article examines how age influences young children's opportunities for digital participation and play. Drawing on individual interviews and focus groups with 21 children aged 5–6 in Norway, the study explores how children themselves describe their digital experiences. The analysis reveals that while young children express joy and curiosity about digital opportunities, they express that they often engage in digital play alone and seldom share digital experiences with peers or parents. The findings suggest a lack of shared digital culture among peers, highlighting how age functions as a social and cultural category shaping digital inclusion and exclusion. The findings underscore the gatekeeping role of parents and suggest that kindergarten and early school settings may serve as important arenas for fostering equitable access to digital play and interaction. The article contributes to ongoing discussions on children's digital lives by foregrounding the perspectives of younger children and calling attention to the structural conditions shaping their digital participation.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47660,"journal":{"name":"Children & Society","volume":"40 3","pages":"523-534"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148089609","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}