{"title":"Child welfare inequalities in an egalitarian nation: A Norwegian cohort study","authors":"Mary Elizabeth Hemler","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108372","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108372","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Child welfare systems internationally exhibit marked sociodemographic inequalities in intervention and out-of-home care rates. This study investigates these inequalities in Norway, focusing on the intersections of socioeconomic status (SES), ethnic background, and household composition. Using individual-level administrative data, the 2005 birth cohort was linked to parental sociodemographic data and child welfare records from birth to age 13 (2005–2018). By age 13, 10.9% of children experienced at least one child welfare intervention and 2.2% of children were placed in out-of-home care. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to predict the cumulative probabilities of child welfare intervention and out-of-home placement by age 13. At the intersection of SES and ethnic background, the strongest social gradient was observed for children with Norwegian-born parents: by age 13, 29.6% of children with low-SES Norwegian-born parents had received an intervention, compared to 7.3% of children with middle-SES and 3.2% of children with high-SES parents. In contrast, the weakest social gradient was observed among children with two non-Western immigrant parents, with 22.3% of low SES, 20.9% of middle SES, and 16.2% of high SES children receiving an intervention. At the intersection of SES and household composition, low SES and time spent in a single-parent household increased the risk for intervention in an additive manner: 57.6% of children from low-SES, long-term single-parent households experienced at least one child welfare intervention by age 13, compared to only 1.9% of children from high-SES two-parent households. These findings highlight the importance of a quantitative, intersectional framework for understanding child welfare inequalities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 108372"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144184878","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ashley N. Rousson , Sophia Merelas , Emiko A. Tajima , Laura Orlando , Julia J. Lund , Susan Barkan
{"title":"“At the Mercy of our System”: Structural and programmatic changes for supporting parents with children in out-of-home care","authors":"Ashley N. Rousson , Sophia Merelas , Emiko A. Tajima , Laura Orlando , Julia J. Lund , Susan Barkan","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108370","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108370","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>System reforms are needed to better support families and prevent child welfare system (CWS) involvement. For parents with children in out-of-home care, it is critical that CWS required programs meet their unique needs and minimize the harm of separation. Yet, few programs have been developed for this population of parents. This study sought to understand important factors to consider when developing responsive programming within the unique parenting context of supervised visitation. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 107 individuals. Two focus groups included parents with lived expertise whose children were returned to their care after being removed. Interviewees included service providers from state CWS, legal, nursing, and Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs, child welfare researchers, and racial equity experts. Qualitative thematic analysis involved coding, code grouping, and theme development using ATLAS.ti. Findings indicate the need for broad systems attention to marginalization, separation trauma, and preparing workers for the context of supervised visitation Programs and requirements for parents should attend to self-identified needs, be trauma-informed, and needs-matched. Implications for child welfare programming are addressed, emphasizing community-based programming and family supports aimed at preventing removal, alongside systems-based efforts to minimize harm and meet families’ unique needs when separation cannot be avoided.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 108370"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144166503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Unni Heltne , Ragnhild Dybdahl , Sulaima Sharif , Anders Breidlid
{"title":"Local adults’ perceptions of adverse experiences and psychosocial consequences among refugee children in Sudan and South Sudan","authors":"Unni Heltne , Ragnhild Dybdahl , Sulaima Sharif , Anders Breidlid","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108368","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108368","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Background: Adverse experiences are significant sources of stress that negatively impact mental health and overall functioning. These experiences are particularly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries. Within such contexts, schools and local communities are considered vital platforms for delivering psychosocial support. Understanding local perspectives on children’s adverse experiences—and their consequences—is essential for developing effective strategies to protect and support affected children and to mitigate potential harm. <strong>Aim:</strong> This study aims to explore how adults—specifically teachers and parents—in Sudan and South Sudan perceive and interpret children’s adverse experiences, as well as the impact of these experiences on children’s psychosocial functioning and well-being. <strong>Method:</strong> This is an exploratory qualitative study with a sample of 45 informants. Data were collected through focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and open-ended questionnaire responses. Thematic analysis was employed to identify and interpret key patterns within the data. <strong>Findings:</strong> Participants described a wide range of adversities affecting children, including hunger, domestic violence, abuse, neglect, and traumatic experiences related to war. These adversities were perceived to have severe and far-reaching consequences for children’s development, behaviour, and emotional well-being. Addressing these challenges requires holistic and multi-layered interventions that consider the broader ecological context of the child. Isolated or narrowly focused efforts were seen as inadequate. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> To achieve meaningful and sustainable impact, it is essential to implement comprehensive strategies that encompass improvements in caregiving practices, family support, community strengthening, and direct assistance to parents, teachers, and children.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 108368"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144166505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jorge-Manuel Dueñas , Fabia Morales-Vives , Janaina Minelli de Oliveira
{"title":"Beyond guidelines: Evaluating the realities of suicide prevention in schools","authors":"Jorge-Manuel Dueñas , Fabia Morales-Vives , Janaina Minelli de Oliveira","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108363","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108363","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Several studies have highlighted the pivotal role of educational settings in addressing suicide among adolescents. However, the specific needs and effectiveness of suicide prevention protocols in these environments require further exploration, particularly within different educational contexts. This study aims to (1) identify the needs of schools for suicide prevention, (2) assess perceptions of specific suicide prevention guidelines, and (3) explore whether experiences with suicide-related incidents influence these perceptions. We examined 282 schools in Catalonia (Spain), using a mixed methods approach to gather quantitative and qualitative data. The findings indicated significant disparities in the perceived effectiveness of the guidelines, with centers that had encountered actual suicide cases or attempts reporting different challenges compared with those that had not. This study underscores the critical need for tailored training and resources in schools to effectively support suicide prevention efforts, suggesting that the availability of guidelines is insufficient without strategic implementation and support.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 108363"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144166293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Predicting children migrants’ social exclusion risk through an innovative digital tool: Application of machine learning methods to Spanish residential centres","authors":"Gloria Fernández-Pacheco Alises , Tatiana Avignone , Mercedes Torres Jiménez","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108345","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108345","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the improvement of social care, the adaptation of services and procedures to the analysis of the best predictors of the risk of social exclusion for Unaccompanied Migrant Children plays an important role. This study aims to identify the best predictors of social exclusion among unaccompanied migrant children, to create a digital tool that integrates the complex reality of unaccompanied migrant children in shelters in Spain. Using a logistic regression model, an innovative risk assessment tool was created ad hoc for risk assessment within institutional care centres. A sample of 209 children who had been in residential care in Andalusia in 2021 was selected retrospectively. After applying a feature selection method, it was found that 24 variables are the most predictive within the educational, social, psychological or occupational areas; 8 belonged to risk factors and 16 to protective factors. Specifically, accessing intercultural mediation, having previous criminal records, bringing original documentation from their origin countries, using a sexualized vocabulary, having a good educational level and having economic resources for autonomy had a higher regression coefficient (Beta value), which means they are determinants in promoting better social inclusion. This pioneering study demonstrates that this digital tool offers a promising new method for the efficient screening of concerns for social professionals regarding social exclusion among unaccompanied migrant children in residential centres. One of the most suggestive findings of this study is the high incidence of protective factors in preventing the risk of social exclusion. Consequently, priority should be given to policies supporting protective factors related to social resources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 108345"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144177434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"‘Holding on to your Kids’ may do more to Avert workplace violence than ‘Hardening the Sanctuary’ and ‘Protective Federal Legislation’","authors":"Elizabeth Dean","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108364","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108364","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This commentary is in response to a call for greater ‘protective federal legislation’ to address workplace violence in health care, that followed closely on the heels of a call to ‘harden the sanctuary’ with increased surveillance and armed security around our institutions, specifically health care workplaces. Beyond ‘protective federal legislation’ and ‘hardening the sanctuary’, there is an alternative. Considerable literature supports the need for public health scholars and influencers committed to a healthy society, to lead and collaborate with social scientists, to restore much-eroded family health with a view to maximize positive early childhood experiences. Adverse childhood experiences are all too common today given adverse parenting environments and support, rather than ‘bad’ parents. This is a singularly relevant means of improving societal mental health, in turn reducing aggression and violence within it – not trivial issues in the United States today. Such an alternate perspective needs to be brought to the forefront by health professionals in supporting family-oriented public health initiatives, beyond the narrower reductionistic perspectives proffered by Adashi and colleagues. If nothing else, it offers a healthier alternative and will generate much needed reflection and dialogue.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 108364"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144166506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The association between work and substance use among justice-involved young people: Findings from panel data","authors":"Lewis H. Lee , Edson Chipalo , SeungHoon Han","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108365","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108365","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The relationship between employment and substance use is well documented, reporting a positive association between the two factors. However, previous studies were mostly based on a cross-sectional design; little is known whether the same directionality can be confirmed by a longitudinal design. Moreover, such associations focusing on justice-involved youth have received relatively little analysis. To address the gaps in the literature, we aim to examine to what extent employment is associated with different types of substance use over time among juvenile justice-involved youth who transition to young adults. Using the most recent three waves of panel data from the Pathways to Desistance study (<em>N</em> = 931) and a hybrid approach combining within- and between-cluster effects, we find some evidence of between-individual effects of employment, but no within-individual effects. Specifically, an inter-individual increase in employment is more likely to result in alcohol use, but less likely to result in drug use, implying that employment may prompt socialization of youth through drinking behaviors, whereas it may also deter drug use. In contrast, no intra-individual increase in employment is significantly associated with any type of substance use, implying that the employment effect may be limited. This highlights that employment may not contribute to changing an individual’s proclivity for substance use in our study participants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 108365"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144155117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The interaction effect of childhood emotional maltreatment and peer victimization on adolescents’ altruistic behaviors: Does gender matter?","authors":"Hanjing Gao, Qianwen Liu, Zhenhong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108360","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108360","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The present study explored the effect of childhood emotional maltreatment as distal interpersonal stress and peer victimization as proximal interpersonal stress on adolescents’ altruistic behaviors, as well as the gender-specific effects with two waves of data collection intervals of six months. The subscale of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale, and the Altruistic Scale were administered to 604 adolescents (<em>M<sub>age</sub></em> = 14.50, <em>SD</em> = 0.73 at T1) to assess their childhood emotional maltreatment, peer victimization, and altruistic behaviors. The results indicated that both childhood emotional abuse and neglect at T1 negatively predicted T2 altruistic behaviors after controlling age and T1 altruistic behaviors. Moreover, the three-way interactive effect of T1 childhood emotional neglect, T2 peer victimization, and gender on adolescents’ T2 altruistic behaviors was significant. Specifically, the interaction between T1 childhood emotional neglect and T2 peer victimization was gender-specific (only significant among girls). Peer victimization at T1 negatively predicted altruistic behaviors at T2 in girls with low levels of childhood emotional neglect at T1 but not in girls with high levels of childhood emotional neglect at T1. The findings suggested that childhood emotional abuse and neglect were predictors of adolescents’ altruistic behaviors and childhood emotional neglect as distal interpersonal stress could interact with peer victimization as proximal interpersonal stress to impact adolescents’ altruistic behaviors among girls, which provided theoretical support for the stress sensitivity model and specific reference values for fostering adolescents’ altruistic behaviors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 108360"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144166292","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dylan Jones , Eunhye Ahn , Henrika McCoy , Brett Drake , Melissa Jonson-Reid
{"title":"From juvenile justice involvement to incarceration in young adulthood: Do independent living services matter?","authors":"Dylan Jones , Eunhye Ahn , Henrika McCoy , Brett Drake , Melissa Jonson-Reid","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108352","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108352","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite high rates of juvenile justice system involvement among youth emancipating from foster care, we continue to know very little about how independent living services (ILS) receipt may be differentially associated with young adult outcomes between dual-system and non-dual-system youth. Using data from the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD), this study examines how the association between criminal justice system involvement in young adulthood and ILS receipt depends on dual-system status. Survey non-response weights are calculated using child welfare system history and demographic measures. Models are fit separately to predict incarceration between 17–19 and 19–21. Results show that receipt of ILS before 17 is significantly associated with decreased risk of incarceration between 17–19 for all youth, regardless of dual-system status. The results suggest that the relationship between ILS and incarceration does not depend on dual-system status at the national level, but does when accounting for state variation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 108352"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144138512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mallory VanMeeter , Shannon Kugley , Elizabeth Dierksheide , Mark McDaniel
{"title":"Community leadership in system transformation: A realist review of strategies for effective partnership between communities of color and public systems impacting children and families","authors":"Mallory VanMeeter , Shannon Kugley , Elizabeth Dierksheide , Mark McDaniel","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108350","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108350","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The child welfare system in the U.S. is long overdue for a reimagination. To bridge the gap between what families say they need to thrive and what child welfare provides, the system must build a new relationship with community—one where residents are valued as collaborators and are supported in taking the lead. A team from Chapin Hall conducted a realist evidence review (Paré et al., 2015) to inform this shift toward community leadership. We focused on public system partnerships with Black and non-Black communities of color to shape policies, programs, and practices impacting children and families. Using a modified grounded theory approach, we analyzed 35 empirical publications on 32 unique projects. We supplemented that evidence with six longitudinal case studies (Bowen, 2009; Morgan & Nica, 2020) and conversations with 10 key informants.</div><div>From these sources, we distilled four sets of strategies for forming and sustaining equitable system change partnerships with Black and non-Black communities of color: 1) adopting anti-racist and strengths-based approaches to working with community, while continuously confronting power and positionality; 2) creating inclusive and flexible opportunities for community leadership; 3) investing in community partners’ personal agency, skills, and capacity for collective action; 4) and embedding community leadership in system decision making through partnership infrastructure and long-term funding.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 108350"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144166494","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}