Children and Youth Services Review最新文献

{"title":"Child welfare inequalities on the agenda? A qualitative study of the local political stream in England","authors":"Davara Lee Bennett,&nbsp;Sophie Wickham,&nbsp;Ben Barr,&nbsp;David Taylor-Robinson","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108819","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108819","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>There has been a steep, sustained rise in children in care in England. Adverse socioeconomic conditions, including rising child poverty and cuts to preventative services, are drivers of care entry. But the local political environment for tackling these drivers remains poorly understood.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To understand the status of anti-poverty and prevention strategies on local political agendas, and how best to raise that status.</div></div><div><h3>Participants and setting</h3><div>15 Children’s Services policymakers across six local authorities in England. We targeted recruitment to places with outlying trends in care entry after controlling for local economic conditions.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted individual semi-structured interviews. Data were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using a framework derived from political science theory. This focused the analysis on features of the local political environment: the public mood, political forces, consensus-building strategies, turnover and jurisdictions.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>In participants’ accounts, the national mood was intemperate, tending towards inequitable Children’s Services policy. The local mood was elusive, and interest groups seemed scarce. Within local authorities, power was largely hierarchical. Leaders’ commitment to prevention was therefore key, and participants used soft power to bolster commitment and build consensus. Only Ofsted troubled the hierarchy, forcing a political reckoning. Local stability was valued, while national elections structured expectations and possibilities. Prevention remained the province of Children’s Services, but the case for proportionate universalism was not yet won.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>In this study, we shed light on a challenging local political environment for tackling child welfare inequalities and propose strategies for policy entrepreneurs. Evidence is not enough. Solutions must be attuned to local political realities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 108819"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146174960","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":"Child and adolescent strengths through the course of trauma-focused treatment: Differences based on symptom severity","authors":"Jessica Eslinger,&nbsp;Ginny Sprang,&nbsp;Stephanie Gusler,&nbsp;Adrienne Whitt-Woosley","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108795","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108795","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>Studies on child strengths and trauma outcomes frequently come from child welfare involved administrative samples using the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) tool, with less attention to clinical samples within the context of trauma treatment. This descriptive study was conducted to better understand how child asset and resource strengths may change over the course of receiving trauma-focused treatment and how the development of these strengths may differ for children with more severe emotional and behavioral symptoms at the beginning of treatment.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The sample consisted of 245 children ages 3–18 who completed an evidence-based trauma-focused treatment at an outpatient academic medical center. Independent samples t-tests and one-way ANOVAs examined baseline to termination differences in CANS strength ratings for PTSD, internalizing, and externalizing clinical and non-clinical symptom groups.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Findings suggest that both youth’s asset (e.g., internal coping skills or thought processes) and resource (e.g., relationships with family or community supports) strengths improved from baseline to treatment termination but differed by baseline symptom severity.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Significant improvement in pre-to-post asset and resource strengths ratings for the full sample were found for all strengths except the spirituality domain. When change in strengths were examined by clinical versus non-clinical groups, those in the clinical externalizing and PTSD groups did not evidence significant change in the domains of family and spirituality strengths. Further, weaker termination ratings were observed in the clinical internalizing and externalizing groups for some areas of strengths compared to the non-clinical group, however, this was not found for the high PTSD group.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 108795"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146174998","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":"‘Young children are always the most challenging’: therapists’ narratives of working therapeutically with young children who have experienced sexual abuse","authors":"Loreto Rodríguez,&nbsp;Nicolás Ricotti,&nbsp;Constanza Arratia","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108828","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108828","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although several studies have explored the perspectives of children, caregivers, and therapists participating in therapy following sexual abuse, there is a lack of attention towards the therapeutic processes of young children aged three to six. This study employed a qualitative approach to explore psychotherapists’ views on their experiences working therapeutically with young children in the aftermath of sexual abuse at public child protection centres in Chile. The study involved interviews with eight professionals. The collected data was analysed using thematic analysis, informed by a psychosocial perspective and childhood studies. Our findings show that the therapists perceive this type of therapy practice as highly challenging compared to their work with older children. They report feeling less skilled and comfortable working with very young children, and express a concern that they may negatively affect the child by addressing the events that led them to participate in this type of therapy. They highlight the challenges of navigating young children’s predominantly non-verbal ways of communication, as well as their agentic and spontaneous expressions within the therapeutic space. This study provides insights that may support the needs of practitioners working with young children in the aftermath of sexual abuse. Additionally, it offers valuable perspectives to inform public policies aimed at supporting young children affected by these experiences.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 108828"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146175001","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":"At the intersection of disability and transitioning to adulthood: service receipt by disability type among youth in foster care","authors":"Melissa L. Villodas ,&nbsp;JoAnn S. Lee ,&nbsp;Gilbert Gimm ,&nbsp;Chloe Pilkerton","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108805","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108805","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>In the U.S., 53% of transition-age youth (TAY) in foster care have a disability. Many youths with disabilities need tailored support and services to foster their independence, capabilities, and social inclusion during the transition to adulthood. This study examined the association between service receipt and disability type among U.S. youth aging out of foster care.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We analyzed FY 2017 youth service utilization data obtained from the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) and merged these records with the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), yielding an analytic sample of 9,353 cases. The NYTD includes youth in foster care in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and service use is reported in six-month intervals. We conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses of 11 of the 14 John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program services and special education services by disability type across three time periods (age 16–17, 18–19 and 20–21). Diagnosed disability types included intellectual, sensory, physical, emotional disability, and other medical conditions.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Service utilization increased for all TAY in foster care by age 18–19. However, a divergence in service utilization by disability status and type emerged at age 20–21, except for increased use of room and board financial assistance across all disability statuses. Youth with diagnosed disabilities received special education and mentoring services at higher rates than others at ages 16–17, 18–19, and 20–21. TAY in foster care without diagnosed disabilities utilized room and board financial assistance at higher rates than others at ages 16–17, 18–19, and 20–21. At ages 16–17, youth not assessed for disability were more likely to use a wide range of services. In contrast, youth with sensory disabilities were more likely to use a wide range of services at ages 18–19 and 20–21.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Examining service utilization among youth in foster care with disabilities is necessary to facilitate positive transitions to adulthood by ensuring equitable access to tailored services that improve outcomes. Study findings show a wide divergence in service receipt from age 18–19 to age 20–21 by disability type. More research is needed to assess the reasons for such divergence.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 108805"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146175041","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":"“Pray that we will be good messengers”: Ultra-orthodox educators’ responses to students’ disclosures of sexual abuse","authors":"Dafna Tener","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108803","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108803","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Culture clashes often occur when authorities formally intervene in child sexual abuse (CSA) cases in religious communities, which may cause additional harm to the survivors and their families.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The current study is part of a larger project on educators from various cultural groups dealing with CSA. This study aimed to explore the experiences of Jewish ultra-Orthodox educators with mandatory reporting and their perceptions and encounters with formal authorities (e.g., social services) after CSA disclosures in their schools in Israel.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In-depth interviews were conducted with 28 ultra-Orthodox educators, which were analyzed using a thematic approach<strong>.</strong></div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The findings indicated that ultra-Orthodox educators perceived mandatory reporting and the relations with authorities on a continuum, from beneficial to harmful. Their experiences were impacted by their perceptions of the authorities’ professionalism, availability and efficiency, as well as their sensitivity towards the ultra-Orthodox community. Finally, the educators perceived ultra-Orthodox authority figures, such as rabbis, as having an essential role in the intervention after disclosure.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The findings emphasized the complexity as well as the ability to bridge the gap between educators, in particular, and the ultra-Orthodox community, in general, with the formal authorities for the purpose of CSA interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 108803"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146175024","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":"Dynamics that challenge the provision of integrated care for youth at-risk: a systematic review","authors":"L.C.M. Veerman ,&nbsp;L.A. Nooteboom ,&nbsp;E.A. Mulder ,&nbsp;R.R.J.M. Vermeiren","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108778","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108778","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Providing integrated care for youth at-risk and their families is a multifaceted challenge. Youth at-risk are young people experiencing multiple co-occurring challenges across life domains and engaging in behavior that pose risks to themselves or others. Although their needs necessitate integrated care, its implementation is hindered by dynamics between the characteristics of these young people and elements of integrated care. Our aim is to provide an overview of the dynamics shaping integrated care for youth at-risk.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>We conducted a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines. We identified eligible studies using a search strategy in PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and the Integrated Care Search tool. Two reviewers independently screened and extracted the data. We analyzed the included studies using a thematic analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Of the 5857 screened studies, 52 studies met the eligibility criteria. The results showed dynamics that occur on different levels. Between youth and professionals: as youth at-risk show high-risk and avoidant behavior, professionals tend to respond with control, reluctance to act, and stigmatization. The consequences of insufficient information sharing, the number of professionals involved, and staff turnover further disrupt their care. Between youth and organizations: organizations tend to avoid responsibility to care for youth at-risk, and several preconditions are required to provide care that meets the diverse and specific needs of youth at-risk. Between professionals from different organizations: organizations tend to operate individually, resulting in varying perspectives, lack of coordination, and difficulties to exchange information, ultimately disrupting care provision.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This systematic review shows that dynamics between youth at-risk, professionals, and organizations can disrupt the coherence and continuity that integrated care requires. The dynamics at play reflect the interdependence between youth at-risk, professionals, and organizations, as they shape one another’s actions and can ultimately lead to a cycle of avoidance. Strengthening integrated care therefore calls for a multi-level approach: professionals can support engagement through a context- and strengths-based approach, while organizations need to provide the conditions for collaboration and shared decision-making.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 108778"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146102898","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":"Adapting a U.S.-based micro-savings program for Uganda: implementation process and lessons learned","authors":"Flavia Namuwonge ,&nbsp;Abel Zemedkun Girma ,&nbsp;Samuel Kizito ,&nbsp;Peter Kalulu ,&nbsp;Vicent Ssentumbwe ,&nbsp;Proscovia Nabunya ,&nbsp;Mary McKay ,&nbsp;Fred M. Ssewamala","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108792","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108792","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>This paper provides an overview of adapting a micro-savings program originally developed in the United States to a resource-limited setting in Uganda, highlighting this specific case of adapting a program from one country to another. The program involved opening Child Development Accounts (CDAs) to support saving among adolescents girls and their families. Guided by the asset theory and institutional theory, the paper discusses the challenges and opportunities faced during the adaptation and implementation process. The findings offer insights that can inform efforts to expand similar micro-savings programs in other resource-limited communities.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This paper utilizes data from the Suubi4Her study (2017–2022), a longitudinal intervention involving 1,260 adolescent girls in Southern Uganda. The analysis focused on saving behaviors among the entire sample and a subsample of 690 participants who opened CDAs. We examined self-reported and administrative savings outcomes over 30 months, encompassing bank savings behavior and savings beyond the initial deposit. Analyses also addressed key sociodemographic and psychosocial factors. A mixed-effect and adjusted logistic regression model were applied.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>At enrollment, the participant’s mean age was 15.37 years. The intervention improved bank saving behavior, evidenced by significant intervention-by-time interaction effects [χ2(2) = 43.38, p &lt; 0.01], demonstrating a substantial increase in the odds of bank saving behavior in the intervention group at Wave 2 (OR = 78.85, 95% CI: 18.76, 331.51, p &lt; 0.01) and Wave 3 (OR = 80.95, 95% CI: 19.31, 339.26, p &lt; 0.01) compared to baseline within the control group. In the analysis of additional saving beyond the initial deposit, participants whose schools were located within 2 km of their home had significantly higher odds of saving (OR = 2.74, 95% CI: 1.72–4.37, p &lt; 0.01), while older participants had lower odds (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.68–0.99, p = 0.04). Living nearer to a bank was associated with increased odds of additional saving (OR = 1.74, 95% CI: 0.84–3.62, p = 0.13), though this association did not reach statistical significance.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions and implications</h3><div>These findings suggest that, overall, CDA-based micro-saving programs implementation is possible even in resource limited communities like Uganda, and when given the opportunity, families living in low-income households can utilize the CDA “infrastructure” to save. Overall, for the saving intervention to yield its intended benefits, institutional barriers need to be addressed, including bringing the bank services to the people and providing financial literacy training to instill the culture of saving from a young age.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 108792"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146102899","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":"Effective elements of the diagnostic assessment process in youth care. A scoping review","authors":"Angela Luteijn ,&nbsp;Stijn R.J.M. Deckers ,&nbsp;Ron H.J. Scholte ,&nbsp;Paul T. van der Heijden ,&nbsp;Jana Knot-Dickscheit","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108816","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108816","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>In youth care, diagnostic assessment of high quality is crucial for intervention planning, may increase the likelihood that interventions will be effective and can have therapeutic effects in itself. Therefore, it is important to understand which elements relate to the quality of the diagnostic assessment.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>The objective of this study is to provide an overview of elements that are studied in the context of the diagnostic assessment process in youth care and to identify elements that influence the effectivity of this process.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A scoping review was conducted to explore the current literature, using the databases ERIC, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Google Search and ProQuest.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Approximately 50 elements, that affect the diagnostic assessment process in youth care in a positive or negative sense, were identified in 25 studies, of which only 5 were of moderate to high quality. Elements were studied in the general assessment process or in specific phases of this process. No studies have focused on elements affecting the explanatory analysis (the phase in which factors that influence the behavior are analyzed). Elements are clustered in the themes ‘parents’, ‘preconditions’, ‘care process’, ‘information exchange and collaboration’, and ‘professional’.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Given the limited number of high quality studies, it is desirable to do more research on effective elements of the diagnostic assessment process. Based on the findings we suggest to study the role of alliance and shared decision-making in depth, to research effective elements during the explanatory analysis and to include children as participants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 108816"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146174997","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":"Women with disabilities experiencing domestic violence and abuse: child safety focused practice with person-centred principles","authors":"Susan Flynn,&nbsp;Ruth Elliffe,&nbsp;Stephanie Holt,&nbsp;Ms Sowmia Lakkshme Sundaresan","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108802","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108802","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background and Rationale</h3><div>The disability community experiences complex and unique challenges and vulnerabilities in relation to both domestic violence and child protection and welfare. Notably, women with disabilities are significantly more likely to experience domestic violence and abuse (DVA) than women without disabilities. At the intersection of disability, DVA and child protection and welfare (CPW) however, professional intervention can be experienced by workers as both complex and contradictory. While intervention may involve rigorous, child safety focussed assessment of the fitness and protective capacity of the mother who is the victim of DVA, this process can radically augment feelings of powerlessness, anguish and fear for mothers caught in an abusive situation through no fault of their own. Responding to these complexities and contradictions, this article presents a focussed commentary on the literature on child protection and welfare work with women with disabilities experiencing DVA. Specific consideration will be given to how the principles and practices of person-centred theory can optimise compassionate, child safety focussed practice.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Through a person-centred theoretical lens, we identify and critically review the empirical evidence at the intersection of disability and DVA, locating this critique in feminist ethics of care. Through an inductive reasoning approach, three core themes deemed most indicative of the key messages extracted from across the body of literature were identified.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>The three themes of incompatibility, compatibility, and specific concerns related to disability and DVA suggest that child protection and welfare practitioners working at the intersection of disability and domestic violence and abuse are having to navigate and negotiate complex territory. It is also clear however that the principles at the heart of person-centred practice have an important role and potential in supporting practice that can respond to the unique needs and circumstances of this particular service user group.</div></div><div><h3>Implications/Conclusions</h3><div>There is clear potential for person-centred practice to support child protection practice at the intersection of DVA. Person-centred principles, for instance, can help workers in assessment and interviewing processes by helping them to embed qualities such as presence, empathy and congruence which support relationship-building and collaborative working practices with women with disabilities. Person-centred principles may also contribute to overcoming barriers to quality practice such as reducing bias around DVA and disability, and preventing overly routinized and procedural practice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 108802"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146174999","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 duty to report or to support?” Exploring the experiences of child protection workers investigating Black families reported for allegations of physical abuse to Ontario’s child welfare system","authors":"Travonne Edwards ,&nbsp;Bryn King ,&nbsp;Barbara Fallon ,&nbsp;Carl Everton James","doi":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108796","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108796","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Referrals from educational settings account for a large proportion of child maltreatment reports internationally and across North America. In Canada, research has documented distinct disparities in the referral patterns for Black families from schools focusing on concerns about physical abuse. Although schools are more likely to report allegations of child abuse to child welfare agencies than other referral sources in Ontario, some research indicates that cases alleged by educators are significantly less likely to be substantiated compared to other professionals. Given that physical abuse allegations are the main referral reason for Black families in Ontario’s child welfare system and there is a lack of research exploring the concerns that shape these reports of alleged abuse, this study will fill this gap in knowledge. Using interpretative phenomenology as a methodological approach, the objective of this study is to explore child welfare professionals’ experiences working with Black families who have been referred to Ontario’s child welfare systems for allegations of physical abuse. Fifty-one semi-structured individual interviews and four focus groups (n=28) were conducted with child welfare professionals, for a total of 79 participants. The findings revealed that colonialism, transnationalism, culture, and parental values contribute to the acceptability of physical discipline for some Black families. Study findings indicated there are many circumstances where Black families are being reported for threats of physical discipline rather than the actual occurrence. As such, child welfare agencies have begun to consider how to support Black families and critically assess reports from schools. Recommendations and implications for policy, research, and practice are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48428,"journal":{"name":"Children and Youth Services Review","volume":"183 ","pages":"Article 108796"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146175025","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}