Can protective services improve outcomes for children at risk?

During the past decade, expectations placed on child welfare services in the UK have moved away from individualised provision geared to meeting the needs of specific children at risk, to consideration of the broader context for children. The introduction of a series of national programmes aimed at addressing social exclusion and tasked with stimulating new approaches to enabling better outcomes for children formed the background for the recent legislation and guidance for local children's services. The Children's Fund was one of a raft of New Labour social policies promoting partnerships between statutory and voluntary organisations in order to address the cross-cutting issue of social exclusion. It was announced following the UK 2000 Spending Review and drew from the Policy Action Team12 (PAT12) Report, ‘Young People at Risk’ (SEU, 2000). Funding started in January 2001 and continues until 2008 with a total allocation during this period of £960 million. Like most special policy initiatives instigated following 1997, the establishment of the Children's Fund was accompanied by both national and local evaluation requirements. The National Evaluation of the Children's Fund (NECF) was undertaken by a team from the Universities of Birmingham and London and this themed section draws on selected findings from that evaluation. Overall results are reported in Edwards et al., (2006).

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What Makes the Difference? Children and teachers talk about resilient outcomes for children 'at risk'

Educational Studies ◽

10.1080/03055690050137132 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 321-337 ◽

Cited By ~ 62

Author(s):

Sue Howard ◽

Bruce Johnson

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Children At Risk ◽

The Difference ◽

Outcomes For Children

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Intervening to enhance cortisol regulation among children at risk for neglect: Results of a randomized clinical trial

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s095457941400073x ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 27 (3) ◽

pp. 829-841 ◽

Cited By ~ 92

Author(s):

Kristin Bernard ◽

Mary Dozier ◽

Johanna Bick ◽

M. Kathleen Gordon

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trial ◽

At Risk ◽

Randomized Clinical Trial ◽

Behavioral Regulation ◽

Children At Risk ◽

Protective Services ◽

Biological Regulation ◽

Control Intervention ◽

Catch Up ◽

Pituitary Adrenal Axis

AbstractThe hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis is particularly sensitive to conditions of maltreatment. In particular, neglected children have shown a flatter slope with lower wake-up values relative to nonneglected children. An intervention, the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC), was developed to enhance biological and behavioral regulation in young children at risk for neglect. The effectiveness of the intervention was assessed in a randomized clinical trial for children with involvement with Child Protective Services. Following the intervention, children receiving the ABC intervention (n= 49) showed more typical cortisol production, with higher wake-up cortisol values and a steeper diurnal slope, than children receiving the control intervention (n= 51). These results suggest that the ABC intervention is effective in enhancing biological regulation.

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Research With Young Children at Risk for Speech/Language Development Disorders

Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication ◽

10.1044/aac8.2.1 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 1-2

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Young Children ◽

Language Development ◽

Children At Risk ◽

Language Development Disorders

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Discriminant Validation of the Test of Reading Performance (TORP) for Identifying Children at Risk of Reading Difficulties

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027//1015-5759.16.2.139 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 139-146 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Padeliadu Susana ◽

Georgios D. Sideridis

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Elementary School Students ◽

Reading Difficulties ◽

Reading Performance ◽

Low Achievers ◽

Children At Risk ◽

School Students ◽

Students At Risk ◽

Group A ◽

The Mean

Abstract This study investigated the discriminant validation of the Test of Reading Performance (TORP), a new scale designed to evaluate the reading performance of elementary-school students. The sample consisted of 181 elementary-school students drawn from public elementary schools in northern Greece using stratified random procedures. The TORP was hypothesized to measure six constructs, namely: “letter knowledge,” “phoneme blending,” “word identification,” “syntax,” “morphology,” and “passage comprehension.” Using standard deviations (SD) from the mean, three groups of students were formed as follows: A group of low achievers in reading (N = 9) including students who scored between -1 and -1.5 SD from the mean of the group. A group of students at risk of reading difficulties (N = 6) including students who scored between -1.5 and -2 SDs below the mean of the group. A group of students at risk of serious reading difficulties (N = 6) including students who scored -2 or more SDs below the mean of the group. The rest of the students (no risk, N = 122) comprised the fourth group. Using discriminant analyses it was evaluated how well the linear combination of the 15 variables that comprised the TORP could discriminate students of different reading ability. Results indicated that correct classification rates for low achievers, those at risk for reading problems, those at risk of serious reading problems, and the no-risk group were 89%, 100%, 83%, and 97%, respectively. Evidence for partial validation of the TORP was provided through the use of confirmatory factor analysis and indices of sensitivity and specificity. It is concluded that the TORP can be ut ilized for the identification of children at risk for low achievement in reading. Analysis of the misclassified cases indicated that increased variability might have been responsible for the existing misclassification. More research is needed to determine the discriminant validation of TORP with samples of children with specific reading disabilities.

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