This study examined instructor and learner experiences in a Journalism for Social Change (JSC) Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) designed to introduce learners around the world to constructive, solutions-based journalism techniques, as well as engage learners in developing news stories promoting positive change about critical child welfare (CW)…

This paper provides a structured overview of the existing parenting literature with the aim of developing an evidence-based and culture-sensitive framework of parenting and its influence on child development. The paper outlines how changes in the 21st century have altered family life and summarises evidence from 29 meta-studies and 81 quantitative…

Dealing with the methodological challenge of historical expounding, this paper discusses the historical formation of child protection with regard to the history of ideas. The aim is to identify the early intellectual grounds of the idea of child protection. Due to the fact that the genesis and evolution of child protection are shaped by many kinds…

In the United States, there is a growing sense of urgency and attention to the issues of equity and youth well-being. As a nation, we devote significant expertise and resources to addressing disparities and closing gaps among groups of young people, yet our progress has been slow, in no small part because our best efforts remain deeply fragmented.…

The purpose of this qualitative participatory action research study was multi-fold: first, to identify the ecological factors which impede and promote health and well-being among orphaned and abandoned children in Sierra Leone; second, to facilitate Photovoice, a participatory action research method, among NGO workers to identify barriers to…

This case study analyzes the introduction of democracy and human rights into the educational program of Tostan, a nongovernmental organization working in Africa. The authors show how Tostan's original educational approach created a meaningful context for integrating democracy and human rights into its curriculum, a process that took place from…

This paper describes the process and some findings of a collaborative project between the New South Wales Commission for Children and Young People and researchers at the Social Justice and Social Change Research Centre, at the University of Western Sydney. The project was designed to inform the Commission in implementing its legislative mandate to…

Domestic violence continues to be a serious problem for women in the United States. As a result, the battered women's movement has been tireless in campaigning for greater awareness of the issue, tougher penalties against offenders, and public vigilance against potential batterers, including fathers from dissolving families. In reaction to this…

This article explores the multiple meanings of children and childhood in Nicaragua during periods of dramatic sociopolitical and economic transitions. The article compares the state's responsibilities to Nicaraguan children and their families during the decade of revolution and first year of the post-revolutionary period. It argues that each state…

Reviews reasons for the growth in formal kinship care and outlines policy structures and practices of kinship care. Examines potential risks and benefits of kinship care for children and differences between formal kinship care and non-kin foster care. Reviews suggestions made for policy and practice models that could address needs of kinship…

Our main interest in this paper is in studying children's well-being by using children themselves as informants and fear as an indicator of insecurity from cross-cultural and longitudinal perspectives. More specifically our paper documents the changes in the content and prevalence of children's fears in two neighboring countries, Finland and…

This paper provides a summary of a baseline study of Canadian child welfare services from 1959 to 1977. The nation-wide study relates main trends in the services to a background of demographic, social, legislative and organizational change. Progress of the research project is outlined to illustrate some of the constraints on research in Canada at…

Reviews three current approaches to preventing child abuse in Great Britain: clinical health-led risk-assessment model, broader social-reform strategies, and criminal justice youth victimization models. Explores sources of contradiction through definitions of child abuse underpinning different strategies. Proposes change in language of child…

This paper summarizes findings of a baseline study of Canadian child welfare services and provides a critique of current social policy in Canada. Presently, Canadians have the largest number ever of 15 to 19 year olds (n = 2,369,000). This record number of children born in the late 1950s and early 1960s is likely to affect the number of births in…

Summarizes ongoing research on the children of mothers assigned to participate in the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills training program (JOBS). Identifies the problems inherent in generalizing from the available data and underscores the need for future research steps to understand the implications for children of programs to enhance the…