To date, there is a lack of suitable assessment tools specifically for the looked after child population. Such assessments, often completed by foster carers, help to provide an overview of a child's presenting level of emotional and behavioural need, and are evidential in offering a pathway to further provision and services for young people in…

Family engagement in childcare is important to ensure the optimal growth, development, and safety of children. Previous research has explored family engagement practices, but limited research is available on the application of theory to explain the uptake of family engagement principles. The purpose of this study was to explore the use and…

The Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused global distress, and communities of color are disproportionately adversely affected. Within this group, many caregivers are concerned about issues such as staying healthy, keeping the family well, paying bills, and caring for children who are housebound. The purpose of this qualitative study is to…

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the range of experiences encountered by parents and caretakers of children with autism spectrum disorder. Materials and methods: An inductive conventional content analysis approach was utilized for this study. Twenty-four (N = 24) parent responses to open-ended questions about their experience…

This article presents the findings of a qualitative study of foster carers' and multidisciplinary practitioners' perceptions of foster carers' needs and existing practices in foster care in Ireland. This study explored participants' perceptions of the development of a trauma-informed care (TIC) psychoeducational intervention for foster carers.…

Although the families of adolescents with ADHD are at risk of various adverse outcomes, many experience resilience processes that support the adolescent and family members to thrive. This qualitative study explored the experience and perspectives of parents and caregivers of young adolescents in Canada with ADHD and professionals who support them…

Much research has explored transitions into adulthood for children living in out-of-home care. However, most of these studies are concentrated in Western countries, leaving a gap of information from the Global South. This paper discusses findings from a small-scale qualitative study conducted in Harare, Zimbabwe. Semi-structured interviews with (n…

As work practices and living arrangements change, many mothers, who are often primary child caregivers, have to make some decisions as they try to balance childcare with paid work. Increasingly, childcare is shared between parents and other caregivers. However, little is known, especially in Ghana, about the childcare practices of mothers and…

In this article, the association between parental and professional caregivers' perceptions of early life stress (ELS) and the level of preschool social participation was examined, as was the possible moderating effect of parental health. In a community-based study, both parents and professional caregivers of 346 children aged 3 years provided…

Custodial grandparenting (i.e. raising grandchildren on a full-time basis) is a global phenomenon. Despite the hardships associated with 24/7 custodial care, grandparents continue to invest in their grandchildren. Why they do so is a matter of much conjecture. For example, it has been posited that grandparents assume custodial care of their…

The intersection of mass incarceration and fatherhood is of particular interest to a growing number of scholars, policymakers, and practitioners. In this study, the role of fathers in children's lives before and during imprisonment are investigated from the caregiver perspective. Reliance on caregivers' accounts offers valuable insight into the…

This article examines the outcomes of care orders from the point of view of social workers. The aim is to cast light on the "black box" of substitute care by analysing the practice-based view on outcome in order to contribute to the complex debate on the relations of care and outcome. The article is based on a study using a survey, focus…

Family environment plays a very important role in early child development and the availability of stimulating material in the early years of a child's life is crucial for optimising development. The Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) inventory is one of the most widely used measures to assess the quality and quantity of…

Anecdotal evidence suggests that grandparents provide a substantial amount of childcare support to parents of infants in Ireland yet there has been little attention to the provision of grandparent childcare at policy level. Using nationally representative data on childcare provision in the Republic of Ireland, this study examined the prevalence of…

EPIC is an independent voluntary organisation in the Republic of Ireland that advocates for the rights of children in care and young people who have care experience. One aspect of EPIC's work is the Aftercare Advocacy and Support Service, which provides confidential advice and support to young people who are preparing to leave care, those in…