Introduces special issue on the developmental requirements of children and adolescents in relation to the care they receive while they are in non-familial, group living situations. Provides a brief overview of the issue's contents, and advocates a strong role for the central caregiver in group settings. (KH)

Board games called Games of Rapport are being developed at the University of Alberta. The first, "Angels and Devils," is designed for play by nursing home residents. Results of a study involving "Angels and Devils" show that board games are useful in communicating rehabilitative objectives and sources of conflict. (Author/BEF)

Examines the conceptualization of abuse of children by peers within institutional settings. Explores the assumptions held about peer behavior and problems and dilemmas around identifying when residents' behavior should be viewed as abusive. Focuses on how the dynamics of institutions influences these definitions and assumptions and how these…

New York City Administration for Children's Services agencies were surveyed about problematic sexualized behaviors (PSB) of children within the child welfare system. Results revealed that almost all agencies reported PSB within their foster boarding home and residential treatment centers. A majority of agencies perceived PSB to be a significant…

The article relates the nursing home component of a nationwide study of public mental retardation/developmental disabilities spending to requirements of Public Law 100-203. Approximately 51,000 individuals with developmental disabilities resided in nursing homes in 1989 of which 40 percent may need to be relocated under P.L. 100-203. (Author/DB)

Explored hypothesis that the quality of care received by the elderly in a residential facility is related to the ownership of the facility. Evaluated 300 facilities using the Multiphasic Environmental Assessment Procedure (MEAP). Results indicated that nonprofit facilities (n=44) provided a more comfortable setting, higher resident control and…

Compared a professional foster-care program and two specialized programs in Cook County, Illinois, with kinship and nonrelative-family foster homes. Found that professional and kinship foster care consistently outperformed specialized and nonrelative care in stability, sibling placement, care restrictiveness, and proximity to child's community of…

Comparison of residential care staff in England and Germany showed that, in the care industry, England has a training framework that is not yet widely used. Despite its strong vocational policies, Germany has none. Care assistants are not expected to have formal skills and rarely participate in training. "Emotional labor" is undervalued…

Discusses issues related to measuring outcomes of social-work interventions with children. Emphasizes the need for regular, carefully timed assessments. Argues that approach and perspective differences obscure relationships between program and child outcomes and that assessing family-services outcomes raises accountability questions. Suggests that…

The Child Care Policy Directorate has responsibility within the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety for the development and review of policy and legislation relating to the health and social care of children and young people in Northern Ireland. The Directorate aims to ensure that a broad policy and operational perspective is…

Family care of the elderly is key to the long-term care system, and its importance has led to an abundance of research over the past two decades. Several methodological and substantive issues, if addressed, could create even more targeted and interpretable research. The present review critically examines methodological topics (i.e., definitions of…

This article focuses on the ways in which patterns of marriage and fertility shape older people's involvement in community groups and their support networks. The data are from Australia, Finland, Germany, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Findings show that childless older adults, regardless of…

This study examines the characteristics of Texas youth designated as "most difficult to place" recipients of service under the "Exceptional Care Pilot Project" (N = 46). Findings include, among others, high levels of comorbid psychiatric disturbance (greater than 3 diagnostic groupings), physical (78.3%) and sexual (88%)…

The prevalence of intellectual disability (ID) in Poland is estimated at 47.8/10,000 among the population aged over 15 years. Although progress has recently been documented in the development of more positive attitudes toward integration of people with disabilities in society, social distance toward those with ID is persistent. Several Acts of…