A single-blind randomised control trial investigated the effectiveness of the Learn, Engage and Play (LEaP) playgroup. Seventy-one children with developmental delay were randomly allocated to an 8-week LEaP playgroup or control group and followed up at 12 and 28 weeks. On the primary outcome measure, LEaP demonstrated significant within group…

Austin Independent School District (AISD) views family engagement as a top priority. In alignment with this priority, AISD employs parent support specialists (PSS)s at 69 Title I schools, 52 of whom are funded with City of Austin funds. PSSs provide family members, parents and guardians with various support services, access to resources, and…

This brief is part of a five-part series that reports findings from research conducted by ACT in collaboration with Region One Education Service Center. This brief focuses on family engagement with social and emotional learning (SEL) and includes results from surveys administered to two samples of parents/family members, one sample within Region…

We systematically reviewed research on interventions designed to increase service access for children with special healthcare needs through family empowerment, defined as caregiver's knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors to meet their family's needs. The purpose was to describe these interventions, evaluate the evidence, and understand their…

Most mental health professionals encounter challenges to helping youth and families enroll and participate in mental health services. The empirical literature suggests that most engagement strategies are well-suited for certain types of engagement challenges. In this mixed-methods study, we examined whether mental health professionals reported…

Empowerment is a core construct in health behavior and an emerging trend in pediatrics. Although it has been suggested as an approach that may promote the person's participation in health care decisions and positive outcomes, little is known about the nature and effectiveness of interventions to support empowerment in families and preschool-age…

This study aimed to investigate the reasons for school absenteeism among students studying at different types of high schools, and school counsellors' practices and proposed solutions for reducing school absenteeism. This was a qualitative research conducted with a phenomenological design. The study group was formed using criterion sampling, one…

Building on Froebelian principles that highlight the importance of family and community, this study explored the importance of collaboration and communication as part of a two-way dialogue. The aim was to identify the key characteristics of a model that would encourage interest and commitment to partnerships from both parents and practitioners.…

Currently, an almost exclusively female workforce provides the government mandated adult supervision of Australian primary and secondary school students enrolled in distance education, including geographically isolated learners. These Remote Education Tutors (RETs) include unpaid family support providers and externally employed governesses and…

Internationally there has been a movement to reform investigative work in child welfare and protection systems. These reforms have aimed to introduce national frameworks that systematize the way assessments are carried out. Several reports have identified shortcomings in the way that child protection investigations are carried out in Norway.…

According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2019), approximately half of U.S. children come from nontraditional families, such as those with divorced parents, multiracial families, one-parent families, and families with same-sex parents. Although family structures have diversified dramatically (Powell et al., 2010), the traditional family remains the…

Background: Parents play a crucial role in supporting children's literacy, especially in the first years of school. However, parents can find this challenging if they struggle with reading themselves. We explore whether family learning phonics courses boost parents' reading-related skills and ability to support their children's reading, in a…

Education is considered a path for escaping poverty. However, poverty and lack of success in school are closely linked. Understanding structural factors within society that cause poverty and their influence on learning and educational outcomes requires reshaping teacher education programmes. There is a need for programmes that adopt the social…

Family engagement is a central ideology in pediatric occupational therapy; however, the literature indicates that engaging families is challenging in the school- based context. The purpose of this study is to explore occupational therapists' and families' experiences of family engagement in school-based occupational therapy services and to propose…

The early years are a critical period for setting children up for school and life. For Black children who are exposed to adversities before and after birth, early childhood education (ECE) has been shown as one potentially strategy to mitigate against systemic inequities. However, evidence continues to show the negative impact of structural racism…