In our discussion, we review and synthesize research evidence on five identified domains of instability that have been well established in the literature: family income, parental employment, family structure, housing, and the out-of-home contexts of school and child care. In our review of the evidence, we also discuss some of the key pathways through which instability may affect development. Specifically, research points to the underlying role of parenting, parental mental health, and the home environment in providing the stability and support young children need for positive development. We…
This report represents the results of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's effort to learn what tools local service providers need to help their clients increase their financial capabilities. Through the field scan they contacted fourteen organizations that provide financial empowerment training to their case managers and frontline staff. They learned how programs have succeeded -- or struggled -- in providing training, tools, and resources to change case manager and client behavior. They conducted in-depth interviews of five organizations that represented diverse approaches to…
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To help people cope with grief, stress, and depression during the holiday season, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) offers the following resources for educators, families, and mental health professionals.
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This slide presentation begins by explaining key components of child well-being, including: physical health, development, and safety; psychological and emotional development; social development and behavior; and cognitive development and educational achievement. Information is then provided on inputs that impact child well-being outcomes and reasons social workers need to focus on the positive inputs. Reasons include: the Declaration of Independence that focuses on the right of men to the pursuit of happiness, good science, fully describes children and youth, can be measured well, and to…
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This document is the proceedings from a joint working session on May 2-3, 2013 hosted by CLASP and the Scholars Network on Black Masculinity. Through this joint working session, the participants identified eight areas where they could be influential in crafting policy solutions for black maleadolescents and opportunities to act individually and collectively to advance work in these areas.
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Little Children, Big Challenges provides resources for families with young children (ages 3-8) as they encounter the difficult changes and transitions that come with a parent's incarceration.
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For many parents, the idea of teen drug abuse seems about as foreign and far off as Jupiter. That is, until the issue is sitting across the table from you thumbing through text messages while wearing an iPod and sporting a surly attitude. Then, it gets real-very real. But don't hit the panic button just that. Adolescent drug abuse and addiction can seem terrifying to deal with, but there is help and hope for your teen. (Author abstract)
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a form of trauma that can result in significant mental health distress for victims. Rates of clinical depression and posttraumatic stress disorder are higher among abused versus non-abused women, particularly if victims have experienced other lifetime trauma. While there are numerous interventions designed to reduce trauma-induced mental health symptoms, most were originally developed to address events that have occurred in the past (e.g., combat, childhood sexual abuse). Many IPV survivors are still under threat of ongoing abuse or stalking, which not only…
This study seeks to determine the role that parental incarceration plays on the probability of food insecurity among families with children and very low food security of children using micro-level data from the Fragile Families and Child Well Being Study (FFCWS). The data set contains the 18-question food security module which allows us to explore the link between incarceration and food insecurity and very low food security among children, families, and adults. The incidence of very low food security in our data is somewhat higher than the national average, but the incidence of other levels…
Previous research has shown that fathers taking some time off work around childbirth, especially periods of leave of 2 or more weeks, are more likely to be involved in childcare related activities than fathers who do not do so. Furthermore, evidence suggests that children with fathers who are "more involved" perform better during the early years than their peers with less involved fathers. This paper analyses data of four OECD countries--Australia; Denmark; United Kingdom; United States--to describe how leave policies may influence father's behaviours when children are young and whether…
