Suchergebnisse

This selective review of outcome research on family foster care services in various Western countries highlights the complexities of service delivery in this practice arena. It also suggests directions for further study, to improve the life chances for young people coming to the attention of the child welfare system. Especially needed is comparative cross-national research on the effectiveness of services for vulnerable groups in the child welfare population. Such research could contribute to the process of enhancing policies and practices in each country.

This book brings together a range of theoretical and empirical perspectives on conceptualization, measurement, multidimensional impacts, and policy and service responses to address child and family poverty. It illuminates issues and trends through country level chapters, thus shedding light on dynamics of poverty in different jurisdictions. The book is structured into three sections: The first includes introductory chapters canvassing key debates around definition, conceptualization, measurement, and theoretical and ideological positions. The second section covers impacts of poverty on specific domains of children's and families' experience using snapshots from specific countries/geographic regions. The third section focuses on programs, policies and interventions, and addresses poverty and its impacts. It showcases specific interventions, programs and policies aimed at responding to children and families and communities and how they are, or might be evaluated. Through cross national case studies and evaluations this international collection illustrates the diversity of approaches and outcomes

This book brings together a range of theoretical and empirical perspectives on conceptualization, measurement, multidimensional impacts, and policy and service responses to address child and family poverty. It illuminates issues and trends through country level chapters, thus shedding light on dynamics of poverty in different jurisdictions. The book is structured into three sections: The first includes introductory chapters canvassing key debates around definition, conceptualization, measurement, and theoretical and ideological positions. The second section covers impacts of poverty on specific domains of children's and families' experience using snapshots from specific countries/geographic regions. The third section focuses on programs, policies and interventions, and addresses poverty and its impacts. It showcases specific interventions, programs and policies aimed at responding to children and families and communities and how they are, or might be evaluated. Through cross national case studies and evaluations this international collection illustrates the diversity of approaches and outcomes.

AbstractThere has been a general increase in poverty over the last decade in Italy, which has mainly affected the younger generations, with children and youth experiencing the worst economic conditions. This is primarily not due to a lack of available economic resources but to the way in which these resources are allocated: mainly in the form of cash transfers rather than services. The provision of adequate services based on professional work needs to be implemented by overcoming two main obstacles which are highlighted by the results of two studies presented here. The first study concerns the quality of professional care and the systematic use of outcome evaluation, the second concerns the vision of professionals and their ability to integrate the provision of services with economic support aimed at improving children's growth and parenting skills. The two studies were carried out as part of an international debate on how to effectively fight poverty and social exclusion of children which was promoted by the International Association for Outcome-based Evaluation and Research on Family and Children's Services (iaOBERfcs).

This edited collection offers an international perspective on the challenges of designing and undertaking outcome-based evaluation of child and family services. It introduces the key ideas and issues currently being debated in the evaluation of these services and provides examples of evaluation from policy and practice