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Child well-being, which covers everything from family relationships to their material well-being, is now increasingly being talked about in policy and practice nationally and internationally. However, a lack of clarity remains about what the idea really means and how it can help children. This book brings together contributions from international experts in order to define child well-being and to further understand how it can improve children's lives. Issues covered include how the idea is being used in government policy and practice in the UK and USA, how children can contribute to the unders

Examining the assessment of need in children's services this book addresses the full spectrum of practice, policy and research developments in the field. The contributors show how needs assessment in children's services can be used to tackle problems such as low achievement, and social exclusion at both individual and strategic levels.

Written as part of a training pack for practitioners working in children's services and child protection, and bringing together leading figures from a range of disciplines, this important text shows how the latest child development theories can be applied to professionals' working practice. Considering theories of development throughout the lifespan from the early years through to adolescence, and transitions to adulthood, this resource is essential reading for a range of professionals including social workers, teachers, and health and mental health professionals. The authors build up an integ

Current government policy is explicitly aimed at increasing opportunities for all children and improving the outcomes for our most vulnerable children. A fundamental question asked by politicians, policy makers and professionals alike is what do we know about makes a difference? Which services help and in what circumstances? Which are valued by families? Are services effective for children with additional needs because of disability or ethnicity or other factors in their lives? Answers to these questions are crucial to direct resources where they can bring about tangible improvements

ABSTRACTThis paper is about an evaluation of three centre‐based projects established by a voluntary organization under the Scottish Government's Youth Crime Prevention Fund, to work with primary school‐aged children displaying challenging and antisocial behaviour. Following a brief overview of what is known about effective interventions, the paper describes the projects' ways of working, including their remit and ethos. The core intervention chosen was the well‐tested Webster‐Stratton training programme,The Incredible Years. Wrap around services were also developed and staff modelled the projects' ethos, promoting children's participation and parents' empowerment. The evaluation is described, noting the limited time and resources at the disposal of the evaluation team. The evaluation team adopted a broad definition of evidence, using a range of measures to explore the processes of project development and service intervention, the meaning to the children and families who used the services, and the impact on children's behaviour and parents' levels of stress. The results were modest but encouraging. They suggested that the projects had provided valuable turning points for some of the children with out‐of‐control behaviour and their families. Finally, it is suggested that a better way to evaluate such projects could be to use complexity theory

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