James P. Anglin

Therapeutic residential care for children and youth: a consensus statement of the International Work Group on Therapeutic Residential Care

While the focus of this consensus statement and the review volume that preceded it (Whittaker, Del Valle, & Holmes, 2014) is on therapeutic residential care (TRC), a specialized form of group care, we view our work as supportive of a much wider effort internationally concerned with the quality of care children receive when, for a variety of reasons, they need to live away from their families.

Risk, Well-Being, and Paramountcy in Child Protection: The Need for Transformation

The social construction of child welfare is explored in order to shed light on contemporary child welfare thinking, policy, and practice. Two primary influences, legal discourse and child welfare science, are seen to depend upon and shape one another. The current dominance of a risk management approach in child protection needs to be understood in the context of the evolution of the “risk society,” and the impacts of a move to the paramountcy of the safety and well-being of the child are examined with a focus on the recent British Columbia experience. It is suggested that attempts to achieve a better balance of ensuring the safety of the child, meeting the childs developmental needs, and supporting family functioning need to challenge simplistic sociopolitical and mass media perspectives, and promising initiatives are currently being cultivated on the margins of the mainstream systems.

The child care profession: A vision for the future

The authors, recognizing the historical development of the child care profession, examine current societal trends and offer some constructive directions for consideration by the profession to counterbalance a prevailing mood of retrenchment and despair. A model of cyclical change is presented, specific adaptations that consider the essential elements of the child care profession are suggested, and the adoption of a social ecology perspective is proposed.

Trajectories on the Path to Reciprocity—A Theoretical Framework for Collaborating With Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Communities.

The importance of cultivating connection to enhance individual, relational and collective well-being is gaining attention in the current literature on building community. Although these goals are being increasingly considered, the concept of reciprocity has been less prominent than may be warranted in the field of psychology. This article presents a theoretical framework on the dynamics of reciprocity which resulted from grounded theory (GT) research involving 2 complementary studies. The first study involved 22 participants from different socioeconomic backgrounds engaged in “reflecting-team with appreciative audiences” sessions (Madsen, 2007) in Portugal. The second study involved participant observation of 15 community programs recognized as good-practices in collaboration with socioeconomically disadvantaged participants, at national and international levels, across 9 countries. The theoretical framework emphasizes the centrality of building reciprocity for the development of individuals, families, communities, and programs. It integrates the trajectories of reciprocity; quadrants reflecting the standpoints assumed according to socioeconomic and cultural positions; basic social-psychological processes inherent to the process of building reciprocity; and characterizes different types of programs. The resulting framework is analyzed in relation to prior literature for a broader understanding of synergies and challenges, and the article concludes by suggesting implications for further research and practice.

Rites of Passage: A Conversation on Becoming Adult

A renewed focus on rites of passage and particularly on the “coming of age” of adolescents is noticeable both within North America and beyond. In this article, three experienced youth workers engage in a conversation on a range of professional and research issues related to rites of passage and in the process try to come to grips with the meaning and significance of current youth and community trends. A dominant theme of the discussion is the need for adults to truly become and act as adults in order to assist young people to make a successful transition from childhood to adulthood.

Acogimiento residencial terapéutico para niños y adolescentes : una declaración de consenso del grupo de trabajo Internacional Sobre Acogimiento Residencial Terapéutico

Therapeutic Residential Care for Children and Youth: A Consensus Statement of the International Work Group on Therapeutic Residential Care. In many developed countries around the world residential care interventions for children and adolescents have come under increasing scrutiny. Against this background an international summit was organised in England (spring 2016) with experts from 13 countries to reflect on therapeutic residential care (TRC). The following working definition of TRC was leading: “Therapeutic residential care involves the planful use of a purposefully constructed, multi-dimensional living environment designed to enhance or provide treatment, education, socialization, support, and protection to children and youth with identified mental health or behavioral needs in partnership with their families and in collaboration with a full spectrum of community based formal and informal helping resources”. The meeting was characterised by exchange of information and evidence, and by preparing an international research agenda. In addition, the outlines of a consensus statement on TRC were discussed. This statement, originally published in English and now reproduced in a Spanish translation, comprises inter alia five basic principles of care that according to the Work Group on Therapeutic Residental Care should be guiding for residential youth care provided at any time.

Building reciprocity: the dialectic processes of creating a grounded theory and the emergence of a theoretical framework

ABSTRACT We reflect on and illustrate with concrete examples the various systematic and creative steps taken along the process of grounded theory (GT). This process led to the emergence of a theoretical framework centered on building reciprocity as a way of collaborating with socio-economically disadvantaged communities and a means for facilitating poverty-reduction initiatives. This article aims to present the systematic processes of analysis that lie behind the theoretical framework and to reflect on the lessons learned along the path to creating a GT. In this way, the emergence of the theoretical framework is examined along the different inductive and analytic steps, and the interrelation between concepts is discussed. Theoretical sensitivity, pacing, sampling, coding, memoing, and sorting in this research are illustrated and brought to light.

Meir Gottesmann: An Ambassador for Residential Education and Care

In order to introduce readers to the work and writings of Meir Gottesmann, a selection of his ideas and excerpts from several of his books are presented. Two of the major foci of Meirs attention were the role and functioning of the madrich (housefather/child and youth care worker) in residential education and care, and the trend discernible internationally to move away from residential programs that are considered to be outmoded, misguided, excessively costly and necessarily damaging to children and youth. Meirs mission was to challenge these perspectives by offering an understanding of the important successes and lessons of Youth Aliyah, the Israeli immigrant youth organization, to which he devoted most of his working life.

FICE: Striving to build a world in which children can live

The International Federation of Educative Communities, a non-governmental organization with consultative status at UNESCO, has evolved from an organization designed to assist war-damaged young people after World War II, into a progressive international organization protecting and promoting the social, educational, and nurturing interests of children and youth. An overview of the key figures, stages of organizational development, and involvement of the 21 member countries is provided.