Does Family Matter? The Well-Being of Children Growing Up in Institutions, Foster Care and Adoption

Who Cares for Children? A Descriptive Study of Care-Related Data Available Through Global Household Surveys and How These Could Be Better Mined to Inform Policies and Services to Strengthen Family Care

“…The role of a nurturing environment on early child development, focused in particular on the specific importance of the quality of parenting and stable care-giving relationships, is well evidenced in the literature and has become central to policies aiming to improve child well-being outcomes (Shonkoff & Phillips 2000;Sonuga-Barke & Kreppner 2012). Findings about the negative impact of emotional deprivation, neglect, and institutionalization for younger children have further established the central importance of a family environment for child well-being and development (Berens & Nelson 2015;Fox et al 2011; National Scientific Council on the Developing Child 2012; Nelson et al 2011;Schoenmaker et al 2014;van IJzendoorn et al 2011;Roy et al 2004). In a number of studies, children raised in a range of family environments, whether with biological families or foster and adoptive families, were found to do better than children raised in institutional care in terms of physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional development (Schoenmaker et al 2014;Johnson & Gunnar 2011).…”

“…Over the last 50 years, there has been a growing understanding of the critical importance of family and the family environment for child development and well-being (Bowlby et al 1965;Bowlby 1982;Schoenmaker et al 2014). This realization is at the core of the international conventions and standards adopted by governments across the world, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted in 1989 (UN CRC), and more recently, the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2009 (UN GA 2009).…”

Resilience and self concept of competence in institutionalized and non institutionalized young people

“…Efforts must focus more especially on the underlying reasons for the decisions of placing children in residential care. In fact, the complex and often the interlinked factors, such as poverty, family breakdown, inflexible child welfare systems and the lack of alternatives to residential care, require holistic responses that can identify families at risk early, address their needs and prevent the removal of their children (Schoenmaker, Juffer, van Ijzendoorn, & Bakermans-Kranenburg, 2014).…”

Measuring Better Care: Building the Evidence to Inform Policy and Practice Around Children’s Care

“…A major body of empirical research in psychology and neuroscience has demonstrated the importance of investment in children's early years to support this critical period of child development (Shonkoff and Phillips 2010). Findings into the negative impact of emotional deprivation and institutionalization for younger children in Central and Eastern Europe further reinforced the critical importance of parental care and a family environment (Berens andNelson 2015, Fox et al 2011, National Scientific Council on the Developing Child 2012, Nelson et al 2011, Schoenmaker et al 2014, van Ijzendoorn et al 2011. Although data on children in all forms of residential care continue to be far too limited, where research has been conducted, it has confirmed that the commonly used term Borphanage^to refer to these facilities is a misnomer.…”