Child Development

Knowledge of child development is the foundation for work with children, and therefore is a requirement for all those seeking to protect children. It influences every aspect of a child from physical growth and mental abilities, to how they express emotions, think and behave.

Healthy development takes children through stages, whereby they obtain an increasing number of physical, mental, and emotional skills in order to become independent adults. These stages provide benchmarks for determining if a child is developing normally. Without knowledge of the normal developmental stages of a child, a worker cannot identify developmental delays, assess the impact of abuse, or make recommendations regarding the child’s physical, mental or emotional health. Understanding what a child is capable of allows adults to communicate on their level and provide age-appropriate responses and interventions.

Knowledge of early childhood development and attachment behaviour is particularly important for protection workers. The physical health and care a child experiences as an infant will affect their development into adulthood. A child needs to have experienced a positive attachment by the age of 3 in order to develop cognitively, physically, socially, and psychologically. Healthy attachments come from the close bond a child experiences when provided with the responsive and stable care of at least one adult. In a residential home, children are less likely to receive the amount of individual attention from a permanent caretaker that they require. Children under 12, in particular, benefit more from a kinship, foster or adoption placement where they can experience closer relationships.

Observation of a child’s attachment to caretakers will influence the type of care, permanency plan, and level of support services offered. It can also aid in the identification of abuse.

This section contains information on the importance of child development knowledge, guidance on the ages and stages of children, and attachment theory.

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Effectiveness of a Trauma-Informed Care Initiative in a State Child Welfare System: A Randomized Study

M. Kay Jankowski, Karen E. Schifferdecker, Rebecca L. Butcher, Lynn Foster-Johnson, Erin R. Barnett - Child Maltreatment, 10 Sep 2018

The purpose of this study was to assess changes in self-reported practices and perceptions of child welfare staff involved in a multifaceted, statewide TIC intervention.

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Early Caregiver-Child Interaction and Children's Development: Lessons from the St. Petersburg-USA Orphanage Intervention Research Project

McCall RB, Groark CJ, Hawk BN, Julian MM, Merz EC, Rosas JM, Muhamedrahimov RJ, Palmov OI, Nikiforova NV - Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 08 Sep 2018

This study reviews a series of interrelated studies on the development of children residing in institutions (i.e., orphanages) in the Russian Federation or placed with families in the USA and the Russian Federation.

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The Construction of Friendship for Looked After Children

Christine May - University of Surrey, 01 Sep 2018

This thesis study aimed to explore what Looked After Children (LAC) value in their friendships in order to understand what support may help them gain the maximum benefits from these relationships.

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Institutionalised Children Explorations and Beyond: An International Journal on Alternative Care, Issue #10

Udayan Care, 01 Sep 2018

This 10th issue of the Institutionalised Children Explorations and Beyond (ICEB) journal, released in September 2018, is a Special Focus issue on ‘Aftercare.’

Adverse childhood experiences and adjustment: A longitudinal study of street-involved youth in Brazil

Marcela Raffaelli, Juliana Prates Santana, Normanda Araujo de Morais, Carlos J. Nieto, Silvia H. Koller - Child Abuse & Neglect, 28 Aug 2018

The current longitudinal study examined the prevalence, overlap, and impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in a sample of Brazilian children and adolescents who use city streets as spaces for socialization and survival (i.e., street-involved youth).

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Violence and Trauma in the Lives of Children

Joy D. Osofsky and Betsy McAlister Groves, 01 Aug 2018

This book explains the neurological, emotional, and behavioral impacts of violence and trauma experienced by newborns, infants, children, and teenagers.

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The hazards of out-of-home care for children experiencing adverse home environments

Charles A Nelson - The Lancet, 26 Jul 2018

This article explores the impacts of two common forms of early childhood adversity, maltreatment and placement in institutional care, on children's behavioral, psychiatric, and physical health into adulthood.

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Study on Traditional Parenting and Child Care Practices in Zambia

Andrew Brudevold-Newman, Paula Dias, Jacqueline Jere Folotiya, Haatembo Mooya, Varsha Ranjit, Hannah Ring - American Institutes for Research, University of Zambia (UNZA), UNICEF, 01 Jul 2018

This project, designed to explore parenting practices across various regions within Zambia, aims to further advance ongoing efforts to support early childhood development (ECD) by informing parenting programmes intended to promote optimal child development.

Parenting Knowledge among First-time Parents of Young Children

Jessica Dym Bartlett, Lina Guzman, and Maria A. Ramos-Olazagasti - Child Trends, 01 Jul 2018

This research-to-practice brief highlights findings from Child Trends’ study of first-time parents of young children (under age 3) and their knowledge about parenting and child development.

Caregiver Sensitivity and Consistency and Children's Prior Family Experience as Contexts for Early Development within Institutions

Brandi N. Hawk, Robert B. Mccall, Christina J. Groark, Rifkat J. Muhamedrahimov, Oleg I. Palmov, Natalia V. Nikiforova - nfant Mental Health Journal, 28 Jun 2018

The current study from the Infant Mental Health Journal addressed whether two institution‐wide interventions in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, that increased caregiver sensitivity (Training Only: TO) or both caregiver sensitivity and consistency (Training plus Structural Changes: T+SC) promoted better socioemotional and cognitive development than did a No Intervention (NoI) institution during the first year of life for children who were placed soon after birth.

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