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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The Prevalence of Stunting Among the Romanian Institutionalized Children Placed in Long-Term Institutional Settings in the 1990s

Ecaterina Stativa et al. - Child Maltreatment in Residential Care , 03 Aug 2017

This secondary analysis, based off data collected in 1999 by the Survey on Child Abuse in Residential Care Institutions in Romania, investiged the prevalence of growth stunting of institutionalized Romanian children and compared the prevalence of stunting between four different institutional contexts.

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Structural Neglect in Orphanages: Physical Growth, Cognition, and Daily Life of Young Institutionalized Children in India

Femmie Juffer, Marinus H. van IJzendoorn and Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg - Child Maltreatment in Residential Care , 03 Aug 2017

This study observed the physical growth and cognitive development in institutionalized toddlers in India, finding profound developmental delays in the sample group.

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An Introduction to Maltreatment of Institutionalized Children

Adrian V. Rus et al. - Child Maltreatment in Residential Care, 03 Aug 2017

This chapter serves as an introduction to the book Child Maltreatment in Residential Care and provides a brief overview of the research on child maltreatment within the context of institutional care.

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Best Practices for Residential/Institutional/Group Care of Children: A Harm Reduction Framework

Victor Groza & Kelley McCreery Bunkers - Child Maltreatment in Residential Care, 03 Aug 2017

This paper utilizes a harm-reduction framework to present best practices for improving residential care and reducing the negative effects residential care can have on children's development.

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Interaction Competencies with Children (ICC): An Approach for Preventing Violence, Abuse, and Neglect in Institutional Care in Sub-Saharan Africa

Tobias Hecker, Getrude Mkinga, Joseph Ssenyonga, and Katharin Hermenau - Child Maltreatment in Residential Care, 03 Aug 2017

This chapter of Child Maltreatment in Residential Care describes Interaction Competencies with Children – for Caregivers (ICC-C), a preventative intervention approach to improve the quality of care and reduce the incidence of maltreatment within institutional care settings in Sub-Saharan Africa.

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Psychopathology Following Severe Deprivation: History, Research, and Implications of the Bucharest Early Intervention Project

Kathryn L. Humphreys, Nathan A. Fox, Charles A. Nelson, and Charles H. Zeanah - Child Maltreatment in Residential Care, 03 Aug 2017

This chapter from Child Maltreatment in Residential Care presents the key findings from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (2003), a longitudinal randomized control study which revealed the immense developmental impact of the severe deprivation experienced by children placed in institutional care shortly after birth.

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Beyond the Silence: Emotional Experiences of Adolescents in Foster Care

Mmathebe Mampane & Eleanor Ross - Southern African Journal of Social Work & Development , 01 Aug 2017

This qualitative study explored the emotional experiences of 15 adolescents placed in foster care in South Africa.

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First-Time Parents' Knowledge of Infant and Toddler Development: A Review of the Literature

01 Aug 2017

Child Trends reviewed the literature on parenting knowledge among first-time parents with young children (2 years and younger). Specifically, they examined research on what parents know and want to know about parenting and child development, where they get their information, and what sources of information they trust.

EEG Correlation during Social Decision-making in Institutionalized Adolescents

Jorge Hevia-Orozco, Araceli Sanz-Martin, Miguel Angel Guevara and Marisela Hernández-Gonzalez - Abnormal & Behavioral Psychology, 26 Jul 2017

This study investigated and compared electroencephalogram (EEG) functioning between a group of institutionalized adolescents and a never institutionalized group of adolescents during a social decision making task.

The Road to Adulthood: Aligning Child Welfare Practice With Adolescent Brain Development

The Annie E. Casey Foundation , 22 Jul 2017

This paper offers recommendations for child welfare professionals, caregivers and systems to use the research on adolescent brain development to work effectively with youth in or emerging from foster care.