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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Improving early childhood development: WHO guideline

World Health Organization (WHO), 05 Mar 2020

This guideline provides direction for strengthening policies and programmes to better address early childhood development.

Construyendo un paquete básico de prestaciones para la primera infancia

Diálogo Interamericano, 01 Mar 2020

El Diálogo Interamericano y UNICEF han conformado una alianza orientada a fortalecer la construcción y la implementación de políticas integrales de la primera infancia basada en evidencia, en los países de la región. En esa línea, se convocó un Taller regional en Uruguay. Este documento presenta los principales elementos destacados y discutidos en la reunión y los aspectos en los cuales hay un mayor acuerdo entre los expertos participantes del taller.

Autobiographical Memory Impairment in Adolescents in Out-of-Home Care

María Verónica Jimeno, Jose Miguel Latorre, María José Cantero - Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 24 Feb 2020

In this study, autobiographical memory tests, working memory, and a depressive symptom assessment were administered to 48 adolescents in care with a history of maltreatment (22 abused and 26 neglected) without mental disorder, who had been removed from their family and were living in residential child care, and to 61 adolescents nonmaltreated who had never been placed in care.

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The Brain Architects Podcast: Toxic Stress: Protecting the Foundation

The Brain Architects Podcast - Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 07 Feb 2020

This episode of The Brain Architects explores what “toxic stress” means, and what we can do about it.

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The Urbanization Paradox: Parental Absence and Child Development in China - an Empirical Analysis Based on the China Family Panel Studies Survey

Lijun Chen, Di Qi & Dali L. Yang - Child Indicators Research, 24 Jan 2020

This study zeroes in on the issue of left-behind children and draws on data from the China Family Panel Studies surveys to examine the impacts of parental absence on child development in psychological, physical and cognitive domains.

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Created to Heal: A brief window into the changing brain

Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) , 20 Jan 2020

This 'companion primer' from the Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) provides an overview of the ways in which adversity impacts brain development and how the use of appropriate interventions based on relationships can help reshape children's brains, leading to greater wellbeing and better outcomes for kids from hard places.

The developmental status of abused and neglected children in the Philippines

Peejay Bengwasan & Mari Erika Joi F. Bancual - Children and Youth Services Review, 12 Jan 2020

This study explores the development of abused children in different areas. Likewise, it looks into differences of the level of development in relation to age, gender and type of abuse.

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Long-term Head Start Impact on developmental outcomes for children in foster care

Kyunghee Lee - Child Abuse & Neglect, 11 Jan 2020

This study examined the long-term effects of the Head Start early childhood program on foster children's developmental outcomes from ages 3–4 to 8–9.

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2019/2020 Prevention Resource Guide

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau, Child Welfare Information Gateway, and the FRIENDS National Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention, 2020

This Resource Guide offers support to community service providers as they work with parents, caregivers, and children to prevent child maltreatment and promote social and emotional well-being.

Cognitive and Social Emotional Development Module

Youth in Focus, 2020

This Module explores how cognitive and social-emotional abilities operate in youth’s daily experience and personal lives and what we can do to help young people develop and strengthen these skills in order to thrive.

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