Early insights into the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on girls – Plan International
The coronavirus outbreak is continuing to sweep the globe, causing the worst health crisis of a generation. First identified in November 2019, it is now severely challenging many of the richest countries in the world, with Europe and North America the current epicentres. Cases are now rising in some of the poorest countries, where health systems are fragile and the ability to mitigate the economic and social consequences is limited. While children’s health appears to be less directly impacted by coronavirus than adults, the impact of the pandemic on children, especially girls, will be long-lasting.
On 31st March 2019, there were 6,845 children looked after in Wales, a further increase of 440 compared to the previous year. As a result, the gap between the rate of children looked after in Wales compared to other parts of the UK has continued to widen.
Within Wales, while most Local Authorities have seen a rise in both the number and rate of children looked after, there is significant variation; and some have seen the rate of children looked after fall since 2014. Using published data, this series of briefings explores what we can say about the factors that are driving these trends and updates the earlier report Analysis of Factors Contributing to Higher Rates of Care in Wales.
Children looked after in Wales: Trends
Children looked after in Wales: Factors contributing to variation in rates
Children looked after in Wales: Flows into and out of care
The following research and reviews of practice are related to topics in children and young people:
2020
Child Neglect in Schools: Messages for interprofessional safeguarding practice
Dr Victoria Sharley, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol
The study was undertaken at Cardiff University between 2015 and 2018 and funded by the Welsh Government through Health and Care Research Wales. The study was carried out in three regions in Wales (urban, rural and Valleys authority). The regions were selected on three criteria: (i) geographic location, (ii) either a low or high rate of child neglect registrations, and (iii) either a low, average or high rate of deprivation in Wales.
The mixed-method study comprised of two phases: Phase 1, statistical case file analysis of children’s social work records [case files were selected upon the following principles: (i) the child was of school age, (ii) the school made the initial referral to the local authority, and (iii) the child was placed on the child protection register under the category of neglect at the initial child protection conference]. Phase 2, 30 interviews with staff in six mainstream schools (including strategic, specialist, teaching, and non-teaching roles.
Palacios, J., Rolock, N., Selwyn, J., & Barbosa-Ducharne, M. (2019). Adoption breakdown: Concept, research, and implications. Research on Social Work Practice, 29(2), 130–142.
Evans, R.et al. 2019. Adolescent self-harm prevention and intervention in secondary schools: A survey of staff in England and Wales. Child and Adolescent Mental Health 24(3), pp. 230-238.
Jones, L. 2019. Remaining in Foster Care After Age 18 and Youth Outcomes at the Transition to Adulthood: A Review. Families in Society, 100(3), pp. 260–281.
Laverty, A. A., Filippidis, F.T., Taylor-Robinson, D. et al. 2018. Smoking uptake in UK children: analysis of the UK Millennium Cohort Study. Thorax, 74(6), pp.607
Mowat, J. G. 2019. Exploring the impact of social inequality and poverty on the mental health and wellbeing and attainment of children and young people in Scotland. Improving Schools, 22(3), pp. 204–223.
Khouja, J.N., Munafò, M.R., Tilling, K. et al.2019. Is screen time associated with anxiety or depression in young people? Results from a UK birth cohort. BMC Public Health 19.
Family Holiday Association. How was your summer? A survey of professionals on what summer was like for the children and families they support. September 2019.
Gillen, A. M., Kirby, K., McBride, O., McGlinchey, E., & Rushe, T. (2019). Comparing Self-Harm (SH) Thoughts and Behaviours Among a Community Sample of Younger and Older Adolescents in Northern Ireland. Child Care in Practice, 25(2), 189-199.
KEYWORDS: Early onset, non-suicidal self-harm, prevalence rates, younger and older adolescents
Cody, C., & D’Arcy, K. (2019). Involving Young People Affected by Sexual Violence in Efforts to Prevent Sexual Violence in Europe: What is Required?. Child Care in Practice, 25(2), 200-214.
KEYWORDS: Youth participation, sexual violence, child sexual exploitation, ethics
How do Family Drug and Alcohol Courts work with parents to safely reduce the number of children in care? A rapid realist review. Melissa Meindl, Lorna Stabler, Laura Mayhew-Manistre, Lucy Sheehan, Chloe O’Donnell, Donald Forrester and Sarah L. Brand.
Lydia Marshall and Neil Smith. National Centre for Social Research (2018). Supporting mental health in schools and colleges: Pen portraits of provision
Davies, H., & Christensen, P. (2018). Sharing spaces: children and young people negotiating intimate relationships and privacy in the family home. Families, Intergenerationality, and Peer Group Relations, 27-49.
Keywords: Intimacy, Privacy, Family, Space, Spatialities, Time, Home, Embodiment/body
John, A., Glendenning, A. C., Marchant, A., Montgomery, P., Stewart, A., Wood, S., … & Hawton, K. (2018). Self-harm, suicidal behaviours, and cyberbullying in children and young people: systematic review. Journal of medical internet research, 20(4).
Leu, A., Frech, M., & Jung, C. (2018). “You don’t look for it”—A study of Swiss professionals’ awareness of young carers and their support needs. Health & social care in the community, 26(4), e560-e570.
Keywords: awareness, focus groups, practice tools, young adult carers, young carers
Stanley, N., Barter, C., Wood, M., Aghtaie, N., Larkins, C., Lanau, A., & Överlien, C. (2018). Pornography, sexual coercion and abuse and sexting in young people’s intimate relationships: a European study. Journal of interpersonal violence, 33(19), 2919-2944.
Keywords: dating violence, domestic violence, adolescent victims, sexual assault
Looked after children, care leavers and risk of teenage conception; findings from Wales: Summary of a National Response (2016). Dr Marion Lyons, Zoe Couzens, Dr NoelCraine, Sarah Andrews, Rhiannon Whitaker.
#redrawthebalance – Inspiring the Future – Redraw the Balance – 2016
This powerful film from MullenLowe London provocatively captures how, early on in their education, children already define career opportunities as male and female. When asked to draw a firefighter, surgeon and a fighter pilot, 61 pictures were drawn of men and only 5 were female. It’s time to #redrawthebalance. Find out how you can support the cause by visiting: inspiringthefuture.org
