This brief reference surveys the national policy of three representative African countries on the legal guardianship of children who are without parents or families. Focusing on the widely varying legal systems of Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, and Uganda, the authors highlight guardianship as emblematic of the continent’s shortcomings in child protection laws. The book’s key objective is bridging the communal aspects of traditional African society with the global standards set forth by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international entities. To this end, the three frameworks discussed here are compared and their strengths and limitations evaluated as applied to child protection standards in terms of core guardianship issues: Holders of parental authority and responsibilities Appointment of a legal guardian Who qualifies as a legal guardian? Responsibilities of a legal guardian in relation to the child Termination of guardianships The primary audience for Perspectives on the Legal Guardianship of Children in Côte d'Ivoire, South Africa, and Uganda includes academics, researchers, and students in the fields of children’s rights, human rights, legal guardianship, and international law. It will also prove a useful reference for NGOs that focus on children’s rights, social workers and practitioners operating within the context of these three countries, professionals working within the African human rights system, and governmental law- and policymakers.

Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.

Along with development, parents and children are involved in reciprocal exchanges within which both co-adapt their emerging relationships. With this transactional assumption, the eco-cultural approach stimulates researchers to study parenting from a complex perspective and to consider multiple influences shaping children’s and families’ lives. This book offers a wide, concrete eco-cultural perspective on parenting, addressing current issues such as wellbeing and emotional security, sibling relationships, vulnerable children, family-school partnerships, digital parenting, adolescence and risks, resilience in adversity, and immigration and cultural diversity. Written by researchers from all over the world, the twelve chapters in this volume testify to the strength of the plurality method for approaching parenting.

Through a global, multidisciplinary perspective, this book describes how four factors influence parenting practices: a countries historical and political background, the parent’s educational history, the economy and the parent’s financial standing, and advances in technology. Case studies that illustrate the impact these four factors have on parents in various regions help us better understand parenting in today’s global, interconnected world. Descriptions of parenting practices in countries from Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean give readers a contemporary perspective. Both research and clinical implications when working with families from various cultures are integrated throughout. Part I reviews the four major factors that shape parenting practices. Part II features cases written by contributors with extensive experience in parenting practice and research that bring to life the ways in which these four factors influence parenting within their region. Each chapter in Part II follows the same format to provide consistency for comparative purposes: an introduction, historical and political, economic, educational, and societal factors and parenting practices, and a conclusion. Each case reviews: Historical and political factors such as slavery, war, and natural disasters and how these factors impact cultural beliefs, parenting behaviors, and a child’s development Economic factors which impact the capacity for consistent, involved parenting which can result in low IQ, behavioral problems, depression, and domestic conflict and the need to account for financial factors when developing intervention programs Educational levels impact on parenting practices and their children’s achievements Advances in technology and its impact on parenting practices. Intended for graduate or advanced undergraduate courses in families in global context, immigrant families, family or public policy, multiculturalism or cross-cultural psychology, social or cultural development, counseling, social work, or international development taught in human development and family studies, psychology, social work, sociology, anthropology, racial studies, and international relations, this book also appeals to practitioners and researchers interested in family studies and child development and policy and program managers of governments, NGOs, and mental health agencies.

Parenting is a critical influence on the development of children across the globe. This handbook brings together scholars with expertise on parenting science and interventions for a comprehensive review of current research. It begins with foundational theories and research topics, followed by sections on parenting children at different ages, factors that affect parenting such as parental mental health or socioeconomic status, and parenting children with different characteristics such as depressed and anxious children or youth who identify as LGBTQ. It concludes with a section on policy implications, as well as prevention and intervention programs that target parenting as a mechanism of change. Global perspectives and the cultural diversity of families are highlighted throughout. Offering in-depth analysis of key topics such as risky adolescent behavior, immigration policy, father engagement, family involvement in education, and balancing childcare and work, this is a vital resource for understanding the most effective policies to support parents in raising healthy children.

Parenting is a lifelong task and parents are always remaining as a parent. Parenting in the present situation faces many challenges which need to be reviewed and understood with profuse equanimity and alacrity. This book tries to consider the process of parenting in different conditions such as during COVID-19 lockdown, in the refugee camps, and in different cultural structures and economic conditions. Situations that families face due to changing conditions such as global changes which cause lifestyles, immigration patterns, social conflicts, and raising children with developmental disabilities have been discussed. Topics such as professional concern with child care and education, gender roles and caregiving, and father’s involvement in parenting, have been covered in different chapters of the book.

This research-based book covers the core components of modern parenting and child development across multi-ethnic and cross-cultural contexts in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North and South America, with a focus on the United States. Parenting and Child Development: Across Ethnicity and Culture is based on a cohesive framework that links physical, psychological, social, cognitive, and emotional aspects of children's lives to their experiences of parental behavior. This book covers the fundamentals of parent-child relationships, including the theoretical perspective of parenting, positive and negative parenting behaviors, and changing patterns of parenting from infancy through adolescence. Explored are parent-child relationships and their implications for children's health, well-being, and quality of life in different family forms, including parenting in drug-addicted families, homeless families, cohabiting families, single-parent families, and LGBT families around the world. Using an array of theories with relevant empirical findings, the practical implications for child development both within the United States and across the globe are highlighted. Also included is specific information about tools and techniques for measuring intimate relationships and intervention strategies for relationship problems.

This handbook examines positive youth development (PYD) in youth and emerging adults from an international perspective. It focuses on large and underrepresented cultural groups across six continents within a strengths-based conception of adolescence that considers all youth as having assets. The volume explores the ways in which developmental assets, when effectively harnessed, empower youth to transition into a productive and resourceful adulthood. The book focuses on PYD across vast geographical regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, North America, and Latin America as well as on strengths and resources for optimal well-being. The handbook addresses the positive development of young people across various cultural contexts to advance research, policy, and practice and inform interventions that foster continued thriving and reduce the chances of compromised youth development. It presents theoretical perspectives and supporting empirical findings to promote a more comprehensive understanding of PYD from an integrated, multidisciplinary, and multinational perspective.

Despite strong recent economic growth, Sub-Saharan Africa has levels of economic transformation, poverty reduction, and skill development far below those of other regions. Smart investments in developing skills—aligned with the policy goals of productivity growth, inclusion, and adaptability—can help to accelerate the region’s economic transformation in the 21st century. Sub-Saharan Africa’s growing working-age population presents a major opportunity to increase shared prosperity. Countries in the region have invested heavily in building skills; public expenditure on education increased sevenfold over the past 30 years, and more children are in school today than ever before. Yet, systems for building skills in this population have fallen short, and these shortcomings significantly impede economic prospects. In half of the countries, fewer than two in every three children complete primary school; even fewer reach and complete higher levels of education. Learning outcomes have been persistently poor, leading to substantial gaps in basic cognitive skills—literacy and numeracy—among children, young people, and adults. The literacy rate of the adult population is below 50 percent in many countries; functional literacy and numeracy rates are even lower. Systemwide change is required to achieve significant progress. Multiple agencies at the central and local levels are involved in skills development strategies, making skills “everyone’s problem but no one’s responsibility.†? Policies and reforms need to build capacity for evidence-based policies and create incentives to align the behaviors of all stakeholders with the pursuit of national skills development goals. The Skills Balancing Act in Sub-Saharan Africa: Investing in Skills for Productivity, Inclusivity, and Adaptability lays out evidence to inform the policy choices that countries will make in skill investments. Each chapter addresses a set of specific questions, drawing on original analysis and synthesis of existing studies to explore key areas: • How the skills appropriate to each stage of the life cycle are acquired and what market and institutional failures affect skills formation • What systems are needed for individuals to access these skills, including family investments, private sector institutions, schools, and other public programs • How those systems can be strengthened • How the most vulnerable individuals—those who fall outside the standard systems and have missed critical building blocks in skills acquisition—can be supported. Countries will face trade-offs—often stark ones—that will have distributional impacts and a bearing on their development path. Committed leaders, reform coalitions, and well-coordinated policies are essential for taking on the skills balancing act in Sub-Saharan Africa.