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Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive overview of the substance use disparities among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth, the contributing factors to these disparities, proven and promising approaches through strengths-based methods, barriers to implementation of prevention and treatment efforts, and future recommendations for effective programs and research.

Approach – We have conducted a thorough literature review of relevant research studies, as well as a review of government, tribal, and community-based curricula and resources. This review of programs is not exhaustive but provides several examples of best practices in the field and suggestions for future directions.

Social implications – We strongly advocate that to accurately explore the true etiology of substance abuse and to respond to the concerns that AI/AN have prioritized, it is necessary to utilize a strengths-based approach and draw upon traditional AI/AN perspectives and values, and active community participation in the process. More specifically, prevention and treatment programs should use methods that incorporate elders or intergenerational approaches; foster individual and family skills-building; promote traditional healing methods to recognize and treat historical, cultural, and intergenerational and personal trauma; focus on early intervention; and tailor efforts to each Native nation or community.

Value – Ultimately, to reduce substance abuse disparities in AI/AN youth, we must find better ways to merge traditional Native practices with western behavioral health to ensure cultural competency, as well as to develop mechanisms to effect system- and policy-level changes that reduce barriers to care and promote the well-being of AI/AN youth, families, and communities.

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore perceptions of the impact of program participation on parenting styles and behavioral changes using observations and in-depth semi-structured interviews with Black and Coloured staff and mothers at a community-based organization (CBO) in the Western Cape Province (WCP) in South Africa (SA). Purposive sampling was utilized in this research via the CBO and narratives from a total of twenty-three (twelve mothers and eleven staff) interviews form the basis of this manuscript. Data was collected between January – February 2017 and was analyzed through the phenomenological and inductive thematic analysis approach. The staff interviews revealed that child abandonment and neglect and the abuse of women are the two main environmental contextual factors that impact program participation. According to staff, improved self-esteem and positive life changes were identified as successful outcomes of participant involvement. The parent interviews provided examples of emotional issues such as domestic abuse and personal issues with alcohol and drugs as individual factors that impact their program participation. Changes in parenting styles was identified as successful outcomes among parent participants. The goal of this study was to provide much-needed insight into this community by presenting a variety of voices, specifically Black and Coloured men and women, that are underreported in the literature. Findings from this research adds to the knowledge of community-based parenting programs (CBPPs) for low-income and underserved populations in SA and internationally.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of family protective factors in participants of Help Me Grow Utah (HMGU), a community-based system that promotes child development, seeks early detection of developmental delays, and links families to services.

In this paper, standard quasi-experimental survey design was utilized. HMGU and control group participants completed the FRIENDS Protective Factors Survey, which was slightly modified into a retrospective pre-test and post-test format to address previous survey concerns of response-shift bias, self-serving assessments, and family maturation. Participants were asked to respond to ten questions at present and then again from the perspective of two years previous.

Participants in HMGU had statistically significant increases in protective factor scores in all but one subscale, with dramatic increases in two subscale questions on knowledge of parenting and child development. Control group scores statistically increased in four subscales, albeit at lower rates than HMGU participants. Interestingly, control group scores on two subscale questions relating to child maltreatment risk were significantly lower on post-tests as compared to their retrospective pre-test scores.

Participants in HMGU clearly increased in the development of protective factors. Replication of this study is recommended and the need for a control group in protective factor studies is imperative.

Findings from this study suggest that child services focused on enhancing knowledge of parenting and child development might also expect to improve protective factors. One-on-one care coordination with families seems particularly effective. The findings might also benefit other social programs as they utilize retrospective pre-test, post-test, and control groups in their evaluations.

HMGU is the first affiliate to utilize retrospective pre-test/post-test methodology, which can overcome confounding results attributable to response-shift bias. Also, the use of a control group affords inclusion of natural maturation in considering findings.

The purpose of this paper is to describe hitherto unexplored issues related to sexual abuse of left-behind children of migrant women in Sri Lanka.

This qualitative study was conducted in high labour-sending districts. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with school teachers, community youth groups and members of civil organisations, and semi-structured interviews (SSIs) were conducted with community leaders, religious leaders, social workers, and primary healthcare workers. Data were analysed using content analysis, and emerging themes were mapped.

Community members reported that sexual abuses of migrant women’s children, although not uncommon, are scarcely notified due to societal and institutional factors. They have a high awareness on types of sexual abuses faced by migrants’ children, extent of such abuses, and physical, emotional, and social complications of such abuses. They also reported factors that increase these children’s vulnerability to abuse. Role perceived to be played by state and non-state social institutions and authorised personnel in protecting children is inadequate, leading to low reporting and community cooperation.

High community awareness found provides a good platform to launch culturally sensitive child protection interventions.

Findings of barriers and opportunities indicate that effective policy instruments and cogent and functional programmes interlinking all stakeholder-institutions are required to protect migrant women’s children.

This study provided first in-depth exploration of issues related to sexual abuses of migrant women’s children in Sri Lanka and possible opportunities for community-based interventions.

This article reflects on the significance of family centres in the UK as a mirror of new possibilities for child welfare in the years following the Children Act 1989. The Act empowered local authorities in England and Wales to provide family centres as part of ‘family support practice’. The article reveals a rich vein of family‐centred, centre‐based activity internationally and shows practice combining intervention from the sophisticated to the very informal. The authors focus on so‐called ‘integrated centres’ as complex systems of care with wide implications for practice and outcome evaluation in an ‘evidence‐based’ context.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the demographic characteristics, psychological and mental health difficulties, victimisation histories, and offending behaviours of New Zealand child pornography offenders (CPOs) who presented to community-based treatment. Findings are compared with national and international research, and with population norms. Such comparisons can help identify factors that may play a role in the development of child pornography (CP) consumption and potential treatment needs for this population.

A file audit of assessment information and service exit reports was conducted of 46 CPOs who were referred to community-based treatment service in New Zealand.

CPOs were predominantly male, European, and unemployed. Most CPOs were single or separated/divorced, and had no friends or one to five friends, which indicates possible social functioning difficulties, including intimacy. Mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, loneliness, and childhood abuse appear to be elevated among CPOs in comparison with general population norms. Prior to referral, one-third had engaged in contact sexual offending and most had no non-sexual offending history. CP was often in the form of photos or images, and contained European pre-pubescent females. CPOs’ mental health, social isolation, intimacy deficits, and childhood abuse could be treatment targets for this population.

Limited research has been conducted concerning New Zealand CPOs. Furthermore, studies often do not compare findings with general population norms, which can help identify factors prevalent among the CPOs and treatment needs for this population.

The overall objective of this research was to elucidate the ecosystem of women’s health social enterprises (WHSEs) based in the United States. The Aim I was to conduct a secondary data analysis of a random national sample of non-profit WHSEs based in the United States regarding their characteristics and areas of intervention. Aim II was to conduct a qualitative assessment of a sample of WHSEs based in the United States regarding their perspectives on the ecosystem of WHSEs. Aim I utilized the GuideStar database and assessed enterprise size, geographic location, financial distress, health intervention area, and health activity category using descriptive statistics, statistical tests, and multivariable regression analysis via SPSS. Aim II utilized in-depth interviewing and grounded theory analysis via MAXQDA 2018 to identify novel themes and core categories while using an established framework for mapping social enterprise ecosystems as a scaffold.

Aim I findings suggest that WHSE activity is more predominant in the south region of the United States but not geographically concentrated around cities previously identified as social enterprise hubs. WHSEs take a comprehensive approach to women’s health, often simultaneously focusing on multiple areas of health interventions. Although most WHSEs demonstrate a risk for financial distress, very few exhibited severe risk. Risk for financial distress was not significantly associated with any of the measured enterprise characteristics. Aim II generated four core categories of findings that describe the ecosystem of WHSE: (1) comprehensive, community-based, and culturally adaptive care; (2) interdependent innovation in systems, finances, and communication; (3) interdisciplinary, cross-enterprise collaboration; and (4) women’s health as the foundation for family and population health. These findings are consistent with the three-failures theory for non-profit organizations, particularly that WHSEs address government failure by focusing on the unmet women’s health needs of the underserved populations (in contrast to the supply of services supported by the median voter) and address the market failure of over exclusion through strategies such as cross-subsidization and price discrimination. While WHSEs operate with levels of financial risk and are subject to the voluntary sector failure of philanthropic insufficiency, the data also show that they act to remediate other threats of voluntary failure.

Aim I findings highlight the importance of understanding financial performance of WHSEs. Also, lack of significant associations between our assessed enterprise characteristics and their financial risk suggests need for additional research to identify factors that influence financial performance of WHSE. Aim II findings show that WHSEs are currently engaged in complex care coordination and comprehensive biopsychosocial care for women and their families, suggesting that these enterprises may serve as a model for improving women’s health and health care. The community-oriented and interdisciplinary nature of WHSE as highlighted by our study may also serve as a unique approach for research and education purposes. Additional research on the ecosystem of WHSE is needed in order to better inform generalizability of our findings and to elucidate how WHSE interventions may be integrated into policies and practices to improve women’s health.

The Whole Child Initiative (WCI) was developed over the past 15 years as a blueprint to promote long-term development and success of all children, as well as their families and communities. This chapter describes three aspects of the WCI model: (a) the need for a public health approach to sustainable, communitywide change targeting the whole child; (b) a clear, future-oriented vision for equipping educators, caregivers, and service providers with the skills and attitudes required to deliver high-quality instruction; and (c) the infusion of social and emotional learning practices to transform environments in which youth live and play. We provide examples of how schools, communities, and families can come together to create a common culture fostering stable and nurturing relationships essential for enhancing youth well-being. We close with recommended “super strategies” – low-cost, simple, and effective practices that can be broadly implemented to keep every child healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged in the community at large.

In this chapter, I examine stories that foster care youth tell to legislatures, courts, policymakers, and the public to influence policy decisions. The stories told by these children are analogized to victim truth testimony, analyzed as a therapeutic, procedural, and developmental process, and examined as a catalyst for systemic accountability and change. Youth stories take different forms and appear in different media: testimony in legislatures, courts, research surveys or studies; opinion editorials and interviews in newspapers or blog posts; digital stories on YouTube; and artistic expression. Lawyers often serve as conduits for youth storytelling, translating their clients’ stories to the public. Organized advocacy by youth also informs and animates policy development. One recent example fosters youth organizing to promote “normalcy” in child welfare practices in Florida, and in related federal legislation.