A Safe Place is an innovative transitional emotional-behavioural classroom that serves students from three junior high schools in south Edmonton. It is a schoolbased mental health service that provides mental health and academic supports for identified students. The supports enable them to maintain attendance in a neighbourhood school. The program's strategies improve the youths' academic and social functioning and reduce the likelihood of a decline in their mental health and quality of life. The goal is full integration into the mainstream academic setting within four months.

To view the full final report, click here.

Alberta's Emerging Millenials:
A National Survey Reading of Alberta Teens and Other Teens

This report pulls together extensive and unique survey data on Canadian youth, including a national sampling of Aboriginal young people attending band-run schools. The data were collected in 2008 and early 2009. The surveys were part of a much larger survey research initiative.

Since the mid-1970s, Dr. Reg Bibby has been carrying out a series of national adult and youth surveys from the University of Lethbridge. They have consisted of seven 'Project Canada' surveys of adults conducted every five years from 1975 through 2005, and four complementary 'Project Teen Canada' surveys completed in 1984, 1992, 2000, and 2008.

The surveys have attempted to generate comprehensive information on attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviour. The adult samples have averaged about 1,500 people who are 18 and over, and have been highly representative of the adult population. The youth samples have been comprised of teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 who are still in high schools/secondary schools or their equivalents (e.g., CEGEPs in Quebec). These highly representative samples have an average of about 3,800 cases.

To view the full report, click here.

Through this project, MKAD members learned KM is a social process engaging individuals and organizations as learners. Knowledge mobilization (KM) is based, in large part, on relationship building and relationship maintenance through stand-alone KM events and the development and maintenance of ongoing networks (e.g., learning communities, community-based research partnerships).

MKAD was conducted in two parts. Members evaluated activities (e.g., symposia, workshops) that are frequently used to share research evidence for application to programs and policy. In addition, MKAD members developed and implemented learning opportunities on campus and in the community to support leadership and participation in community-based research and evaluation (CBRE). CBRE can be inherently oriented to KM because partners are creating, exchanging, and applying research information together.

To view a copy of the final report, click here.

Growing Together, one of the five provinicially funded projects focusing on pre-school developmental screening, has produced eight digital stories by staff and parents who participated in the project.

To view the vignettes, click here.

Parents have a good understanding of physical milestones, such as when children learn to walk, but are less familiar with important intellectual and social stages.

The Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development and the Alberta Centre for Child, Family and Community Research are proud to announce the release of their publication entitled Parenting Series. This first issue focuses on the important developmental milestones in young children.

To access the full brochure, click here.

There was no association between maternal report of alcohol use and FAEE concentration. At 2 years of age, elevated FAEE, weekly maternal prenatal alcohol use, male sex and maternal age greater than 35 were associated with an increased risk of motor delay in children. There was no association between T-ACE and child development measures. However, T-ACE was associated with several prenatal alcohol risk behaviours. Further research is required to understand the factors that modify FAEE production, whether motor delays persist as these children age, and whether interventions for children identified at birth with high meconium FAEE concentrations are effective.

To access the full report, click here.

The delivery of paediatric rehabilitation services is complex due to the involvement of different service sectors and diverse models of care. Parents of children with disabilities find it challenging to navigate successfully through complicated service delivery systems. Cross-sectoral collaboration to improve continuity of care for children with disabilities and their families is viewed as ideal in public policies. The purpose of this research was to explore how ministerial cultures, processes and structures influence inter-ministerial collaboration for the purpose of enhancing continuity of care for children with disabilities and their families in a Western Canadian province. Six key informants from three government Ministries that funded paediatric rehabilitation services participated in individual, semi-structured interviews between January and May of 2007. Nineteen provincial public policy documents were reviewed. Hall's framework guided the analysis of the key informant interviews and policy documents. Influences of organisational culture, processes and structures on cross-ministerial collaboration were classified into the categories of ideas-values and beliefs that underlie policy development, interests-influence of various policy actors and institutions-structures and processes used to deliver public policy. Fundamental ideological and structural differences were apparent across the three ministries that affected the ease of inter-ministerial collaboration towards ensuring continuity of care for children with disabilities. Variations in ideas (philosophy and values) and institutions (geography and service delivery structure, relationships with regional governance, mission and function, choice of policy instruments and financial processes) are presented and implications for service delivery are explored.

To view the full article, click here.

The Gathering: A Compendium of Stories and Presentations Exploring Positive, Strengths-Based Outcomes Related to Enhancing First Nations, Métis Child Well-Being of Kids-in-Care in Alberta

This compendium is based on a qualitative research project that collected the stories of children and adults involved in various aspects of First Nations and Métis child protection. The Alberta Centre for Child Family and Community Research (The Centre) contracted with Blue Quills First Nations College (BQFNC) and the graduate]level University of Calgary Social Work students at BGFNC to collect stories of success from First Nations and Métis children currently in care, First Nations and Métis children who had transitioned out of care, First Nations and Métis Child Welfare Case Workers and First Nations and Métis community people involved with providing support and services to children in care. Additional funding for the data collection was provided by the Northern Alberta Development Council.

A compendium literally translates as 'to weigh together' from the Latin word compendere. This compendium will ask the reader to do just that; reflect on the contents of the research from the four selected areas exploring the successful outcomes in child protection; combine individual experiences and reflect upon the possibilities for future successes in First Nations and Métis foster/kinship care placements. To help you to 'weigh together' the issues and concepts we have included an introduction by Tara Hanson, (The Centre), opening comments given by Dr. Leona Makokis (BQFNC), a brief explanation of the research process, summaries of the four areas, closing remarks by Dr. Jean Lafrance, and a brief discussion.

To access the full report, click here.

The report examines the research evidence on the frequency, effects, risk factors of sexual exploitation of children and youth over the Internet. The report also provides information on available resources in Alberta and Canada regarding Internet safety and prevention of child and youth abuse and exploitation via the Internet.

To access the full report, click here.

Funded by Alberta Health and Wellness, the Innovative Approaches to Preschool Developmental Screening and Follow-up Services Initiative includes five demonstration pilot projects, a knowledge mobilization strategy and provincial and site-specific evaluations. This report summarizes the initial findings of the five projects. The five projects achieved and surpassed all of the goals outlined in the Developmental Screening Initiative as they:

• Developed innovative, community-based, family-centered service delivery models to maximize resources.
• Increased access to coordinated preschool developmental screening, assessment and intervention services with reduced wait times.
• Established strong, collaborative partnerships with numerous community organizations to deliver services.
• Increased service provider knowledge and skills through on-going training.
• Enhanced family knowledge on early childhood development, developmental screening and resources available in their communities.

Common challenges faced by projects:

• Developing a comprehensive model to screening, assessment and intervention, including access to and coordination of services.
• Involving multiple stakeholders and partners.
• Engaging families, especially those that are culturally diverse.

All of the projects achieved their goals through different pathways to success. The evidence, knowledge and experience gained from the projects will support decision makers in identifying the most promising practices in preschool developmental screening, assessment and intervention services. Highlights of the lessons learned are included in the Summary of Findings section.

To view a copy of the full report, click here.

According to Alberta Education (2005), 67% of youth who began high school in 2000/2001 in Alberta schools graduated in 3 years, a further 6% graduated in 4 years, and another 3% were expected to graduate in 5 years, by 2004/2005, for a total of 76% graduating. Approximately one fourth (24%) of the students who began high school would remain ungraduated. This high dropout rate concerns us as educators and researchers and is an urgent problem in the province of Alberta. Alberta‟s Commission on Learning (2003) recommended a province-wide strategy be developed with a goal of ensuring 90% of students complete Grade 12 within 4 years of starting high school. Lack of high school education has lifelong consequences for the youths, including lower earning capacities, less job satisfaction, and lower health levels (McCain & Mustard, 1999). The loss of a well-educated work force of Alberta‟s young people has significant consequences for Alberta‟s economy and for the social fabric of our society.

Early school leaving is a serious and little understood phenomenon in Alberta and Canada. A comprehensive and expansive perspective is needed to provide a better understanding of early school leaving. Furthermore, while there is research undertaken from a quantitative perspective, indicating rates and general patterns of early school leaving, there is little research that explores the life experiences of youths who leave school early. Without in-depth data that looks across the long-term experiences of the youths who leave school early, it is difficult to plan appropriate policies and interventions to support them in their efforts toward school completion. This research provides such information and understandings.

The purposes of this research study are to:

• describe the life stories of early school leavers, including their accounts of the part school played in their life stories as well as their accounts of the part leaving school early played in their life stories;
• to understand the impact early school leaving without a certificate had on early school leavers‟ lives.

There are also three subsidiary purposes for the study:

• to conceptualize early school leavers‟ experiences on their identity formation;
• to examine the shaping influences of personal, family, cultural, social and institutional contexts on early school leavers;
• to identify influential people in early school leavers‟ stories.

This narrative inquiry into the experiences of youths who leave school early focuses on the stories youths tell about their experiences and the ways they experience early school leaving in their lives. Nineteen youths were drawn from a wide range of contexts in Alberta that included Aboriginal, immigrant, English as a second language, urban, suburban, and rural. The study is timely given the high overall early school leaving rate, the differential rate for various groups, and the need to inform educational policies and practices. This research seeks to include the voices of the youths themselves in order to inform policy debates and public understandings.

To access the full report, click here.

Infants and Trauma: What do Babies Remember?
By Evelyn Wotherspoon, MSW, RSW