Although more research is required, supportive care that focuses on informational and emotional support appears to be most important from diagnosis to treatment. Using a conceptual framework such as the Supportive Care Needs Framework provides a methodology for planning care based on needs.

The objective of this study was to conduct an assessment of supportive care needs from the perspective of parents of children diagnosed with cancer within an urban-rural region in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Guided by a conceptual framework for supportive care, the exploratory, mixed-method study used a standard needs survey and semistructured interviews. Fifteen parents completed (75% response rate) the survey, and 3 parents participated as key informants in the follow-up interview. Parents reported needs in all 6 of the need categories outlined within the Supportive Care Needs Framework. The proportion of parents expressing a need ranged from 23% to 39%. Dealing with the fear of their child's cancer spreading was frequently identified by parents. Emotional and informational needs were the 2 most frequently acknowledged categories of need. With further refinement, the use of the conceptual framework will provide a methodology for planning care based on the individual needs identified by parents of children with cancer.

Children who have been adopted or fostered are at high risk of experiencing interpersonal difficulties and placement breakdown may occur if these difficulties are not addressed through interventions. The aim of this review was to identify the impact of attachment interventions with foster and adoptive parents on children's behavioural, emotional and relational functioning. A systematic search process was undertaken; electronic databases were searched; key journals were hand searched; reference lists of included articles were searched; and authors who have published work in the field were contacted. Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. There is some evidence to support the positive impact of these interventions for children, particularly young children aged six months to six years. However, overall, the studies were of relatively poor methodological quality, making conclusions about the efficacy of these interventions difficult. Further research is therefore required to draw clearer conclusions about the impact of attachment interventions for fostered and adopted children. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGES:• A number of the reviewed studies reported positive outcomes in child behavioural functioning and to a lesser degree in emotional and relational functioning following intervention.• Interventions focused on constructs such as parental sensitivity, attunement to the child and the impact of abuse and neglect on attachment to new caregivers.• When quality criteria were applied, two studies focused on children aged six months to six years were found to be methodologically strong, providing some evidence for the benefit of early attachment-based interventions within this population.

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