Invited literature review: The abuse of children in public care

Child Welfare in Chile: Learning from International Experiences to Improve Family Interventions

“…Similar findings were presented by Gallagher [15] who asserted that abuse in children's homes related to the lack of concern by State and society was expressed in poor policies, with few resources, and inadequate staff supervision and training. With these assessments in mind, the tendency in Chile to continue giving priority to the residential response sparks concern.…”

Are teacher-credentialing programs providing enough training in multiculturalism for pre-service teachers?

“…Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of development has four core principles that underline the framework (Gallagher, 1999). The first principle is how students build their knowledge by inter-relating with a more knowledgeable individual, such as a teacher.…”

“…The third core principle is how learning can lead to the improvement of a student’s cultural understanding. The last principle is that language plays an essential role in intellectual development (Gallagher, 1999).…”

Clinical work with people affected by public care or adoption

“…It is important to note that, although children are removed from their birth families with the aim of ending abuse and neglect, this is unfortunately not always achieved. A regrettable repetition of abuse and neglect can occur in their new homes (Gallagher 1999; Skuse 2003). Contributing factors are thought to include the high level of behavioural difficulties in these children, limited training and support for adoptive parents, foster carers and residential workers, and an insufficient acknowledgement of how difficult it can be to care for these children (HM Government 2006).…”