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        Perceptions of service providers and parents regarding improving outcomes of young children living in circumstances of disadvantage

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        MDLDissertation.pdf (1009.Kb)
        Date
        2009
        Author
        Dietrich Leurer, Marie
        Type
        Thesis
        Degree Level
        Doctoral
        Abstract
        Many children live in circumstances which make it difficult for them to develop the capacities needed to succeed later in life. Previous research has focused on determining the risk factors for impaired outcomes and on evaluating the impact of specific programs. There has been a lack of research exploring the wisdom of people at the grassroots level and across programs. This research asked service providers and parents to describe the challenges that are faced by families with young children living in circumstances of disadvantage, the barriers preventing participation in programs, and the strategies that would address these challenges and barriers. Three research approaches were incorporated into the design of this project; qualitative policy research, community-based participatory research, and knowledge transfer methodology. These approaches were applied in order to encourage the participation of community organizations, to produce information that would provide guidance to policy-makers, and to promote implementation of the strategies recommended by research participants. In Phase One, 28 service providers from 24 Regina programs were interviewed. In Phase Two, the results from the service provider interviews were presented to focus groups of target parents to obtain their feedback. This process served to acknowledge the expertise of the parents as those with firsthand experience of their own reality. The categories of challenges, barriers and strategies that were identified by participants were psychosocial (related to personal connections and mental well-being) and/or structural (concrete and tangible issues). Four themes emerged from these findings. First, interrelatedness and synergistic interaction among the social conditions faced by these families was evident. Second, instability was present at both familial and program delivery levels. Third, target families faced power imbalances from multiple sources. Finally, a lack of belonging or connectedness was experienced by families as a result of their circumstances of social exclusion. The results point to the need for policies to address the following areas: adequate household income, childcare, funding of non-government organizations, housing, and mental health and addictions. By presenting the views of people at the grassroots level, it is hoped that these research results will provide direction to policy-makers.
        Degree
        Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
        Department
        Community Health and Epidemiology
        Program
        Community Health and Epidemiology
        Supervisor
        Green, Kathryn
        Committee
        Pushor, Debbie; Muhajarine, Nazeem; Aston, Megan; Abonyi, Sylvia; Smadu, Marlene
        Copyright Date
        2009
        URI
        http://hdl.handle.net/10388/etd-02112009-135551
        Subject
        early childhood development
        public health
        healthy public policy
        public and social welfare
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