At-Risk Children and Youth

Discover strategies to reinforce the strengths of the youngest members of society

What assistance can be provided to a disadvantaged youngster to help them bounce back to conquer challenges while growing up? At-Risk Children and Youth analyzes the results from accumulated research on the risk and resiliency of children and youth in Ireland. Niall McElwee shines a crucial spotlight on the challenges facing children, including poor literacy and numeracy skills, poverty, distrust, and other difficult issues. Practical strategies are presented to help disadvantaged children and youth to overcome societal and self-imposed barriers for improvement. A detailed review and assessment is provided of the efficacy of Ireland’s Youth Encounter Projects. This important resource focuses on what works and what does not in youth services.

At-Risk Children and Youth closely examines at-risk factors and what it specifically means to be ’at-risk’. Going further beyond the standard risk factors usually considered such as drug use or dropping-out of school, this probing text explores the full range of factors and coping and healing mechanisms. The author challenges several of the views and beliefs about risk and resiliency generally held by many in child and youth services and in society. This book is extensively referenced and includes helpful figures tables to clearly present information.

Topics in At-Risk Children and Youth include:

• detailed breakdown of terms for risk behaviors and predictors of risk
• the issues of social class and social exclusion
• the impact of school difficulties on students, including truancy and poor academic standing
• building on student strengths
• the quality of the entirety of the school experience as a determination of success
• strategies for intervention
• a review of various literature on risk and resiliency
• a relational research model, including methodology and ethical issues
• description and functions of Youth Encounter Projects—and an assessment of their value
• at-risk youth perceptions of risk, in their own words
• results of risk studies over the past decade
• recommended changes in policies