After a three-year study on the Cornell-developed program model CARE: Children and Residential Experiences, a long-term initiative of the Residential Child Care Project (RCCP) in the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research at the College of Human Ecology, researchers have found that de-emphasizing behavior control in favor of creating opportunities for children’s success results in less violence at troubled-youth facilities. Charles Izzo, BCTR research associate and lead author of the Prevention Science report, explains that by using an “ecological approach,” CARE program advocates help agencies transition from simply maintaining compliance to creating a living environment that offers youth developmentally enriching experiences and a “sense of normality.” Staff at troubled-youth facilities learn to foster a more supportive environment and see children’s behavior as pain- or trauma-based and transformable.
This summary has been adapted from the original article published in the Cornell Chronicle. Find the full article here.