Understanding the Influence of Community-Level Determinants on Children’s Social and Emotional Well-Being: A Systems Science and Participatory Approach
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Participants
2.2. Procedure
2.3. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Enabling Multiple Access Points to a Range of Interconnected Community Services and Programs
3.2. Increasing the Amount of Community Programming Available by Strengthening Levels of Collective Community Action and Ensuring the Availability of Necessary Physical Space and Infrastructure
3.3. Foster Longer-Term Societal Returns on Investment and Community Advocacy through Improving Government Investment in Child Well-Being
3.4. Bridging the Multiple Associations and Feedback Mechanisms within the Community Environment
4. Discussion
5. Strengths, Limitations, and Future Directions
6. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Number of Participants in Attendance (%) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
ECD Sector | GMB Session #1 | GMB Session #2 | GMB Session #3 | Total |
(N = 17) | (N = 16) | (N = 13) | (N = 25) | |
Childcare | 4 (23.5%) | 3 (18.8%) | 1 (7.7%) | 4 (16.0%) |
Education | 3 (17.6%) | 3 (18.8%) | 4 (30.8%) | 4 (16.0%) |
Service Delivery | 8 (47.1%) | 8 (50.0%) | 4 (30.8%) | 12 (48.0%) |
Healthcare | 1 (5.9%) | 1 (6.3%) | 3 (23.1%) | 3 (12.0%) |
Other | 1 (5.9%) | 1 (6.3%) | 1 (7.7%) | 1 (4.0%) |
Loop | Loop Name | Description |
---|---|---|
R5 | Shared Understanding and Priorities | When governments are willing to listen to communities, they are better able to understand the uniqueness and importance of a community’s history and context. This enables more tailored long-term planning and investments towards child well-being, which increases the social return on investment. Increasing returns encourage policies that continue to support child well-being, leading to greater collaborations between community and government, strengthening cross-sectorial relationships and reinforcing the willingness of governments to listen. |
R6 | The Impact of Government Investments | When governments increase their investments in child development well-being, the wages for service providers are able to increase, which also increases social return on investment. Increasing social return promotes greater support from the community. Communities with plentiful support for child well-being often engage in community-led initiatives, including community-based research that help to support and guide policies aimed at further promoting child development and well-being. When policies move towards promoting child development and well-being, government investments follow, creating a reinforcing loop. |
R4 | Community Advocacy and Government | High levels of community advocacy for child well-being can influence the level of funding received from governments. With increased funding, communities are able to implement new initiatives, which increase community awareness of the state of child vulnerability and importance of the early years. This reinforces the need and presence of community advocacy in support of children’s well-being. |
B1 | Demand for Program and Services | When there is high demand for children’s programs/services, long waitlists can exist for families to access supports. Waitlists increase community awareness by being an indicator of unmet community need. With growing awareness comes greater community advocacy and buy-in in support of children and families. Collective buy-in increases the funding provided by local private businesses or organizations, which enable communities to allocate new spaces for programs services (located in built community infrastructure such as community centers), and subsequently expand on existing or create new programs/services for children and families. As more community-located supports become available, the demand and waitlists decrease. This balancing loop illustrates how the system can self-adjust to meet the needs of families with young children. |
R3 | Advocacy within the Community | High levels of community advocacy for child well-being can influence the levels of private (non-government) funding. Support from private organizations such as local businesses and banks, contributes to increased awareness and collective buy-in from the community, furthering the level of community advocacy. |
R1 | Impact of Multiple Access Points to Services/Supports | Access to one community service access point in the system begets access to additional services and supports. For example, when families with young children are able to acquire better access to health care in the community, their ability to access quality childcare and early learning supports improves, this in turn leads to greater access to early intervention which increases the level of child’s access to family supports, which feed back into improved access to health care. The inter-relationships in this loop are bi-directional. When families with young children are able to acquire better access to health care in the community their ability to access family supports is improved and this increases access to family supports and leads to increased levels of access to early intervention, which in turn enhances access to quality childcare and early learning supports, which contribute to improved access to health care. |
R2 | Service Access via Connections to Information and Social Networks | When families with young children are able to access family supports (located in built community infrastructure such as community centers), they gain access to information from staff and other families, which may increase their awareness of other programs and services available within the community (e g., health care, quality daycare) that they may be eligible for. By engaging in these other programs services, families are able to connect with and receive additional family support, creating a reinforcing cycle whereby families continue to grow their knowledge and access opportunities. This creates a virtuous cycle where families who have access continue to gain more access. |
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Poon, B.T.; Atchison, C.; Kwan, A. Understanding the Influence of Community-Level Determinants on Children’s Social and Emotional Well-Being: A Systems Science and Participatory Approach. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 5972. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19105972
Poon BT, Atchison C, Kwan A. Understanding the Influence of Community-Level Determinants on Children’s Social and Emotional Well-Being: A Systems Science and Participatory Approach. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(10):5972. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19105972
Chicago/Turabian StylePoon, Brenda T., Chris Atchison, and Amanda Kwan. 2022. "Understanding the Influence of Community-Level Determinants on Children’s Social and Emotional Well-Being: A Systems Science and Participatory Approach" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 10: 5972. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19105972