PolicyWise for Children & Families
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We generate knowledge by conducting research and evaluation, and by managing, linking, and analyzing data. We measure the impact of how we influence positive changes for children and families.
PolicyWise is a charitable, not-for-profit corporation. We are managed by a President and CEO and governed by a dedicated Board of Directors. Our employees are experts in applied research and evaluation, data science, knowledge mobilization, marketing & communications, and administration.
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Browsing PolicyWise for Children & Families by Subject "families"
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Item Open Access A profile of Child Support Services dependents in Alberta(PolicyWise for Children & Families, 2019-07-17) Jia, Ruiting; Twilley, Leslie; Cui, XinjieChild support payment agreements and court orders can support the well-being of children in single-parent or blended families. This report profiled Alberta Child Support Services (CSS) dependents (0 to 22 years old) from 2005/06 to 2010/11. CSS dependents are the children for whom child support was sought. Analyses examined these individuals’ sociodemographic characteristics and public service use patterns based on the reasons for the case closure and the amounts of money granted in proceedings to obtain child support. This report found that (1) there were 24,619 to 28,868 CSS dependents between 2005/06 and 2010/11, (2) the percentage of CSS dependents who met or exceeded educational expectations in the K-12 education system generally increased over the report period, (3) a higher proportion of CSS dependents were both high-cost health service users and mental health service users than non-CSS dependents, and (4) the monetary amount of a dependent’s CSS payment related to their educational achievement. These findings provide policy-relevant evidence that public authorities may consider as they seek to better support CSS dependents.Item Open Access A profile of children and youth whose families received Family Support for Children with Disabilities services(PolicyWise for Children & Families, 2019-01-18) Jia, Ruiting; Cankaya, Ozlem; Twilley, Leslie; Cui, Xinjie; Cui, XinjieFamilies caring for children with disabilities may require a wide range of supports to assist them. This report used administrative data to profile young Albertans (0 to 17 years old) who received a range of services from the Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) program between 2005/06 and 2010/11. Analyses examined these individuals’ sociodemographic characteristics and public service use patterns based on their primary reason for support. This report found that (1) more than half of FSCD clients with mental health disorders met or exceeded educational expectations during the report period, (2) a higher proportion of FSCD clients who had mental health conditions and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder received child intervention support (to protect against abuse, neglect, or another risk) than the non-FSCD population, and (3) a higher proportion of FSCD clients with developmental delay and mental health or health conditions were in single-parent/blended families receiving child support payments than the non-FSCD population. These findings provide policy-relevant evidence that public authorities may consider as they seek to better support children with disabilities.Item Open Access A profile of children in Alberta receiving Child Care Subsidy(PolicyWise for Children & Families, 2019-05-17) Izakian, Hesam; Twilley, Leslie; Cui, XinjieAccess to child care subsidies can improve children’s academic, psychosocial, and behavioural functioning. This report profiled Albertan children (0 to 8 years old) who were Child Care Subsidy (CCS) recipients from 2005/06 to 2010/11. Analyses examined these individuals’ sociodemographic characteristics and public service use patterns. This report found that (1) Edmonton and South Alberta region had higher proportions of CCS recipients than other regions, (2) recipients of CCS had higher use of social supports, rates of residential mobility, and low socioeconomic status neighbourhood occupancy than non-recipients, and (3) child care use patterns changed between 2005/06 to 2010/11. These findings provide policy-relevant evidence that public authorities may consider as they seek to better support CCS dependents.Item Open Access A profile of students receiving English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction(PolicyWise for Children & Families, 2019-10-18) Lamba, Navjot; Cui, XinjieEnglish as a Second Language (ESL) learners require special instructional supports to reach educational expectations and realize their full potential. This report used administrative data to profile ESL learners in the education system (kindergarten to 12th grade) in Alberta between 2005/06 and 2010/11. Analyses examined these individuals’ sociodemographic characteristics and public service use patterns. This report found that students receiving ESL instruction (1) increased in number over the report period, (2) were more likely to be younger students, (3) were composed of proportionally more males and residents of Calgary, and (4) were less likely to be high-cost health, mental health service users, child intervention recipients, and child disability supports recipients than non-ESL students. These findings provide policy-relevant evidence that public authorities may consider as they seek to better support ESL learners.