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Social Pediatrics: A Model to Confront Family Poverty, Adversity, and Housing Instability and Foster Healthy Child and Adolescent Development and Resilience

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Clinical Care for Homeless, Runaway and Refugee Youth

Abstract

Social pediatrics is an approach to child and youth health in the context of their family and the society in which they grow and develop. Social pediatrics takes action on social determinants such as income, housing, education, and social environment, as mediators of child and youth health. Youth in poverty and at risk for homelessness have disproportionate exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and intergenerational trauma. Families of some ethnic minority youth are disproportionately impacted by poverty. LGBT youth are disproportionately represented among homeless youth. Youth with developmental, cognitive, and learning disabilities are at disproportionate risk for homelessness. Social pediatric models, including the Circle of the Child (and Youth) with a Medical-Legal Community Partnership, are effective and innovative practices to maintain engagement of youth with their families and community, prevent homelessness, and continue engagement when youth leave home prematurely. Social pediatrics promotes structural factors that foster positive youth development, resiliency and social engagement, continued participation in school, and preparation for employment and constructively addresses interpersonal conflicts.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Canada Without Poverty > Poverty > Just the Facts, http://www.cwp-csp.ca/.

  2. 2.

    https://www.ourplace-vancouver.ca

  3. 3.

    https://ww2.rch.org.au/emplibrary/ccch/Policy_Brief_23_-_place-based_approaches_final_web.pdf

  4. 4.

    Our Place, Promoting Local Access and Community Empowerment. https://www.ourplace-vancouver.ca/about/place-based-strategies.

  5. 5.

    https://pediatriesociale.fondationdrjulien.org/en/about/quel-est-le-coeur-du-modele/la-cointervention/

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Developmental Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, British Columbia Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Christine Loock

  2. Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Eva Moore

  3. Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, BC Children’s Hospital & University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Dzung Vo

  4. University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada

    Ronald George Friesen

  5. University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada

    Ronald George Friesen

  6. Continuing Legal Education Society of BC, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Ronald George Friesen

  7. Department of Pediatrics (Retired), Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine, British Columbia Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Curren Warf

  8. University of British Columbia, School of Nursing, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Judith Lynam

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  1. Christine Loock
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  2. Eva Moore
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  4. Ronald George Friesen
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  5. Curren Warf
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  6. Judith Lynam
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics (Retired), Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine, British Columbia Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Curren Warf

  2. School of Social Work, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Grant Charles

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Loock, C., Moore, E., Vo, D., Friesen, R.G., Warf, C., Lynam, J. (2020). Social Pediatrics: A Model to Confront Family Poverty, Adversity, and Housing Instability and Foster Healthy Child and Adolescent Development and Resilience. In: Warf, C., Charles, G. (eds) Clinical Care for Homeless, Runaway and Refugee Youth. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40675-2_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40675-2_7

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