Children in families in communities

While acknowledging valuable principles of serving children in their own communities, children's services continue to be disruptive to children and families' relationships within their communities. The long-term effects of these disruptions may be reflected in chronic displacement, maladjustment, and adaptation to institutional mores. Involving families and accessing communities in serving children increases healthy adaptation by helping children establish roles, establish membership, and contribute to their communities' life as they mature. Although community-based services have the benefit of trying to keep children in their communities, most programs do not go far enough to involve the community in assuming responsibility for these children. Approaches that facilitate family collaboration with community agencies (such as schools), move farther in this direction. Projects focused on stimulating community leadership to change community life to include youngsters in constructive roles offer the best hope of establishing systems that foster healthy outcomes for children and families in the long run.