Reconceptualising vulnerable children by acknowledging their assets

Bibliographic Data

ID15456772
AuthorsIrma Eloff (0000-0001-8306-3979, University of Pretoria, corresponding author), Liesel Ebersohn (0000-0002-2616-4973, University of Pretoria), Jeandré Viljoen (University of Pretoria)
Year2007
Volume6
Issue1
Pages79-86
Publication date2007-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAfrican Journal of AIDS Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1608-5906 • E-ISSN: 1727-9445
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.2989/16085900709490401
PMID25875347
OpenAlexW2026697805
LanguageEN
Citations received6

We report on a study that sought to find alternative pathways to conceptualising vulnerable children. We have extracted a section from a longitudinal study that focuses on the ways in which vulnerable children in a rural community in South Africa cope with the impact of HIV and AIDS. We relied on the concepts of assets, resources and capacities to guide our understanding of 'vulnerable children', in an attempt to open up conceptualisations of the term, which have previously almost exclusively focused on deficits and needs. The study used a case study design with a small group of children who were engaged in making memory boxes. The study shows that numerous resources and capacities for coping and well-being are evident within and around the children. Most prominent among the capacities of the participants in this study are a positive identity and essential social competencies

Coping (psychology · Developmental psychology · Economic growth · Political science · Children's Rights and Participation · Clinical Psychology · Early Childhood Education and Development · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare · Psychology

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