A new follow-up study of young people who were formerly looked after in foster care suggests that despite the considerable risks they typically face, many achieve independence with few problems.

Severe domestic violence is not very likely to change with treatment. But violence between teenage partners – which tends to be milder and mutual – can be prevented or reduced with early intervention that targets both sexes, a new report claims. And with more than a third of U.S. high schoolers admitting they have been violent to a boyfriend or girlfriend, it’s an urgent issue.

Arousing the interest of individuals in tough neighbourhoods is less of a challenge than maintaining it. A teenage pregnancy prevention program in Chicago shows how ‘community coalitions’ can help overcome it.

A first randomized controlled trial of an online intervention to help young people to cope with the stresses and strains of romantic relationships suggests that the pain often needs to get worse before it gets better.

The Juvenile Alternative Prevention Initiative has been developed over two decades but how is it applied to policy and practice and where does it fit in with prevention science?

Successful prevention programs require able community co-ordinators. But what skills do these individuals need and can social work education train a new generation of prevention practitioners?

New forms of intermediary organization that help service providers train staff to deliver evidence-based programs effectively, and are willing to take the rap if targets aren’t met, look set to migrate beyond the boundaries of their US birthplace, as economies and public services around the world feel the same pinch.

Head teachers don’t know how to commission proven programs, program designers don’t know how to evaluate their own initiatives – and there has been far too little investment in remedying either problem. Little wonder, says a UK think tank, that some schools have been resorting to “bad science” in their efforts to rescue disaffected pupils.

Social learning theory… systems theory… motivational interviewing – the director of the UK Academy of Parenting Practitioners recommends a more eclectic therapeutic strategy for dealing with the problems of hard-to-reach families.

Minnesota research suggests that gender bias in the study of aggression may have neglected the hurt done to girls by gossip and name-calling.

Research from one direction indicates that subjective reports of “life satisfaction” can be relied on as an accurate measure of well-being, but the verdict from another is that Americans are generally far adrift in their perceptions about the well-being of those around them. Back to the lab?

Analysis of the effectiveness of programs designed to help children protect themselves against the risk of sexual abuse highlights the value of openness and frank discussion in the home but struggles to illuminate a field of inquiry still fraught with practical difficulties and ethical concerns.