Needs-led child and youth care: Main characteristics and evidence on outcomes

•Family needs, participation and practitioners' skills shape the needs-led CYC.•Practitioners' skills include listening and working in active partnership.•Participation is associated with positive (behavioral) changes for families.•Needs-led CYC can make a difference in the lives of children and families.•Research into the intertwinement of the characteristics of needs-led care is needed.

Needs-led child and youth care has three main characteristics: a continuous focus on clients' needs, client participation in the care process (including decision making), and practitioners' displays of needs-led attitudes and skills. The primary aim of this review was to establish whether there is evidence for using a needs-led approach when working with children and families in need. We performed a literature search to find reviews and outcome studies of child and youth care for school-aged children and their families which included the core characteristics of needs-led care, and related them to outcome measures. Only a few studies attributed positive outcomes of care to the attention given to clients' needs and goals. Most studies referred to participation in terms of clients' involvement or engagement. Higher levels of participation were associated with positive changes in child behaviors and parenting stress, client satisfaction, higher completion rates, safety for children, feelings of well-being and empowerment, and better service coordination. Significant professional attitudes and skills included listening to clients and working in active partnership with them. There is some proof for the relevance of core characteristics of needs-led child and youth care, although that evidence is limited by the lack of rigorous studies. This study indicates that needs-led child and youth care can make a difference. Future research should pay attention to the intertwinement of the characteristics of the needs-led approach in care.