No / Past research on care leavers has, understandably, tended to focus on those who are in their mid- to late-teens or early 20s. This reflects the profound impact of central and local government policy on those young people. It also reflects their prominence in contemporary analyses of most of the indicators of social exclusion among young people in the UK - unemployment, homelessness and lack of educational qualifications among them. However, some issues affecting adults who grew up in care apply across the life course. One such issue is the access that former care adults have to their child care files. Indeed, as we shall see, this issue has particular importance for many older adults (in their 30s and upwards). Policy and practice in this field has changed significantly during the past 20¿years and there is a growing awareness of the needs of former care adults in this area. Access to such files can be a significant element in the process of seeking to address identity concerns centring around family and childhood experiences. This paper explores some of these identity concerns and analyses how access to care files both reflects such concerns and attempts to address them.

Project Head Start, a federal child development program for low-income families,serves both the mother and her children. Previous studies have emphasized Head Start's influence on the child in terms of cognitive gains, social development, and social-emotional development. A continuing problem to understanding the extent of Head Start impact on families is the absence of reliable information about Head Start's influence on the mother and how that influence transfers to the family as they work toward self-sufficiency. This study investigated two issues: (1) the experiences, perceptions, and levels of involvement of mothers who participate in Head Start social services, and (2) how these mothers describe their benefits and relate these benefits to family experiences such as increased problem-solving, coping, and parenting skills. A multiple case study methodology was selected because of its flexibility to allow the researcher to follow new leads that emerged. Participants met three criteria: (1) enrollment in a Head Start social services program for at least six months, (2) willingness to sign an informed consent form and participate in three 90-minute interviews, and (3) having at least one child currently enrolled in Head Start. A participant pool of 17 African American mothers was constituted from parents enrolled in one of three Head Start programs in the Washington, D.C. area, and a sample of eight mothers was then selected for in-depth study. Each mother was interviewed three times, and data were drawn from these interviews. The findings of this study suggest that participation in Head Start social services may have important benefits for mothers and their children. Mothers had developed increased coping and problem-solving skills as well as increased leadership and organizational skills. The findings also suggest that participation in parent group meetings had an empowering influence that prompted several mothers to become involved in certain community activities and in their children's education. / Ph. D.

In the present neoliberal era, low-income Black single mothers receiving public assistance must grapple with heightened state surveillance, the devaluation of their mothering, trying to raise Black children in a racist society, and navigating the neoliberal economic system. This dissertation examines how, in light of all this, such women perceive themselves as mothers and what they identify as the greatest influences on their ability to carry out their mothering activities. It specifically investigates how they perceive their race as influencing their motherhood and how they perceive employment in relation to motherhood. Based on in-depth interviews with 21 low-income single Black mothers in Virginia, findings illustrate that the mothers in this study recognize and resist controlling images of low-income Black single motherhood, such as the "welfare queen" and the "baby mama," and that a key aspect of their mothering activities is socializing their children around race and class. Findings also demonstrate that motherhood is a central identity for the women in this study and that they prioritize their motherhood identities over their work identities. In addition, in a departure from previous research on Black motherhood/mothering, findings show that the women in this study do not mother within dense networks of kin and community support. / Doctor of Philosophy / Low-income Black single mothers receiving public assistance must grapple with heightened state surveillance, the devaluation of their mothering, trying to raise Black children in a racist society, and declining social welfare support. This dissertation examines how, in light of all this, such women perceive themselves as mothers and what they identify as the greatest influences on their ability to carry out their mothering activities. It specifically investigates how they perceive their race as influencing their motherhood and how they perceive employment in relation to motherhood. Based on in depth interviews with 21 low-income Black single mothers in Virginia, findings illustrate that the mothers in this study recognize and resist stereotypes of low-income Black single motherhood, such as the “welfare queen” and the “baby mama,” and that a key aspect of their mothering activities is socializing their children around race and class. Findings also demonstrate that motherhood is a central identity for the women in this study and that they prioritize their motherhood identities over their work identities. In addition, in a departure from previous research on Black motherhood/mothering, findings show that the women in this study do not mother within dense networks of kin and community support.

Social workers are on a daily basis faced with difficult decisions in assessing risk of harm to children. The process requires appropriate competencies, and relevant and validated methods to ensure legal compliance. Risk assessments, knowledge of risk and protective factors, and the interplay between these factors, have been the focus in the development of procedures within social child and youth care since the implementation of Barns Behov i Centrum (BBIC) in 2006. Ahead of the revision of BBIC 2015, the evidence base was strengthened further, and the risk- need- and responsivity principles were introduced to support analysis and assessment processes.Taking a bio-ecological perspective, the purpose of this study has been to examine types of risk and protective factors identified in investigations of girls and boys aged 13-17 years, and how these are weighed in the social secretary's analysis and assessment of the child's needs according to the risk- need- and responsivity principles.The study is based on a thematic analysis of 30 decision-making documents according to BBIC, and the findings of the analysis are further illustrated with descriptive statistics.The findings highlight that analyses and assessments lack a holistic perspective of the development of children vis-à-vis parental abilities and other factors in the family and environment, and that a predominant proportion of identified risk- and protective factors are attributed to the youth in question. The findings also show that the risk- need- and responsivity principles are not drawn upon in analyses and assessments as intended.Conclusions: • Investigations of the youths’ needs have been conducted with a narrow focus on the child's development in the BBIC triangle, which means that the assessment ofneeds is constructed on the basis that the youths’ primarily are responsible for their own situation. • In the absence of a thorough implementation of the revised BBIC, a separate praxis with regard to the principles of risk- needs- and responsivity seems to have emerged, which in turn may hinder legal compliance in the assessment of childrens’ needs.

Barn som inte längre kan bo kvar hemma hos vårdnadshavare enligt socialtjänstens utredning kan i vissa fall behöva placeras i familjehem.  Denna uppsats centreras runt fem semistrukturerade intervjuer. Uppsatsen behandlar ämnet familjehem med fokus på fem familjers egen syn på sina upplevelser av och utmaningar med rollen som familjehem. Uppsatsen undersöker familjehemmens upplevelser och utmaningar kring att vara familjehem. Den visar att vardagen inte påverkas mycket mer än det självklara att vara en mer i familjen och involvera socialtjänsten. Det framkommer att familjehemmen finner motivation i positiv feedback från professionella och ser bekräftelse som en drivkraft för att fortsätta sitt uppdrag. Trots att det i dagliga ansvaret och kraven på kontinuerlig kommunikation med socialtjänsten utgör betydande utmaningar. För att skapa en djupare förståelse av individens erfarenheter, förståelser och interaktioner inom ramen för familjehemsuppdraget tolkas materialet utifrån ett teoretiskt ramverk bestående av symbolisk interaktionism och KASAM (känsla av sammanhang) och en narrativ analysmetod. Samtliga som deltog i studien var överens om att de alltid vetat att de någon gång i livet ville bli familjehem. Något oväntat var det heller inte någon av de medverkande familjerna som ansåg att det är speciellt jobbigt att samarbeta med socialtjänst eller det biologiska nätverket även om det vid tillfällen stöter på hinder. Trots de utmaningar som uppstår är det tydligt fokus på att prioritera barnets bästa och främja sin hälsa och trygghet. I en värld där barnets bästa alltid skall prioriteras, där familjehemmens erfarenhet värderas, visar denna studie på deras viktiga och breda roll men även på deras utmaningar. Trots hinder och emellanåt brist på förståelse visar familjehemmen en enastående hängivenhet till att skapa trygghet och omsorg för de barn som kanske behöver det mest.  Nyckelord: familjehem, familjehemsföräldrar, familjehemsplacerade barn, socialtjänsten Keywords: familyhome. familyhomeparents, children placed in familyhomes, social services

LVU-kampanjen har blivit ett samhällsfenomen som engagerar många föräldrar och Sveriges socialtjänst. Kampanjen har spridits på sociala medier och påverkat människor både nationellt och internationellt. Kampanjen har resulterat i ryktesspridningar som uttrycker att socialsekreterare kidnappar muslimska barn utan lagstöd. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka föräldrars upplevelse av LVU-kampanjen, orsakerna till att deras barn blev tvångsomhändertagna samt socialtjänstens arbete. Vidare kommer vi att undersöka socialsekreterares upplevelse av LVU-kampanjen och om den påverkat deras dagliga arbete. Vi har valt att genomföra en kvalitativ studie där vi intervjuat nio respondenter, fyra socialsekreterare och fem föräldrar. Socialsekreterarna berättar om deras upplevelser angående kampanjen och hur den påverkat deras arbete. Socialsekreterarna uppger att de behöver informera klienter på ett tydligare sätt och att klienter har en ökad oro i och med kampanjen. Föräldrarna i studien anser att kampanjen belyser orättvisor när det kommer till LVU-lagstiftningen och att enskilda socialsekreterare arbetar rättsosäkert. De socialsekreterare och föräldrar som medverkar i studien anser att det finns en brist i kommunikationen och att förtroendet för socialtjänsten har minskat. / The LVU campaign has become a social phenomenon that engages many parents and Sweden's social services. The campaign has spread on social media and influenced people both nationally and internationally. The campaign has resulted in rumors spreading that social workers are kidnapping Muslim children without legal support. The purpose of this study is to investigate parents' perceptions of the LVU campaign, the reasons why their children were taken into care and the work of social services. Furthermore, we will examine social workers' perceptions of the LVU campaign and whether it has affected their daily work. We have chosen to conduct a qualitative study where we interviewed nine respondents, four social workers and five parents. The social workers talk about their experiences regarding the campaign and how it affected their work. They state that they need to inform clients in a clearer way and that clients have an increased concern with the campaign. The parents in the study believe that the campaign highlights injustices when it comes to the LVU legislation and that individual social workers do not work in a legally secured way. The social workers and parents who participate in the study believe that there is a lack of communication and that trust in social services has decreased.

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which human resources capacity of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), Namibia, influences health care services delivery to the Namibian population. A qualitative research model using exploratory and descriptive study designs was adopted. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 46 health workers from two referral hospitals and two directorates in Windhoek District. The study found that there is severe staff shortage in the MoHSS, which has resulted in high workload and poor health care. Health worker migration, new services and programmes, emerging diseases, and population growth were reported to have contributed to staff shortage and high workload in the MoHSS. Study findings suggested a need to create more posts to accommodate emerging needs, and to introduce an effective retention strategy to attract and retain health professionals with scarce skills, and those working under difficult conditions. / Public Administration & Management / M. Tech. (Public Management)

This thesis deals with personnel training in the helping professions. The main objective of this thesis is to report on the current state and trends of the future orientation of personnel education in the helping professions. The theoretical part deals with the definition of the components involved in the process of personnel training in the helping professions, possible attitudes of organizations to education of their employees, supervision, as a form of further education, legislation related to the topic of workers' education in the helping professions and implemented projects supporting the education of these workers. The empirical part is devoted to the analysis of documents, which tries to determine whether there have been changes in personnel training in the helping professions in the monitored period in Hradec Králové Region in connection with the implementation of quality standards of social services and the amendment of the Act on Social Services. The empirical part also includes a quantitative analysis. It is a research probe using the method of scaling questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed to participants of training courses. The questionnaire evaluates the connection between educational needs, the topic of the courses and the way of implementation of training courses....

Resume The disertation is conceived as a case study focused on the influence of introducing the quality standards of social services in a daily centre for people with mental and combined disability. It deals with the theoretical outline of the issues, particularly The Law of Social Services n. 108/2006 in the current version of later phrasing and amendment, and the quality standards of social services in relation to mentally disabled people. It also concerns with the formation of the Diakonie of the Czech Protestant Church, the Ratolest Centre in Prague and the evaluation of practical results of the introducing of the quality standards of social services in daily work of the concerned centre from the point of its staff and ordinary practice. The work on the standards in Ratolest Centre can be devided in three main stages. The first stage concerns the years 2004-2007, when the standards were intensely but not continually worked on. The work was primarily organized by one member of the staff and the management of the Centre. In this phase it meant mainly changes of practical dealing and communication with the clients. The methodology was worked out according to the momentary need, in methodological issues was no uniting character and respecting the standards was dispersed in different documents. On this stage...

The thesis named "The Institution Is My Home" aims to describe the right of people with learning disabilities choose their form home and closer forms of implementation of this right, explore the context of the emergence and selection process constitution home. An authoress theoretically specifies the right choice home sites in the plane of Human Rights and in the context of the status of a person with intellectual disabilities in society as a citizen with all human rights and duties. The text reflects in particular Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities setting the right of people to live in the community, with a choice place your home on an equal basis with others. Implementation of this law in the Czech Republic affects the continuing provision of a dual model of residential social services - community and institutional. The authoress also discusses the conflict between the decision of a person to live in an institution and a sense of social services, which must not hinder social inclusion and deepen social situation. Qualitative research presents a connection creation and the process of choosing the constitution as the home of four persons a place chosen by their home institution.