Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / GREGORY RESEARCH BELIEFS SCALE: FACTOR STRUCTURE AND PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES The study at hand involves developing the Gregory Research Beliefs Scale (GRBS) to reliably and validly measure social work students’ beliefs about the function of research in social work practice. Research has considerable actual and potential benefits for practice. Social work students’ beliefs about this construct are vital. A description of the advantages of using research to inform practice is given. Additionally, the Council on Social Work Education and National Association of Social Workers’ policies that mandate the merger of research and practice are also provided to further justify the need for adequate psychometric evaluation of the construct. Details of the literature search strategy are described and critical evaluations of the empirical articles are conducted. Based on critical evaluations of instruments which have previously measured the same construct, a number of psychometric shortcomings are outlined to validate the need for further scale development of the construct. The present study’s objectives were to develop a scale which has an empirically and theoretically supported factor structure, acceptable coefficient alpha levels, empirically supported discriminant (divergent) validity, concurrent criterion validity, and known–groups criterion validity. Steps for developing the GRBS’s items, response format, sample, research design, and statistical tests are specified and conducted to determine the factor structure and psychometric properties. Finally, the strengths, limitations, and areas for future research are discussed.

Decisions made by social workers during the rendering of services play a crucial role in foster care. This study employed a qualitative approach to explore the factors that influence the decisions made by social workers when rendering foster care services, and to develop a matrix to guide decision-making. A collective case study design, informed by the explorative, descriptive and contextual designs, was used. The intuitive, analytic and mixed theories of decision-making served as the conceptual framework of the study. The populations of the study were social workers rendering foster care services in government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and their supervisors. One case file of each social worker sampled, was consulted as an additional data source. The sampling technique was purposively sampling with a set of criteria to enable data optimisation. Triangulation of data collection methods was utilised, namely, case file analysis and semi-structured interviews with social workers and supervisors. Case studies are context-based and the data collection occurred in the natural settings of the participants. Ethical clearance was obtained for the study and before the commencement of data collection participants were fully briefed about the study and informed consent was obtained. The data collection instruments, a guide of case file analysis and two interview guides, were piloted twice in both government and NGOs. The data collection was audio recorded and an independent transcriber was used to transcribe the data to control for researcher-influence on the manipulation of the data. Trustworthiness was addressed by ensuring credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability of the data collected. Both the top down or deductive data analysis approach, and the bottom up or inductive approach were adopted to analyse the data. Findings on the social workers’ decision-making processes, decisions made, factors influencing decision-making and the nature of decisions were explored and described in the assessment phase (including the intake, prevention and early intervention, as well as the investigation stages), the placement phase and the supervision phase of foster care services. These findings and the participants’ suggestions on what a decision-making matrix should address, were synthesised and the matrix to guide the decision-making of social workers rendering foster care services was developed. / Social Work / D. Phil (Social Work)

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka socialsekreterares och hälso- och sjukvårdskuratorers upplevelser av samverkan mellan rättspsykiatri och socialtjänst vid utslussning av rättspsykiatriska klienter, sett ur ett maktperspektiv. Studiens empiri grundar sig på åtta semi-strukturerade intervjuer, fyra med varje yrkesgrupp, som sedan analyserats med hjälp av en tematisk analys. Studiens slutsats visar på att samverkan mellan socialtjänst och rättspsykiatri påverkas av organisatoriska, ekonomiska och mellanmänskliga faktorer som är svåra att påverka. Studien bekräftar även tidigare samverkansforskning som visar på svårigheter i samverkan när aktörer har olika förutsättningar, uppdrag och mål. Slutsatserna i denna studie leder oss till att förstå intervjupersonernas upplevelser av samverkan mellan rättspsykiatri och socialtjänst. Dessa går att förstås genom: värdet av kompromisser, förståelsen för varandras villkor och behov, upplevelsen av bristande mandat, maktlöshet samt rollförvirring. / The aim of this study is to examine social workers and health care counsellors experiences of cooperation between forensic psychiatry and social services during discharge of forensic psychiatric clients, seen from a power perspective. The study's empiricism is based on eight semi-structured interviews, four with each professional group, which were analyzed using a thematic analysis. The study's conclusions show that collaboration between social services and forensic psychiatry is affected by organizational, financial and inter personal factors that are difficult to affect. The study confirms previous collaboration research that shows difficulties in collaboration when actors have different conditions, assignments and goals. The conclusions of this study lead us to understand that the interviewees experiences of collaboration between forensic psychiatry and social services can be understood through: the value of compromise, the understanding of each other's conditions and needs, the experience of a lack of mandate, powerlessness and role confusion.

The serious shortage of social workers (nationally) caused by their exodus from the profession at an alarming rate and the resultant classification of social work as a "scare skill" served as motivation for this research project into retention strategies to retain social workers for the profession. A qualitative research approach and an explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was employed to conduct semi-structured interviews with 15 purposely selected participants in the geographically defined boundaries of the Northern Free State and Gauteng. Tesch's (in Creswell, 1994) and Guba's models (in Krefting, 1991) aided the processes of data collection and verification, respectively. The research findings uncovered: general and specific reasons for the social workers' exodus, feelings and emotional reactions of social workers subsequent to the early exodus from the profession, and retention proposals to retain social workers. Based on the findings, recommendation directed to practice, education, policy and further research, were made. / Social Work / M.Diac. (Social Work)

In this study, guidelines were developed for used by social workers to provide emotional support to children in foster care. The child in foster care as well as the services rendered in respect of such a child have been discussed in a literature study. The principles of Gestalt therapy were also discussed as these were used as part of the empirical study and as basis for the guidelines for social workers. A qualitative research design was used to complete the empirical study and case studies were used. Children between six and twelve years who have been in foster care for less than two years and who needed emotional support were selected for the study by means of a purposeful test sample. The research results showed that children in foster care are in need of emotional support. To provide such emotional support to the child in foster care, guidelines have been developed for social workers which they can apply when providing services to the child. These guidelines also serve as the conclusions and recommendations of the study. / Social Work / (M. Diac. (Play Therapy))

In the introduction of the diploma thesis there is discussed the question which every social worker knows: Could I have done something different? This is the question which is asked by almost everyone, especially a social worker. Further there is a brief outline of topics which are delineated in the diploma thesis. First chapter describes the institution Children´s Center JK Strakonice. Father there is a list of necessary knowledge which a social work should have for his or her occupation. Also the liabilities of the social worker to the clients are not left out. In this part there can be found also work with specific types of clients. For better understanding of the demands of social work in Children ´s Center JK Strakonice the thesis contains selected life stories of the women clients. These life stories should help to the reader to see the problems from different point of view and help to understand how much is important so that the clients decides himself or herself to solve his or her problems. In the second chapter there are described psychological and ethical dimensions of the profession, burnt out syndrome which is threat for everyone of us, especially for a social worker. In this chapter there are depicted causes of formation and manifestations of burnt out syndrome. The third chapter is also connected with the burnt out syndrome. The focus in this chapter is on prevention and protection. The attention is also paid to the personality of a social worker, his or her abilities to perceive the problem, but also experiences in moral decision-making and hierarchical position of values. The compliance of the principles of psycho hygiene and presence of supervision plays a very significant role. In the conclusion of the diploma thesis there is the summary of performance of a social worker in Children´s Center JK Strakonice. Every social worker should realise his or her responsibility not only to his or her clients, employer and colleagues but especially to himself or herself and his or her conscience. The interdependence of profession and conscience merges with the diploma thesis.

This diploma thesis deals with the ethical issues that arise during work with Roma families. In the first chapters of the text, the work deals with the Roma, their culture, family, traditions, historical origin. The following text presents organizations that work with the Roma in the territory of the city České Budějovice, their value foundation, principles, requirements for social workers etc. These were the Sociálně aktivizační služby pro rodiny s dětmi Sasanka, Oddělení sociálně - právní ochrany dětí and Jihočeská rozvojová o.p.s. Ethical issues have resulted freely from a critical reflection of the three compared facilities working with Roma families. In the following text there are presented two ethical theories by which the selected ethical questions are further processed, deontology and ethics of care. In the last part of this work, ethical questions are further elaborated using both ethical theories.

In this study, guidelines were developed for used by social workers to provide emotional support to children in foster care. The child in foster care as well as the services rendered in respect of such a child have been discussed in a literature study. The principles of Gestalt therapy were also discussed as these were used as part of the empirical study and as basis for the guidelines for social workers. A qualitative research design was used to complete the empirical study and case studies were used. Children between six and twelve years who have been in foster care for less than two years and who needed emotional support were selected for the study by means of a purposeful test sample. The research results showed that children in foster care are in need of emotional support. To provide such emotional support to the child in foster care, guidelines have been developed for social workers which they can apply when providing services to the child. These guidelines also serve as the conclusions and recommendations of the study. / Social Work / (M. Diac. (Play Therapy))

Text in English / With the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), first recognised in 1981 as a new disease that subsequently took on pandemic proportions, home-based caregivers became instrumental to ensure that, notwithstanding the encumbered health care systems, people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) receive care, support and treatment within their households to live prolonged dignified lives. Despite their pivotal role in the field of HIV and AIDS care, there seems to be a dearth of literature, and research locally and internationally, from the ambit of Social Work on the topic of how HBCGs manage and cope with the work-related challenges they experience when caring for PLWHA and their need for Social Work support. Through this exploratory, descriptive, contextual and phenomenological qualitative study, I scrutinised the HBCGs’ experiences and associated challenges and the coping strategies they employ to address these challenges as well as their views on how social workers could support them in overcoming these challenges in the specific case on home-based care to PLWHA. Twenty-five HBCGs were identified and recruited through purposive and snowball sampling techniques from twelve home-based care organisations in South African provinces, namely, North West, Limpopo and Gauteng. Data was collected through individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews using an interview-guide. Data analysis was conducted through Tesch’s eight steps (in Creswell 2014:189) while Guba’s model (in Shenton, 2004) was adopted for data verification. Cast against Loretta Williams’ (2014) middle range theory of caregiving dynamics (Williams 2014), the coping theory of Lazarus and Folkman (1984) and the strength-based perspective (Saleebey, 2013) adopted as theoretical frameworks for this study, the following findings were revealed. The HBCGs were motivated by, among other factors, their mere desire to care for PLWHA; their personal experiences of caring for an ill relative; and future career aspirations to become involved in this care work. HBCGs were found to face various work-related challenges in connection with reactions from community members, the patients and their relatives; their unsafe working conditions; as well as from their colleagues, other role players and their own organisations. It was found that for most of the HBCGs their care work saddened, pained and discouraged them. In the midst of feeling sorry for their patients, they feared getting infected themselves, in addition to their work-related challenges that caused them to experience feelings of failure. The strategies adopted to cope with their work-related challenges included getting support from employers, receiving counselling and becoming involved in support groups. Finally, several suggestions were directed to the management structures of HBC organisations, the HBCGs themselves and social workers on how they could address the work-related challenges. Based on the research findings, some recommendations are forwarded concerning guidelines for Social Work support directed at work practice, policies and programmes; associated education and training endeavours; and continuous professional development initiatives, as well as avenues for further research. / Social Work / D. Phil. (Social Work)

The serious shortage of social workers (nationally) caused by their exodus from the profession at an alarming rate and the resultant classification of social work as a "scare skill" served as motivation for this research project into retention strategies to retain social workers for the profession. A qualitative research approach and an explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was employed to conduct semi-structured interviews with 15 purposely selected participants in the geographically defined boundaries of the Northern Free State and Gauteng. Tesch's (in Creswell, 1994) and Guba's models (in Krefting, 1991) aided the processes of data collection and verification, respectively. The research findings uncovered: general and specific reasons for the social workers' exodus, feelings and emotional reactions of social workers subsequent to the early exodus from the profession, and retention proposals to retain social workers. Based on the findings, recommendation directed to practice, education, policy and further research, were made. / Social Work / M.Diac. (Social Work)