ABSTRACT This is a comprehensive study of youth in the foster care system. It examines perceptual experiences of the youth before, during, and after transitioning to independent living. Additionally, it delineates their exposure to employment, education, mentors, and counseling programs. Furthermore, it renders social work practitioners with insight on the tensions and challenges transitioning youth face before and after conversion, as well as available programs to assist the youth throughout the transitioning phase – specifically, programs that: Pursue educational and vocational opportunities; Build supportive relationships and connections; Assist with finding and maintaining employment; Teach money management skills; Assist with securing housing; Help maintain health and wellness; and, Develop additional life skills. This study highlights the future of transitioning youth and the types of assistance needed to help them age‑out of foster care gracefully and live productive lives. The factors herein are not only critical, but meticulously evaluated and considered top priority during the collection of data for purposes of this research.

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AIMS Managed care is a market model of health care distribution, aspects of which are being incorporated into the Australian health care environment. Justifications for adopting managed care lie in purported claims to higher levels of efficiency and greater ‘consumer’ choice. The purpose of this research, then, is to determine the ethical implications of adapting this particular administrative model to Australia’s health care system. In general, it is intended to provide ethical guidance for health care administrators and policy-makers, health care practitioners, patients and the wider community. SCOPE Managed care emerges as a product of the contemporary, neo-liberal market with which it is inextricably linked. In order to understand the nature of this concept, then, this research necessarily includes a limited account of the nature of the market in which managed care is situated and disseminated. While a more detailed examination of the neo-liberal market is worthy of a thesis in itself, this project attends, less ambitiously, to two general concerns. Firstly, against a background of various histories of health care distribution, it assesses the market’s propensity for upholding the moral requirements of health care distributive decision-making. This aspect of the analysis is informed by a framework for health care morality the construction of which accompanies an inquiry into the moral nature of health care, including a deliberation about rights-claims to health care and the proper means of its distribution. Secondly, by way of offering a precautionary tale, it examines the organisational structures and regulations by which its expansionary ambitions are promoted and realised. CONCLUSIONS As a market solution to the problem of administering health care resources, the pursuit of cost-control, if not actual profit, becomes the primary objective of health care activity under managed care. Hence, the moral purposes of health care provision, as pursued within the therapeutic relationship and expressed through the social provision of health care, are displaced by the economic purposes of the ‘free’ market. Accordingly, the integrity of both health care practitioners and communities is corrupted. At the same time, it is demonstrated that the claims of managed care proponents to higher levels of efficiency are largely unfounded; indeed, under managed care, health care costs have continued to rise. At the same time, levels of access to health care have deteriorated. These adverse outcomes of managed care are borne, most particularly, by poorer members of communities. Further, contrary to the claims of its proponents, choice as to the availability and kinds of health care services is diminished. Moreover, the competitive market in which managed care is situated has given rise to a plethora of bankruptcies, mergers and alliances in the United States where the market is now characterised by oligopoly and monopoly providers. In this way, a viable market in health care is largely disproved. Nonetheless, when protected within a non-market context and subject to the requirements of justice, a limited number of managed care techniques can assist Australia’s efforts to conserve the resources of health care. However, any more robust adoption of this concept would be ethically indefensible.

Thesis (MA)-- Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Family caregivers play a large role in the lives of traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors. This study explored the experiences of family members who care for TBI survivors in the Western Cape. Emphasis was placed on the challenges and resources that were associated with the caregiving role. A qualitative exploratory research design was implemented, whereby thematic analysis was utilised to examine the semi-structured interviews that were conducted with 12 female family caregivers of TBI survivors. Several challenges emerged, namely trauma, consequences of a TBI, responsibilities, lack of support, unawareness, financial burden, emotional challenges and coping. Several resources were also identified, namely the road to recovery, social support, financial resource and coping. These findings suggest that although caregivers who care for a family member who sustained a TBI face several challenges through the caregiving task, these individuals have a number of resources that help them to cope. Interventions that focus on psycho-education have been identified as an important need amongst the participants of this study. In addition, the need for support groups were highlighted as an important way in which many of the challenges that these caregivers experience could be addressed. Caregivers also expressed a need for more active involvement of health care professionals with regard to the provision of guidance, empathy and information. It seems as if the caregivers view the relationship between themselves and the health care professionals involved in the treatment of their family member who sustained a TBI as very important. It was however evident from the findings of this study that the caregivers are generally not satisfied with the quality of the interaction between the health care professionals and themselves. This study’s findings serve as a basis for future research studies on the experiences of family caregivers of TBI survivors in the Western Cape. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Gesinsversorgers speel ’n groot rol in die lewens van oorlewendes van traumatiese breinbeserings (TBB). Hierdie studie het die ervaringe van gesinsversorgers van TBB-oorlewendes in die Wes-Kaap verken. Die fokus is op die uitdagings en hulpbronne wat geassosieer word met die versorgingsrol. ’n Kwalitatiewe ontwerp is geïmplementeer, waarby tematiese analise gebruik is om die semigestruktureerde onderhoude van 12 vroulike gesinsversorgers van TBB-oorlewendes te bestudeer. Verskeie uitdagings het na vore gekom, naamlik trauma, gevolge van TBB, verantwoordelikhede, gebrek aan ondersteuning, onbewustheid, finansiële las, emosionele uitdagings en hantering. Die hulpbronne wat geïdentifiseer is, het die pad na herstel, sosiale ondersteuning, finansiële hulpbron en hantering ingesluit. Intervensies wat fokus op psigo-opvoeding is geïndentifiseer as ’n belangrike behoefte onder die deelnemers aan die studie. Hierbenewens is ook ’n behoefte aan ondersteuningsgroepe uitgelig as ’n belangrike wyse om die vele uitdagings wat hierdie versorgers ervaar aan te pak. Die versorgers het ook ’n behoefte ervaar aan meer aktiewe betrokkenheid van gesondheidskundiges ten opsigte van die voorsiening van leiding, empatie en inligting. Dit blyk dat versorgers die verhouding tussen hulself en die gesondheidskundiges betrokke by hul gesinslid met die TBB as belangrik beskou. Desnietemin blyk dit duidelik uit die bevindinge van hierdie studie dat versorgers oor die algemeen nie tevrede is met die kwaliteit van die interaksie tussen die gesondheidskundiges en hulself nie. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie dien as basis vir toekomstige navorsing oor die ervaringe van gesinsversorgers van TBB-oorlewendes in the Wes-Kaap.

A large number of children find themselves in foster care situations in South Africa with placements that have to be monitored by social workers. This is a demanding task, given the nature of foster placements and the high caseloads of social workers responsible for monitoring of foster placements. Although a wealth of information on resource management is to be found in the prevailing literature, no comparative volume of information is to be found on foster care resources in child welfare in particular. A model for resource management in this field must still be developed. In view of this and considering the role occupied by the researcher in the Kerklike Maatskaplike Diens: Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa, it was decided to embark on a research project investigating the use of resources in the field of child welfare, specifically with foster care social workers. The aim of the study is to assess whether adequate resources are available. The availability and utilisation of resources in the field of child welfare is under-researched and a resource management system for this purpose should still be developed. The research results indicated that social workers monitoring foster care placements have high caseloads and that resources, even though they are utilised to a certain extent, are not always accessible or effective. The most important learning needs were related to organisational, community and professional resources that could be considered unrealistic, ineffective, inaccessible and not feasible in most circumstances. Further main challenges are a lack of resources and time, a lack of co-operation from the foster parents and the biological parents respectively and the shortage of foster care social workers in South Africa. / Thesis (MSW)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

A large number of children find themselves in foster care situations in South Africa with placements that have to be monitored by social workers. This is a demanding task, given the nature of foster placements and the high caseloads of social workers responsible for monitoring of foster placements. Although a wealth of information on resource management is to be found in the prevailing literature, no comparative volume of information is to be found on foster care resources in child welfare in particular. A model for resource management in this field must still be developed. In view of this and considering the role occupied by the researcher in the Kerklike Maatskaplike Diens: Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa, it was decided to embark on a research project investigating the use of resources in the field of child welfare, specifically with foster care social workers. The aim of the study is to assess whether adequate resources are available. The availability and utilisation of resources in the field of child welfare is under-researched and a resource management system for this purpose should still be developed. The research results indicated that social workers monitoring foster care placements have high caseloads and that resources, even though they are utilised to a certain extent, are not always accessible or effective. The most important learning needs were related to organisational, community and professional resources that could be considered unrealistic, ineffective, inaccessible and not feasible in most circumstances. Further main challenges are a lack of resources and time, a lack of co-operation from the foster parents and the biological parents respectively and the shortage of foster care social workers in South Africa. / Thesis (MSW)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2017-12-05T13:53:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Rodrigo Barbosa Sousa Orrego_.pdf: 1535012 bytes, checksum: b6e744cff7702628ea69ae095d198122 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-12-05T13:53:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rodrigo Barbosa Sousa Orrego_.pdf: 1535012 bytes, checksum: b6e744cff7702628ea69ae095d198122 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-07-31 / Nenhuma / O surgimento de cidades que utilizam conceitos de tecnologia de ponta em várias áreas tem sido possibilitado graças aos progressos no desenvolvimento de sistemas de tecnologia da informação e comunicação. Avanços nas tecnologias de comunicação wireless e da tecnológica da informação e comunicação em geral oferecem oportunidades para a criação de um modelo de crowdsourcing, para registrar e atualizar recursos de uma cidade, baseado em gamificação para cidades inteligentes, objetivando ampliar a independência das pessoas que necessitam dos recursos das cidades e melhorar a qualidade de vida dos cidadãos. Esta dissertação aborda o problema do gerenciamento de recursos para cidades inteligentes utilizando crowdsourcing combinada com gamificação. Foi proposto um modelo, chamado CORE-MM, que permite a utilização de técnicas de crowdsourcing para que o gerenciamento de recursos das cidades seja feito pelos próprios cidadãos interessados, sem depender obrigatoriamente de uma organização ou da administração pública, e técnicas de gamificação para que este comportamento de participação neste processo de gerenciamento de recursos seja incentivado. O CORE-MM propõe o uso de crowdsourcing integrado com gamificação, para gerenciar recursos de uma cidade inteligente, com dois objetivos interdependentes: o de motivar a utilização do sistema pelos usuários, e também o de incentivar sua participação no compartilhamento e gerenciamento de informações. O nome CORE-MM significa COllaborative REsource Management Model, que em português significa Modelo de Gerenciamento Colaborativo de Recursos. / The emergence of cities that use state-of-the-art technology concepts in various areas has been made possible by advances in the development of information and communication technology systems. Advances in wireless communication technologies and information and communication technologies in general offer opportunities for creating a crowdsourcing model, based on gamification for smart cities, to manage cities resources, aiming to broaden the independence of the people that need the cities resources and improve the quality of life of citizens. This study addresses the problem of resource management for smart cities using crowdsourcing combined with gamification. A model called CORE-MM has been proposed by this study, which allows the use of crowdsourcing techniques so that the management of cities resources is done by the citizens themselves, without necessarily having to rely on an organization or public administration, and techniques of gamification to encourage this behavior of participation in this resource management process. CORE-MM proposes the use of crowdsourcing integrated with gamification to manage the resources of an intelligent city, with two interdependent objectives: to motivate the use of the system by the users, and also to encourage their participation in the sharing and management of information. The name CORE-MM stands for COllaborative REsource Management Model.