It behooves any legislator confronted with a society plagued by continuous and increasingly violent crimes, to promulgate legislation which strives to deter potential offenders by inter alia limiting the access they have to potential victims. It is in this vain that the South African legislator promulgated legislation which established a National Register for Sex Offenders whereby convicted (or in certain circumstances alleged) offenders' access to potential victims are limited by restricting the opportunities these offenders might have to commit another sexual offence. The aim of this dissertation is to closely examine this newly established National Register for Sex Offenders. This examination is performed within a constitutional framework from whence a comparative analysis of an analogous register in the United Kingdom is conducted. This dissertation seeks to pre-empt potential shortcomings of the National Register for Sex Offenders by providing recommendations based on findings from the aforementioned comparative study. This dissertation begins by setting out the scope and parameters of the National Register for Sex Offenders wherein it is also discussed whether or not this register acts as an extenuation of an offender's punishment and if so, whether or not it is justifiable. After this investigation, various possible infringements of the offender's constitutional rights are identified, discussed and justified. This dissertation, subsequently, studies an analogous register also recently established in the United Kingdom which helps to identify certain shortcomings in the National Register for Sex Offenders, whereafter certain recommendations are made. Most importantly, it is recommended that an independent authority should be established to regulate and administer the National Register for Sex Offenders. Furthermore, it is recommended that the National Register for Sex Offenders and the National Child Protection Register should be amalgamated into one register which will not only save taxpayers' money, but will also avoid any confusion. Another crucially important recommendation is that the scope of the National Register for Sex Offenders should be widened to include all vulnerable adults and not only those that are mentally disabled. / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Public Law / unrestricted

While interagency collaboration among Children’s Aid Societies and violence against women (VAW) agencies have been mandated by the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Service, little is known about these local collaboration agreements. This study seeks to explore how the Ottawa CAS/VAW Collaboration Agreement mediates the work of VAW agencies to protect women and children. Using a purposive sample, a total of eight VAW informants were interviewed. Smith (1999) argued that people’s everyday experiences are organized, often unknowingly, by the actions of people located outside the local setting and that this organization is textually-mediated. This study used institutional ethnography and the listening guide approach to critically examine the collaboration process. The results explore the narratives and standpoints as they relate to the informants’ understanding of the agreement and their descriptions of doing collaboration. This study also adopts the mapping technique developed by institutional ethnographers to map social relations. The findings indicate that informants differed in their familiarity and knowledge of the contents of the collaboration agreement – only two informants indicated that they have reviewed and read the document. The findings also show that although most informants were able to describe positive experiences of collaboration, most also described negative experiences. This study concludes that the collaboration agreement has made VAW workers’ work with women more focused and specific to helping women address Children Aid Society’s concerns. The findings demonstrate that the collaboration agreement requires an update and further research is required to evaluate these collaborations and whether they improve outcomes for women and their children.

Magister Legum - LLM / This study investigates the the impact of armed conflict on child education in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Naturally, armed conflict affects negatively on people‟s life. In particular, armed conflict affects the education of children as military groups attack schools, schools children and teachers. Ultimately, armed conflicts also affect the quality of education children receive during hostilities. In light of this, the study assesses how the Congolese government, in line with international and regional human rights obligations, responds to the educational needs of children affected by armed conflict.

The purpose of this work is to appraise the mandate of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, seek out the loopholes and loose ends and propose positive and proactive ways in ensuring the fulfilment of the mandate of the Committee for an effective child rights promotion and protection in Africa. / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Law University of Pretoria, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Law (LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa). Prepared under the supervision of Professor Tilahun Teshome, Faculty of Law, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

This thesis looks at the process of reunification for Indigenous children following a time in the care of the child welfare system. To understand what has been studied in the area of reunification of Indigenous children back to their families, a scoping review process is undertaken to gathering and mapping the available research. The initial search produced a total of 1823 abstracts. After applying an inclusion and exclusion reviewing process, the scoping review resulted in a total of 44 literature sources for this study. This study uses Cindy Blackstock’s Breath of Life Theory as the theoretical framework to understand and reimagine the process of reunification from the perspective of the child, the family, the worker, and substitute caregiver. The review found support for the idea that research and programs relating to reunification for Indigenous children needs to use Indigenous methods and ways of thinking. Five themes emerged from this review, the use of Indigenous ways of knowing, this theme is central throughout the literature and informs the other four themes: structural vs. individual assessment/intervention, trauma/reconciliation, connections/relationships, and Indigenous research. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

Yes / In accordance with the United Nations’ requirements for dealing with juvenile offenders, Ghana’s Children Act 1998 mandated local authorities to establish child panels to mediate minor offences committed by children. However, to date there has not been any research that has examined the functioning and effectiveness of the child panels. This research examined the operationalisation and effectiveness of child panels in Ghana. The study involved the use of semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with panel members of four local authorities. Findings showed that the child panels are not functioning effectively in Ghana. The relevance of the child panels has been questioned since it was found to be duplicating the roles of some other child welfare agencies. This article discusses the challenges impeding the effectiveness of the child panels and outlines recommendations to improve their effectiveness.

Child maltreatment is a major issue, and it is considered a priority by public health policies around the world. Among the causes of abuse, mechanisms of intergenerational child maltreatment (ITCM) have become of central importance in research. However, although many studies have focused on this theme, there is limited exploration of the first-hand experiences of parents who have survived maltreatment, particularly in regard to their strength and resilience. The aim of my research was to provide a critical contribution to the development of the theoretical framework of ITCM by exploring the perspectives of those who appear to have interrupted it. Moreover, I sought to include groups underrepresented in previous studies, such as fathers and parents with school-aged children. For this purpose, I involved care-experienced parents, namely individuals who because of maltreatment in the family have a background in foster or residential care. We can consider care-experienced parents as ones who have been highly exposed to ITCM, with those who succeed in parenting potentially able to break such cycles. My main reference was the family practice framework (Morgan, 2011a), and I adopted a participatory research approach. I investigated my informants’ everyday parenting experiences, thereby obtaining a new understanding of how such parents handle complex situations often framed by risk factors. This approach encouraged me to consider life contexts more extensively and to move beyond an individual-focused interpretation, recognizing the socio-cultural dimensions inherent in parenting experiences. My research contributes to the debate on how to break cycles of maltreatment by introducing novel concepts, such as that of the “zero family”, whose implications for both theoretical development and practical applications are discussed. This is an article-based dissertation, and I will introduce eight publications authored during my PhD. Specifically, my research is part of a wider project (“Constructions of parenting on insecure grounds. What role for social work?”) focused on parenting in insecure circumstances, and which has been funded by the Italian Ministry of Research and University.

No / As part of the multidisciplinary safeguarding team, children’s nurses should have a clear understanding of child protection processes and how they have sometimes lacked a systematic approach. Methods of detecting threats to patient safety in high-risk clinical care can also be employed to analyse child protection processes. This article outlines one tool, known as failure mode and effects analysis, which can be used in a framework that takes into account human factors that can influence an individual’s performance. It discusses how this tool can be used to identify and reduce the potential for failure in the serious case review process, in particular by not attributing blame.

1 ABSTRACT The aim of the thesis is to look on the impact of legislative framework on practice through the eyes of social workers in department of child protection. The point is approach the practice of this profession and impact of legislative to it, which can affect both the client and the worker. The theoretical part of the thesis presents legislative framework, which limits practice of department of social protection. There is summarize The Constitution of the Czech Republic, the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, social and legal protection of children's law and Administrative Procedure Code. Than in this chapter are processed gestation responsibilities related to child protection. The second chapter processed discourses in social work by Karen Healy (2005). The third chapter specifies legislative framework in selected parts of child protection. These are, for example, areas of guardianship ad litem, foster care, adoption, institutional care and curator for children and youth. The chapter is conclude by description of standards of quality for the department of child protection. In the fourth chapter is pointed out position of child protection in legal system of the Czech Republic. Thera are rights and obligations for employees, which...

本研究採用質性研究方法來探討高雄市、台中市的兒童保護服務網絡之合作現況，其中網絡成員的認定有別於過去跨專業角色，而是聚焦於服務家庭及兒少的公部門、家庭處遇單位、寄養單位與機構安置單位之間的合作關係，並以社會工作者及中階管理者作為此次研究的受訪對象。本研究的目的為：第一，了解「家庭重整服務」與「家外安置服務」之間的網絡合作情形；第二，探討現有的網絡合作情形所產生的優勢與挑戰；第三，藉由本研究結果之發現，期能對於「家庭重整服務」與「家外安置服務」之間現有的合作關係，提出具體的改善建議。本研究分別於高雄市、台中市抽取了十一個組織，共計十一個社工人員、十個中階管理者進行深度訪談，研究結果如下：一、高雄市與台中市的合作關係大多係基於「行政管理」與「個案需求」所產生，不同組織間的合作關係之正式化程度不一；二、影響網絡合作的原因可區分為「脈絡因素」、「過程因素」、「個別組織因素」與「服務對象因素」，在「脈絡因素」因素中包含了「環境因素」、「歷史文化因素」、「權力落差」以及「組織間的界線」。在「過程因素」中包含了「關係的維持」、「溝通順暢度」、「認知落差」、「所有權的挑戰」、「角色與責任的分工」、「團體領導者的適任度」、「網絡成員組成」和「合作架構與機制的清楚度」。「個別組織因素」則含括了「組織因素」、「員工因素」和「領導者因素」這幾個向度。在最後的「服務對象因素」中則包含了「特殊性」、「急迫性」與「重大改變」；三、受訪者在與不同組織間的合作感受有所差異，其中合作對象分別為公部門社工、家庭處遇單位社工、寄養社工與機構安置社工；四、受訪者對於目前的網絡領導者、合作關係與合作機制提出期待，在對網絡領導者部分，期待能「提升網絡合作的統籌能力」與「建立合作機制」。在合作關係的期待部分為「期待的一致性」、「提升資訊交換的完整性」與「合作對象單一化」。在合作機制的期待部分則是「重視網絡成員作為服務提供者的主體性」與「提升專業自主性，避免過度依賴」。 除了上述研究結果外，另根據研究資料，研究者提出以下六點討論意見：一、委外作為服務提供的選擇？二、不對等的合作關係；三、評估落差的議題；四、安置服務的規劃特性；五、永久性服務規劃的執行困境；六、返家的可能性愈來愈低？這六大項次的討論呈現雖非本研究的主要目的，然與現行兒童保護服務的網絡運作有密不可分的關係，值得注意。根據上述研究結果，研究者另分別對於實務面與政策面提出建議，期能做為未來實務工作及政策制定之參考。 / This research adopts qualitative research method to discuss the status quo of child protection network cooperation in Kaohsiung and Taichung city. In which, the network members' identification differentiates from cross-professional roles in the past; instead, it puts focus on cooperation relationship between public sectors serving family and children, family intervention service unit, foster family care unit and also institute care unit. Social workers as well as mid-level managers are main respondents in this research. The purpose of this research is showed as follow: First, to understand the cooperation between family reunification service and out-of-home care service. Second, to discuss the advantages and challenges caused by current network cooperation. Third, to be able to offer a concrete suggestion to improve the current cooperation relationship between family reunification service unit and out-of-home service unit. In-depth interviews are taken with eleven organizations including eleven social workers and ten mid-level managers in Kaohsiung and Taichung city in the research. The results show that: one, the cooperation in these row cities mostly bases on administrative management and case requirement. The degree of formalization among organizations is different; two, the factors that influence the cooperation can be divided into context, progress, the individual organize and service object. Mentioning the factor of context, it covers the factor of environment, factor of historic culture, factor of authority gap and factor of boundary existing among organizations. The factor progress includes maintenance in relationships, stability in communication, gap in awareness, challenge in possession, division in roles and responsibility, appropriateness of group leaders, combination of network members and last, clearness of cooperation structure as well as its mechanism. The factor of individual organize includes factor of organization, factor of employees and factor of leaders. The lastly mentioned factor of service object covers aspect of uniqueness, urgency and massive changes; three, respondents have various cooperation experience with different organizations, in which, the cooperators are social workers from public sector, family intervention service unit, foster family care unit and care institute; four, respondents express their expectation toward current network leaders, cooperation relationship and cooperation mechanism. Respondents also expect that their cooperation relationship could have consistency in expectation, integrity in information exchanging and simplification in service object. Their expectation toward cooperation mechanism put emphasis on how to value network members as main service provider and how to heighten professional autonomy for not being over dependent. Besides the research result mentioned above, the researcher has also pointed out six arguments based on the research data found. First of all: first, possibility that outsourcing becomes another option for service providing; second, imbalance cooperation relationship; third, issue of evaluation disparity; fourth, the characteristic of out-of-home care service; fifth, the impediment in conducting permanent service; sixth, lower and lower possibility for children to return home. These six arguments are not main purpose of this research; however, they are the other side of the coin meaning that they are inseparable with current functioning of child protection service network, which is noticeable. In accordance to the research results mentioned earlier, the researcher offers suggestions to actual practice, and to policy making, wishing to become future prototype.