Many child and youth care organisations in South Africa struggle to implement adequate supervision structures for their child and youth care workers. If supervisors in this field had adequate knowledge and skills, they could enable child and youth care workers to grow and develop competently and provide more professional services to troubled young people in South Africa, This qualitative research sought to identify what knowledge and skills supervisors need in child and youth care settings in South Africa to provide effective supervision to workers. This research confirmed that there are specific skills and knowledge required by supervisors in child and youth care settings in South Africa and while there is an awareness of these in some settings, they are not being fully utilised in organised supervision structures. / Social Work / M.Tech. (Child and Youth Care)

Text in Afrikaans / The researcher is qualified as a pre-school teacher and experiences that pre-schoolers behave negatively at times. The researcher was exposed to playtherapy techniques in post-graduate studies . These techniques could be used by pre-school teachers to handle negative behavior. The question arises if pre-school teachers are already applying these techniques . This question is researched in this study by using research questionnaires . The study was done in and Tshwane. The dissertation consists of five chapters. In the first chapter the research proposal is discussed. The second chapter covers terms like play and playtherapy with reference to the pre-schooler . Chapter three looks at the pre-schooler, pre-school education and negative behavior. In chapter four the results of the research are presented and discussed. In the last chapter, chapter five, conclusions, recommendations, a general conclusion and a closing remark are made. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Play Theraphy)

South African child and youth care programmes have been challenged to transform to address the needs of vulnerable and/or orphaned young people affected and/or infected by HIV/AIDS. The Isibindi programme was designed by the National Association of Child Care Workers to respond to this challenge to provide viable community child and youth care programmes. Supervision of staff plays a critical part in child and youth care programmes. This study explores the model of supervision being implemented in the Isibindi programme, identifies the elements of this model and stipulates which of these need to be strengthened for effective and efficient services. The research findings indicate that the Isibindi model of supervision reflects the practice of child and youth care services being delivered in the programme. Common child and youth care elements were identified as being essential to the efficient delivery of this model of supervision. / Health Studies / (M. Tech. (Child and Youth Care))

Text in Afrikaans / Die huisouermodel word tans internasionaal in kinderhuise gevolg. ’n Huisouer of huisouerpaar tree as surrogaatouer(s) op en woon saam met die kinders in ’n huis in ’n gewone woonbuurt, weg van die hoofkampus van die kinderhuis. Direkte waarneming van die daaglikse funksionering van huisouers binne die huisouermodel het die navorser bewus gemaak van die kompleksiteit van die huisouer(s) se take. Die doel van hierdie navorsing was gevolglik om ’n verkennende studie te onderneem, ten einde te bepaal watter bydrae kernrolspelers kan lewer om huisouers binne die huisouermodel van ’n kinderhuis in die uitvoering van hulle take te ondersteun. Om hierdie doel te bereik is ’n kwalitatiewe navorsingstudie uitgevoer waartydens semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude met huisouers en kernrolspelers van drie satelliethuise van ’n kinderhuis, as data-insamelingsmetode benut is. Die kwalitatiewe data is geanaliseer en die bydrae wat kernrolspelers kan lewer om huisouers in die uitvoering van hulle take te ondersteun, is beskryf. / Internationally, children’s homes follow the houseparent model. A houseparent or houseparent couple act as surrogate parent(s) and live with children in a home, away from the main campus of the children’s home. Direct observation of the functioning of houseparents within the houseparent model brought awareness with regards to the complexity of houseparents’ tasks. The goal of this research was to conduct an exploratory study to determine what contribution key role players can make to support houseparents within the houseparent model with the fulfilment of their tasks. To achieve this goal, data was gathered through the application of a qualitative research study, utilising semi-structured interviews that were conducted with houseparents and key role players within three satellite homes. The qualitative data was analysed and the contribution that key role players can make to support houseparents in the fulfilment of their duties was described. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie-rigting)

The aim of this study was to receive a rapt understanding of how child-welfare officer’s reasons about the meaning of attachment theory, from the child´s best, in placements of a child. The aim was also to examine the possibilities child-welfare officer´s feel they have to work with the child´s best and attachment in focus. The study has a qualitative approach and the empirical material is collected thru semi-structured interviews. The theoretical framework used is attachment theory, the child´s best and street-level bureaucracy. The result of the study shows that child-welfare officers have equivalent knowledge, experiences and thoughts about the meaning of attachment theory for a favorable development in foster children. The study concludes is that more knowledge about attachment theory is necessary and child-welfare officers demands methods to better assess attachment patterns in children. The child-welfare officers express frustration when they talk about matters in the "grey area" and situations where different perspectives clashes and the child´s best end up in the background. / Studiens syfte var att erhålla en fördjupad förståelse för hur socialsekreterare i den sociala barnavården resonerar om anknytningens betydelse, utifrån barnets bästa, vid familjehemsplacering av ett barn. Syftet var också att ta reda på vilka möjligheter socialsekreterare upplever sig ha att arbeta med barnets bästa och anknytning i fokus. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och materialet är insamlat genom semistrukturerade intervjuer. Den teoretiska tolkningsram som används är anknytningsteori, barnets bästa samt gräsrotsbyråkrati. Studiens resultat visar att socialsekreterare har likvärdiga kunskaper, erfarenheter och tankar om anknytningens betydelse för en gynnsam utveckling hos familjehemsplacerade barn. Studiens slutsats är att mer kunskap om anknytningsteori är nödvändig och socialsekreterare efterfrågar metoder för att bättre kunna bedöma anknytningsmönster hos barn. Socialsekreterarna ger uttryck för frustration när de berättar om så kallade gråzonsärenden och situationer där olika perspektiv är i konflikt och barnets bästa hamnar i skymundan.

Thesis (MEd)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Preshool children from historically disadvantaged communities are often not stimulated or supported in their early childhood development. Therefore these children are often not school ready for formal education. In previous studies it is reported that the mother has an important role to play in the preschool development of her child. In a community where parents are struggling to survive, the question is if those parents are in a position to support their children. The purpose of this study is to ascertain how the preschool child perceives his social support systems. In a qualitative research design five year old children from a disadvantaged community on the West Coast took part in the study. Out of the study it appears that the preschool child visualizes one of their parents and in some cases a grandparent as their most important support system. The facts however are that the parents in this community due to a shortage of time, education and knowledge of how to stimulate their children, do not playa supporting role in their early childhood development. To support preschool children in this situation the parents as well as any other people involved should be made aware of their responsibilities in this regard. They should be equipped with the knowledge and competencies to enable them to support their preschool children. It is important that intervention strategies are directed not only at the parents but to all in whom the preschool children place their trust / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Kleuters uit histories benadeelde gemeenskappe word dikwels nie genoeg in hul vroeë kinderontwikkeling gestimuleer en ondersteun nie. Dit het tot gevolg dat hierdie kinders nie gereed is vir die formele onderrigsituasie wanneer hulle moet skool toe gaan nie. Uit die literatuur het geblyk dat die ouer, veral die moeder 'n groot verantwoordelikheid het ten opsigte van haar kind se voorskoolse ontwikkeling. In 'n gemeenskap waar ouers in 'n stryd om oorlewing gewikkel is, ontstaan die vraag egter of die ouers in staat is om 'n ondersteuningsrol te vervul. Die doel van hierdie ondersoek is om vas te stel hoe die kleuter sy sosiale ondersteuningsisteme ervaar. In 'n kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp het vyfjarige kleuters uit 'n histories benadeelde gemeenskap aan die Weskus aan die ondersoek deelgeneem. Uit die ondersoek het geblyk dat die kleuters een van hulouers of in enkele gevalle 'n ouma as hul vernaamste ondersteuningsisteem visualiseer. Die feit is egter dat die ouers uit hierdie gemeenskap weens 'n tekort aan tyd, opvoeding en die kennis om hul kleuters te stimuleer nie werklik 'n ondersteuningsrol speel in hul kleuters se vroeë kinderontwikkeling nie. Om kleuters in hierdie situasie te ondersteun moet hulouers, maar ook enige ander persone wat betrokke is by die kleuter se ontwikkeling, bewus gemaak word van hul verantwoordelikheid en ook toegerus word met die kennis en vaardighede om dit te kan doen. Dit is belangrik dat intervensiestrategieë nie net op die ouer sal fokus nie, maar op alle ander persone in wie die kleuter vertroue het.

This research was concerned with the possible effects that religion, especially conservative Protestantism, has upon the performance of fatherhood. The influence of religion was assessed using the religious beliefs reported by fathers. The performance of fatherhood focused on the amount of time fathers spent meeting the physical needs of their young children. This research hypothesized that conservative Protestant fathers would spend more time meeting their children's physical needs than other Protestant fathers. Also hypothesized was that the level of conservative Protestant beliefs held by fathers is positively related to the proportion of time they spent meeting the physical needs of their children out of the total time spent by fathers and mothers combined. Finally, it was hypothesized that the level of conservative Protestant beliefs held by fathers was positively related to their membership in conservative religious denominations. In order to test whether conservative Protestantism has an effect upon the amount of time that fathers spend meeting the physical needs of their young children, this study will used data from the first wave of the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH), completed in 1988. Regression analysis was used to test the first two hypotheses and crosstabulation analysis was used to test the third hypothesis. The first two hypotheses were not supported. However, interaction was detected between the variables of race and conservative Protestantism. Specifically, Black conservative Protestant fathers consistently did more childcare than Black non-conservative Protestant fathers, and all other Protestant fathers, whether conservative or not. The third hypothesis was accepted because an index of conservative beliefs was established using denominational labels. Like other recent studies, there was a lack of consensus about which variables predict how much time fathers will spend with their children. This study also points out the need for further research concerned with conservative Protestants and the impact of their beliefs on families.

Interactions of children and adults in two child care groups were observed and examined. Each group was observed as a same-age multiple caregiver group and eight months later as a multi-age constant caregiver group. Twenty indicators were used to evaluate positive interactions. Analysis showed positive interactions occur in multi-age constant caregiver groups. Multi-age constant caregiver groups enhance the interest of caregivers in children and promote development and interaction of language between caregivers and peers. This study indicates a multi-age constant caregiver group is an alternative to meet the needs of young children by increasing and enhancing positive interactions with caregivers and peers.

The intent of this study was to assess low-income parents knowledge and beliefs regarding child development and appropriate classroom practice and to compare their responses with those obtained from a previous survey of upper-income parents (Grebe, 1998). This study group (N=21) consisted of parents or guardians with children in a federally subsidized child-care center. Results indicated a high level of knowledge regarding developmentally appropriate practice and child development. Overall, there were no significant differences in the knowledge between the two income-levels, however, responses to several questions revealed slight differences in beliefs.

Children and youth in state or statutory care (children-in-care) are at a higher risk of not having their health needs met than the general pediatric population. A literature review found a paucity of evidence on the health information needed for initial assessments of children-in-care in health record information systems in Canada, particularly when compared with information collected in the comparator countries the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. This qualitative research reviewed six forms currently used in British Columbia (BC) for assessing the health needs of children-in-care, and for planning future health care delivery for these children. The forms were reviewed with social workers, foster parents, and medical care providers to understand how the forms met their needs for health information for initial assessments when a child first enters care. One researcher conducted 31 interviews with 37 participants —a mixture of social workers, foster parents, and medical care providers allowed for source triangulation— in urban and rural communities using a 19-question, nonvalidated interview tool. NVivo-10 was used to inductively encode participant interviews relying on Pava’s 9-step, nonlinear sociotechnical systems approach to identify themes and concepts raised by the interviews. The researcher conducted an informal review of relevant Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) organization documents and method triangulated the results to the interview findings to identify similarities, differences, and gaps. Findings from these two analyses were compared with the literature review findings. The six forms were found to document most of the required information for typical children-in-care provided the forms were available to the care team and completed in full prior to the initial assessment. Additional forms were used for children-in-care with complex health needs. Key health information included parents’ relevant health and social information, prenatal and birth records, medical and social history of the child, immunization record, whether the child had experienced adverse childhood events, and anything that might remind the child of a stressful situation and cause the child an adverse mental or physical outcome. Complexity in acquiring the needed health information comes from a variety of circumstances. For example, the child may transition in and out of care, parents may be unavailable, and social workers, foster parents, and medical care providers may each change while the child is in care. To overcome information-sharing challenges and barriers, research participants recommended several improvements including funding changes to support medical care provider participation, an information-sharing framework, and electronic options such as a centralized child-in-care record with secure email capability. Introducing some practices from other jurisdictions, notably a senior medical advisor role and a medical assessment model, might help address process challenges when health information is missing during the initial medical assessment. These resources would help round out MCFD’s existing conceptual child-in-care health-care framework. Together these changes may support social workers, foster parents, and medical care providers to provide care to and plan for children-in-care. / Graduate / 0723 (Information Science), 0769 (Health Care Management), 0452 (Social Work) / cdthomps@uvic.ca