Thesis (B.A. (Hons.)) - University of Queensland, 2004. / Includes bibliography.

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D.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Hope builds resiliency and, therefore, as a protective phenomenon has particular relevance to orphans and vulnerable young people who face adversity on a daily basis. The HIV/AIDS pandemic is adding more strain to the already overburdened safety nets of families and communities in South Africa, where the emergence of child-headed households and the rising numbers of vulnerable young people calls for a more comprehensive response to address their needs and to protect their rights. Many are traumatised - suffering abuse or trying to cope with poverty and the pressures of daily living. Hope is unlikely to emerge and be sustained in young people left to fend for themselves. The purpose of this inquiry is to explore the processes of constructing hope in the lived experiences of young people from child-headed households to invite others to join the spaces of conversation in building support for orphans and vulnerable young people - domains that support a discourse of hope. A social constructionist inquiry with a grounded theory research design involving four young people representing the child-headed household was conducted at a secondary school in Soweto in partnership with a non-governmental organisation. Guided by narrative and participatory practices, the data collection process extended over nine months with the participants using the metaphor of a journey. The journey provided an opportunity to work in healing ways as a researcher to thicken stories of hope in their lives, at the same time providing rich data for analysis. The narrative approach seeks to ‘re-author’ problemsaturated stories - stories which are filled with the challenges of orphanhood, abuse, abandonment, poverty and neglect. Methods used included individual and group conversations, expressive art exercises and photo voice to capture their hopeful stories. The co-constructed hopeful stories were then used as data for analysis using a constructionist approach to grounded theory. This in turn helped to develop a conceptual framework to understand the processes of nurturing hope in the lives of orphans and vulnerable young people - based on their own voices. By identifying what helps young people to nurture hope in their lives, support structures that provide opportunities for growth rather than merely helping them to cope, invite us to challenge more conventional understandings of support for vulnerable young people. The v story of our journey provides a broader understanding of the processes of nurturing hope in the context of vulnerable young people. Findings offer an alternative view of hope from generally accepted Western understandings that are essentially individualistic. A 4-D understanding of hope is presented which recognises the importance of hope as a practice and the role of possibilities in empowering young people to transcend adversity in seeking a better future. Recommendations advocate raising standards in the support of vulnerable young people from a preoccupation with ‘coping’ strategies to an awareness of ‘hoping’ schemata – a repositioning that seeks to protect young people; to strengthen them to cope with adversity; to support them to meet their needs and protect their rights; and to find opportunities to transcend their adversities and realise their future aspirations.

Thesis (D. Phil.(Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 247-285).

Thesis (M.Sc.(Consumer Science)) -- University of Pretoria, 2008. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on October 30, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.

This study investigated decision making factors used by child caregivers to identify suspected child abuse and neglect and collected data on caregiver training in the recognition and reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect. Data was collected in July 1999 in fourteen north Texas childcare programs. One hundred twenty three teaching and administrative staff completed a survey based on Jacobson, A., Glass, J. and Ruggiere, P. (1998). Five teachers and five administrators chosen for convenience were read eleven vignettes describing possibly abusive situations to decide whether they were reportable or non-reportable, and to indicate factors used to make their decisions. Administrators (50%) and teachers (13.3%) reported being unfamiliar with child abuse and neglect definitions and reporting laws. Two thirds (66.7%) of the administrators and 39.8% of the teachers had received specific training in recognizing and reporting child abuse and neglect. Administrators were more likely than teachers to report suspected child abuse and neglect. Teachers often reported to program administrators rather than state designated authorities. All subjects relied on information about children, but administrators also used information about parents, with teachers more likely to make excuses for parental actions. With 110 reporting opportunities, training was cited as a factor only twice by administrators. No teachers made reports to anyone other than program administrators, a factor named deference in this study. Four of five administrators expected deference from teachers when reporting decisions were made. Present training in the recognition and reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect is inadequate. Caregivers need additional training in differences between accidental and intentional injuries, detection of child sexual abuse and emotional neglect, recognition and assessment of injuries among infants and toddlers, and mandated reporting procedures. Further research on optimal training for accurate reporting of suspected abuse and neglect is needed. A mandate to report to authorities outside the child care center should be clarified in state law. Licensing individuals as well as programs would strengthen reporting by caregivers.

A research report presented to the school of Human and Community Development Faculty of Humanities University of Witwatersrand in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Arts in Social Work November 2016. / Globally, the HIV/AIDS epidemic is number six in the top ten disease burdens. This epidemic was viewed as an obstacle to the achievement of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Number 1 which deals with poverty eradication. The HIV/AIDS epidemic undermines economic development and exacerbates poverty (World Health Organisation [WHO], 2012). The Republic of South Africa has adopted the implementation of the Home and Community Based Care (HCBC) and Support Programme, as a strategy to address this epidemic. This qualitative research study sought to explore the psychosocial circumstances of community caregivers working in Tshwane Region. Individual interviews were conducted with 14 community care workers using a semi-structured interview schedule. The participants were sampled by using purposive sampling and they represented three different communities, namely urban, rural and from informal settlements. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse data collected. Six themes summarised the findings of the research. Both negative and positive effects of the psychosocial circumstances that affect work performance, home and personal lives of community caregivers working in Tshwane Region were discovered through the research. For most caregivers the circumstances are so dire that they have compromised their marriages, family relationships as well as their health conditions. However, a few caregivers are benefiting much better from the services. These are those that were trained and accredited as Child and Youth Care Workers. They earn a living wage and have learned better skills to deal with work situations. However, poor communication and withholding information from staff have led to other caregivers being disillusioned and jealous of those that have progressed, as they feel unfairly treated and discriminated against either due to their age or level of education. Low stipends contribute to more dissatisfaction, as the caregivers cannot afford their living expenses while they are also vulnerable to the same conditions as their beneficiaries. This goes together with lack of support and supervision and being left to fend for themselves in service rendering and acquiring resources. The available care for the carer’s programme seems ineffective and least appreciated. It is hoped that this study will contribute to the knowledge base on the psychosocial circumstances of community caregivers in Tshwane and provide useful information to influence and improve the existing Framework for Home and Community Based Care and Support Programmes in Tshwane. / GR2017

In the United States, an estimated 1.4 million children and adolescents, age 18 and under, provide daily unpaid physical, emotional and supportive care to a chronically ill or disabled family member (NAC & UHF). While the phenomenon of caregiving performed by adult children and spouses has been extensively explored by nursing, little is known about how Young Adolescent Caregivers manage being a caregiver while they attend school and mature socially as an adolescent. The purpose of this Grounded Theory study was to identify and describe the basic social psychological problem shared by young adolescent caregivers girls, (N=9), aged 11-14, and the basic social processes used to manage the shared problem. Using the constant comparative method of data analysis, from audio taped and transcribed, semi-structured interviews were reviewed. The Basic Social Psychological Process (BSPP) identified was Managing Complexities. Muddling Through (BSP) was the process identified through constant comparison of the data to create categories. The phases of Muddling Through are: Becoming a Caregiver, Choosing Family, Creating Structure and Maintaining Balance. Young adolescents experienced becoming a caregiver through three paths: Embracing the Challenge, Sharing the Load and Being Assigned. Awareness of the consequences of being a Young Adolescent Caregiver and strategies used by Young Adolescent Caregivers to manage their changing complexities has implications for nursing interventions. Nurses in a variety of settings that treat persons with chronic illnesses can modify their practice to make significant supportive interventions with these largely invisible caregivers. Implications for policy change, nursing education and practice and future research are explored. / by Carole A. Kain. / Thesis (D.N.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.