This research is conducted within a postmodern and social construction discourse and in context of narrative and participatory pastoral care and therapy. It has been influenced by the voices of five contextual theologies: a participatory approach to practical theology, narrative, contextual, feminist and liberation theologies. The participatory action research seeks to highlight how narrative and participatory pastoral care and therapy with children at Mary Ward Children’s Home, Kwekwe, Zimbabwe creates an inclusive and caring community. It argues that though residential childcare facilities/children’s homes are considered the last resort in the childcare system, we are witnessing not their demise but their development due to the increased numbers of AIDS-orphans and other vulnerable children in our society. The research aims were:  To develop inclusive narrative and participatory pastoral care and therapy practices at the home.  To co-create narrative and participatory pastoral care and therapy practices that respect the knowledges of the children involved.  To develop an eco-spirituality as participatory pastoral care and therapy practice.  To explore and co-author creative practices of doing narrative and participatory pastoral care and therapy practices which will help the participants integrate into the Home and society. In conclusion, suggestions are made for a narrative and participatory pastoral care and therapy practice that is inclusive and caring. In terms of the experience of children living with disability and experiencing loss, as well as those children who have been abused, it is specifically described as therapeutic, empowering and life-giving. Therefore, home managers, caregivers and pastoral therapists are invited into an ethical and passionate practice of pastoral care and therapy that has the potential to transform the lives of children in a residential child care facility. / Thesis (D. Th. (Practical Theology))

The purpose of this study was to get an in-depth, complete picture of a social worker and child/family advocate in Guatemala City, Guatemala. The intent was to study the participant’s work and responsibilities in order to examine how she processed and completed her dual role as social worker/advocate and mother to a group of children in a children’s home. A focus on responsibility, the effect of her dual role, and the influence of her personal and religious convictions emerged throughout the study. The participant’s unique position in a dual role offered insight into the various aspects of advocacy and intervention in the developing county of Guatemala.

This thesis deals with children from orphanages. The content of the theoretical part consists of the legislative framework of the issue, explaining basic concepts, description of historical development of institutional care and the scope of institutions of social and legal protection of children. The main objective is to monitor the situation of children's home of clients in the institutional education. Approach the situation before the regulation of institutional care during their stay in institutional care, not only in the orphanage itself, but also diagnostic facilities, and also after leaving the facility and must be included in everyday life. The practical part deals with how children stay in foster homes also affects their lives. Key terms Children's home, Institutional Education, alternative family care, socio-legal protection of children, family, Diagnostic Institute.

Specifics of alternative family care institutions The Keywords: Substitute Family Care Adoption Foster care Constitutional Education Children's Home Chances for the Future Abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to describe the specifics of individual foster care institutions. The thesis consists of two parts. The theoretical part illustrates the history adoption and foster care. Moreover various forms of alternative family care will be described adoption, foster care, guardianship, institutional care or facilities for children requiring immediate assistance. The practical part deals with the children's homes. It describes Children's Home in Horšovský Týn. It also addresses the potential consequences of constitutional education and the effect of project Chances for Future on careers of children from children's homes. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

The aim of the diploma thesis is to analyse the influence of the concept of the institutional care in children's homes on clients. The introduction chapter provides the description of the psychological condition of the clients and how it is influenced by the institutional upbringing. The following chapters deal with the realization of the state education in children's homes and with the description of the system of the intitutional care and its development. The research has found out how a group of clients evaluates the changes in the concept of the institutional care and how this changes come into operation in their own life. The research was based on the immediate observation, analysis of the records and conversations with clients. The final evaluation of the research presents recommendations for further development of the improvement of the children care in the institutional care.

In the provided care for children placed in substitute residential facilities in the Czech Republic are in the context of European Union made demands to change some key aspects of its current structural frame. Aim of this master thesis is to provide in this context, through the analysis of mainly bibliographic sources, a complex overview of the system of substitute residential care in two EU countries, the Czech Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany. The thesis contains an insight into the activities of both systems, as well as comparatively processed answers to two initial research questions. The results of the research work on the answer to the question "What are the differences in the existing service network, regarding the work with the children placed in selected Czech and German children's homes?" show, that the established frame of the provided services is similar, but the qualitative and quantitative offer of the services is in practice reflected by different economic situations in both countries. The result of the second comparative research, answering the question "How are in the chosen countries determined the means of children rehabilitation in the selected children's homes?", shows, that the coordinated rehabilitation is in all its parts realized in both countries as consistent with the fulfilment of "the child's best interest" as possible. The most significant difference in reaching the optimal harmony of all segments of coordinated rehabilitation in these countries makes the application of support means to the work with the family, to the care for youth preparing for leaving the institution, to the realization of complex multidisciplinary care, or to fulfilment of an individual approach and planning. It is therefore desirable, that the Czech Republic, as well as the Federal Republic of Germany, orient themselves not only on the quality of provided help and care for the children placed in children's homes, but also on the future of young people, who are in the process of leaving the institution. This can be achieved by legislatively well-set structural system of substitute residential care, in which is through suitable service provided a valuable support in the context of coordinated rehabilitation. This master thesis can for the people interested in this topic expand the view on how the same mission regarding the children in substitute residential care is fulfilled by two advanced European countries, it can also be in this context an impulse to reflect on the form of a good practice in these institutions.

This thesis deals with consequential care after release from institutional care and relations between absence of binding person and incorporation of a young adult terminating his or her institutional care into society. The thesis focuses on institutional care, stressing its termination, it suggests changes for improvement and offers an example of good practices from Germany. Also, the thesis identifies the most serious issues of children after institutional care and describes, in detail, consequences of lack of emotional support. Utilizing case studies, the experimental part looks into whether children living in children's home can find a binding person and how presence or absence of such a person can affect their future life.

The thesis deals with analysis of the quality of life of preadolescents and adolescents with regard to circadian and diural rhythms in children's homes in the South Moravian Region. The first part characterises concepta of quality of life, pubescent, adolescent, circadian and diural rhythms. The work is focused on the temporal area of quality of life. It described the importance and quality of sleep, sleep cycles and sleep typology. The research deals with the questionnaire survey a total of 110 respondents (60 pubescent, 50 adolescents). The research method consists of a selection of questions from a standardized questionnaire circadian typology, CIT Harada, Krejčí, 2010. The data are analyzed using basic statistical methods

At present media often deal with the topic of children growing up in institutions. The society's effort is that children grow up in functional families. Also, based on the UNICEF?s criticism a reform has been created. The Czech Republic has been making an effort for a long time already to decrease the number of children not growing up in natural family environment. A few measures had been proposed and some of them implemented but they have been ineffective in achieving their desired outcomes. The transformation of the alternative upbringing system should be made on a complex basis. However, concerns and disagreements arise over the proposed solution. Advantages and disadvantages are published in various coverages, discussions, as well as in professional literature. The thesis title: The attitude of social and welfare workers towards closing baby and children's homes. The thesis is divided into two parts. The theoretical part deals with the topics of today's family, institutional upbringing, alternative family-based care, and particular steps in the effort to reduce the number of children growing up in institutions. The practical part aims at mapping the attitudes of social workers at baby and children's homes concerning the closing these institutions. A partial objective was to investigate whether the age and practical experience influence the attitudes of social workers of baby and children's homes. Another partial objective was to compare attitudes of social workers of baby and children's homes among different regions of the Czech Republic. I set out two hypotheses. Hypothesis 1: "Social workers have negative attitudes towards closing baby and children's homes." Hypothesis 2: "Social workers' opinions of closing baby and children?s homes do not show any differences among regions of the Czech Republic." Empiric data were collected using a quantitative research, interviewing, and questionnaire technique. The research sample was composed of social workers of selected childcare institutions. The number of questionnaires sent to healthcare institutions (baby homes, baby homes at children's homes, children's homes for 1 - 3 aged and child centres) was 34. Other respondents from children's homes were addressed; in total 148 in the Czech Republic. Thus the research sample was composed of 182 respondents. Every institution was contacted twice as to increase the returnability. The population was represented by the same size as the selected sample, that means it is an exhaustive subpopulation. In total 80 questionnaires returned, i.e. the selected sample returnability (filled questionnaires) reached 44%. Obtained results were statistically processed using scaled classification of data in contexts with obtained nominal, ordinal, and cardinal variables. To analyse categorical data, the chi-square test of independence was used. The hypothesis 1 was statistically confirmed. The hypothesis 2 was not possible to adequately evaluate statistically due to the high number of categories (CR regions) into which the data were divided. Results were placed into nominal statistic tables. The descriptive statistics show that the negative attitudes of social workers prevail. Results of the thesis can be used to analyse opinions of social workers concerning the transformation of the system of care of at risk children. There are many studies relating to the underway transformation of the system of care for at risk children that should be elaborated before the reform is launched. In working out the thesis, I identified many topics that might originate writing further theses. They are e.g. opinions of social workers from the competent authority for social and legal protection of children, attitudes of children in institutional care, creation of an optimal model for at risk children, etc.

This thesis deals with the quality of life of pubescent and adolescent in children's homes in the Pardubice region with regard to circadian and diurnal rhythms. In the theoretical part we define in detail the concept of quality of life, pubescence, and adolescence, biorhythms with a division between circadian and diurnal rhythms, sleep and institutional care. More attention is paid to sleep, its importance, quality and above all sleep cycles that are directly associated with the subsequent research area. In the research section, four research assumptions are made. Subsequently, we process data from eight orphanages acquired in the period from December 2011 to June 2012 in the Pardubice region. The questionnaire survey has 125 respondents of which 59 are teenagers in the age range 10-14 years and 66 adolescents between the age 15 and 18. For this purpose we used a shortened version of the standardized questionnaire for circadian typology CIT - Harada, Tailor (2010). The data was evaluated using basic statistical methods. It was found that on weekdays pubescents averagely go to bed at 09:15 pm and get up at 6:45 am. On weekdays, the average sleeping time is 9.5 hours. On the weekend pubescents averagely gone to sleep at 10:30 pm and get up at 8.30 am. The average weekend sleep is 10 hours. Adolescents go to sleep on average at 10:00 pm and get up at 6:45 am on weekdays. The average sleep on weekdays is 8 ? hours. On the weekend adolescents go to sleep on average at 11:15 pm and get up at 9:15 am. Which means that the weekend sleep is an average of 10 hours. Three assumptions were met, and that, the average sleep time for pubescents on weekdays is longer than the average duration of sleep in adolescents. Adolescents have a bigger problem getting up on weekdays before puberty. Pubescents evaluate their sleep rhythm from a diurnal perspective as sufficient. One assumption was refuted and that is, adolescents sleep on average less during the weekend than their pubescent counterparts. The research was useful as it brings together the issue of the quality of life of adolescents in educational institutions and can serve both for further research and as an indicator of the quality of life.