As the number of children in foster care without a familial placement continues to grow, the child welfare system is turning towards a new placement approach called Residential Treatment Foster Care. This study performed a process evaluation of 30 Residential Treatment Foster Care facilities in Los Angeles County that explored the four characteristics of case plan design, team decision-making, therapeutic intervention, staff training, and overall treatment effectiveness with regards to the number of Absences Without Leave (AWOL) and completion of treatment plan.

The purpose of the study was to gather data that could help minimize the number of placements that foster children often experience. The results of this study are intended to help California child welfare agencies and other foster care agencies develop additional policies that support the development of stable foster care placements for dependent children.

Text in Afrikaans / Die doel van hierdie studie was om te bepaal waarom kinders uit kinderhuise wegloop en om voorstelle ter voorkoming daarvan te maak. Ten opsigte van die fenomeen "wegloop" stateer die literatuur dat kinders wegloop vanaf onaangename omstandighede en/of wegloop na aangename omstandighede. Die belewing van gesinstres, gesinskonflik, portuurgroepdruk, utopiese voorstellings van wegloop, onaangename skoolbelewing en tiener swangerskap is aangeduide rolspelers onderliggend aan bogenoemde. Die empiriese studie na wegloop uit kinderhuise bet aan die lig gebring dat kinders uit kinderhuise wegloop weens traumatiese belewing van verwydering uit die ouerhuis, etikettering en inrigtingsversadiging. Voorts is bevind dat faktore wat onderliggend aan bogenoemde is, tot 'n groot mate voorkom kan word. Sekere aanbevelings ter voorkoming van wegloop uit kinderhuise is na aanleiding van die studie gedoen en kan gebruik word in die volwassene se bemoeienis met die kinderhuiskind. / The object of the study was to identify the reasons why children run away from children's homes and to make recommendations on how to prevent them from running away. On considering "run away" as a phenomenon, the literature states that children run away from harsh circumstances to acceptable or pleasant circumstances. Experiences such as family stress, conflict in the family, peer group pressure, romanticising the idea, harsh school experiences and teenage pregnancies are roll players subjacent to the above mentioned. The empirical study of "running away from children's homes" has confirmed that children run away because of traumatic separation from parental homes, labelling and institutional intolerance. Furthermore it was also found that factors subjacent to the above mentioned can be neutralised to a large extent. Certain guidelines have been recommended for adults when confronted with children in children's homes. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Voorligting)

As a social worker at the Desmond Tutu Child and Youth Care Centre in Gauteng province, the researcher noticed an increase in the number of applications for adolescents’ admission to the Centre due to a breakdown in their foster care placements. This raised a question regarding the factors contributing to this breakdown. The aim of the study was to develop an in-depth understanding of factors contributing to the breakdown of foster care placements from the perspectives of the adolescents who were fostered and from those of their foster parents. The qualitative research approach was used applying an explorative, descriptive and contextual design. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and was analysed according to the framework provided by Tesch (in Creswell, 2009:186). For data verification, Guba’s model (in Krefting (1990:214-220) was applied. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations made about foster care involving adolescents. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

Thesis (MSc)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The primary aim of this study was to establish normative data regarding the fears expressed by and coping mechanisms in a selected group of middle childhood children living in a children's home with respect to content, number, level and pattern of fears and the coping mechanisms as well as their perceived efficacy. Children living in a children's home were referred to as children who were removed from family care as a result of lawful intervention and were thus seen as a special population. The secondary aim was to ascertain whether any differences in the fears expressed were found with respect to the independent variables of a special population and gender. The three measuring instruments were the Free-Option Method (FOM), the Fear Survey Schedule for Children Revised (FSSC-R) and the Coping Strategy (CS). The FOM was used to determine the content and number of fears, the structured FSSC-R to establish the content, number, level and pattern of fears and the CS to obtain the coping mechanisms used and their perceived effectiveness. A predominantly quantitative method of data collection was used. This was also true for the data analysis. In all three questionnaires were completed by 141 children living in a children's home (70 boys and 71 girls) in the Western Cape between the ages of 8 and 13. The three questionnaires comprised of the FOM, FSSC-R and the CS and were administered in the above-mentioned order. The content of fears based on the results of the FOM yielded only a few similarities upon comparison to the findings of a recent study by. More similarities were apparent upon comparison of the results of the FSSC-R implying that the structuredness of the measuring instrument plays a role in how universal childhood fears really are. The number as well as level of fear was higher for the children living in a children's home in comparison to the results of normative populations. This also holds true for the level of fear on all of the fear factors of the FSSC-R Gender differences that were apparent, were consistent with previous research with girls expressing a higher number and level of fears than boys. The girls in comparison to the boys also displayed a higher level of fear on all the five factors. The coping strategy most often used as well as perceived effective was the secondary coping strategy. This was followed by the primary coping strategy and finally the relinquished control coping strategy. Specific coping strategies, which were utilised, were support seeking and avoidance and these are associated with a higher level of intemalising symptoms. Overall, the coping strategies utilised were found to be effective in reducing the fear experienced. Only a few similarities were apparent upon companson of the results of the two measunng instruments, the FOM and the FSSC-R, emphasising the need for the development of an South African Fear Schedule. Lastly, recommendations for future studies are provided. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die primêre doel van die onderhawige studie was die insameling van ·normatiewe data omtrent die uitgesproke vrese van 'n geselekteerde groep kinderhuiskinders in die middelkinderjare met betrekking tot die inhoud, aantal, vlak en patroon van vrese en die hanteringstrategieë, sowel as die waargenome effektiwiteit daarvan. Kinders wat in kinderhuise woon is kinders wat van hulle gesinne verwyder is as gevolg van 'n wetlike ingreep en hulle word om hierdie rede as 'n spesiale populasie beskou. Die sekondêre doel van die onderhawige studie was om vas te stelof daar verskille was in die uitgesproke vrese met betrekking tot die onafhanklike veranderlikes van 'n spesiale populasie en geslag. Die drie meetinstrumente wat toegepas is, is die "Free Option Method" (FOM), die ''Fear Survey Schedule for Children Revised" (FSSC-R) en die "Coping Strategy"(CS). Die FOM is gebruik om die inhoud en aantal vrese te bepaal, terwyl die FSSC-R gebruik is om die inhoud, aantal, vlak en patroon van vrese te bepaal. Die CS is gebruik om die hanteringstrategieë en hul effektiwiteit te bepaal. 'n Oorwegend kwantitatiewe metode van data insameling, sowel as dataverwerking is vir hierdie studie gebruik. Drie vraelyste is beantwoord deur 141 kinders (70 seuns en 71 meisies) tussen die ouderdomme van 8 en 13 jaar wat in kinderhuise in die Wes-Kaap woon. Die FOM, FSSC-R en die CS is gebruik en in hierdie volgorde toegepas. Die inhoud van vrese wat op die resultate van die FOM gebaseer is, het weining ooreengestem met die navorsingsbevindings van 'n onlangse studie. Meer ooreenstemming is gevind met betrekking tot die inhoud van vrese wat gebaseer is op die FSSC-R resultate. Dit impliseer dat die gestruktureerdheid van die meetinstrumente 'n rol speel in hoe universeel vrese is. Die aantal sowel as vlak van vrese, was hoër vir die kinders wat in 'n kinderhuis woon vergeleke met die resultate van normatiewe populasies. Die bogenoemde is ook van toepassing ten opsigte van die vlak van vrese op al vyf faktore van die FSSC-R. Geslagsverskille wat voorgekom het, is in ooreenstemming met ander navorsingsresultate waar meisies, in vergelyking met seuns, meer vrese sowel as 'n hoër vlak van vrese op al vyffaktore van die FSSC-R getoon het. Die hanteringstrategieë wat die meeste deur die kinders gebruik is is die sekondêre hanteringstrategieë. Dit is gevolg deur die primêre hanteringstrategieë en laastens die opgegeë beheer hanteringstrategieë. Spesifieke hanteringstrategieë wat gebruik is, is ondersteuning en vermyding. Hierdie strategieë word geassosieer met 'n hoër vlak van geïnternaliseerde simptome. Oor die algemeen is die hanteringstrategieë as effektief beskou in die vermindering van vrese. Daar was min ooreenstemming tussen die resultate van die twee vrees meetinstrumente, die FOM en die FSSC-R, wat die behoefte aan die ontwikkeling van 'n vrees meetinstrument vir Suid-Afrikaanse omstandighede beklemtoon. Ten slotte word enkele riglyne vir toekomstige navorsing gegee.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: An exploratory study was undertaken to examine the possibility of rendering family reunification services from within children's homes. The goal of the study was to make recommendations with regard to the implementation of this service by children's homes. A literature study was undertaken to investigate the effect of a child's statutory removal, examine the existing government policy regarding children and families. The theory and unique characteristics of family reunification services were also investigated. The social workers from the four children's homes in the Western Cape that are managed by a commission of the Dutch Reformed Church were involved in the empirical study. The social workers each had to complete a questionnaire regarding their opinion about the rendering of family reunification services from within the children's homes. The results showed that the majority of the social workers were in favour of the rendering of family reunification services, but they felt that it should be undertaken in conjunction with the external organizations, that referred the children to them. Several obstacles in the rendering of this service was also identified by this study. It was also found that the majority of the children in the children's homes have been there for longer than two years, which further accentuated the necessity of this service. Based on the findings of the literature study, as well as the results of the empirical study recommendations were made regarding the implementation of family reunification services as a co-operative effort between the children's homes and other relevant external organizations. These recommendations are applicable to other children's homes with cognisance of their individual differences. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: en Verkennende studie is onderneem om die moontlikheid te ondersoek vir die lewering van gesinsherenigingsdienste vanuit die kinderhuis. Die uiteindelike doel was om aanbevelings te maak ten opsigte van die implementering van hierdie diens binne die kinderhuis se werksaamhede. enLiteratuurstudie is onderneem om die effek van enkind se statutêre verwydering te ondersoek, asook die staat se beleid ten opsigte van kinders en gesinne. Ondersoek is ook ingestel na die teorie en die eiesoortige kenmerke van gesinsherenigingsdienste as intervensiemetode. Die maatskaplike werkers wat werksaam is by die vier kinderhuise in die Wes- Kaap wat onder beheer van die N.G. Kerk se Sinodale Kommissie vir die Diens van Barmhartigheid staan, is in die empiriese ondersoek betrek. Die maatskaplike werkers het elkeen en vraelys voltooi om hulopinie te verkry omtrent die haalbaarheid van gesinsherenigingsdienste vanuit kinderhuise. Die resultate het getoon dat die meerderheid maatskaplike werkers positief gesind is jeens die implementering van gesinsherenigingsdienste. Hierdie diens moet volgens die respondente egter nie alleen vanuit die kinderhuis onderneem word nie, maar in spanverband met die betrokke eksterne organisasies. Verskeie hindernisse in die uitvoering van hierdie diens is identifiseer. Daar is ook bevind dat die meerderheid van die kinders in die kinderhuise vir langer as twee jaar reeds in die kinderhuis se sorg verkeer, wat die noodsaaklikheid van die diens verder beklemtoon het. Op grond van die ondersoek en die reslutate is aanbevelings gemaak ten opsigte van die implementering van gesinsherenigingsdienste vanuit die kinderhuis in samewerking met die betrokke eksterne organisasies. Die aanbevelings van hierdie ondersoek is van toepassing op kinderhuise in die algemeen met die nodige in ag neming van hul individuele verskille.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Lungisisa Indlela Village is a non-profit organisation in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It provides holistic residential care for orphaned and vulnerable children in order to “rescue a child, restore a life, raise a leader and release a star”. The village can house 1 000 orphans and the model used is long-term cluster foster care where the children will get a sense of belonging in a homely environment, modelling an African village lifestyle. The houses are built in clusters, each with eight homes surrounding a communal play area. Each home has a fully-trained house mother who may bring two biological children, and will be given up to six children through the Department of Social Welfare. Within a family environment, they will receive unconditional love, spiritual discipleship, care and nurturing. The Lungisisa Indlela Village School is a registered independent school which comprises a play-school, pre-school, primary school and secondary school. Lungisisa Indlela Village is assisting others who have the same vision to build villages in Pretoria, Benoni, Kimberley, Grahamstown, East London and George. The vision of Lungisisa Indlela Village is to build thousands of villages across Africa in order to turn one of the continent’s biggest problems into the solution. The research focus is on the discipline of social marketing. More specifically, how Lungisisa Indlela Village makes use of the principles of social marketing in order to gain support from the community, government, corporate organisations and churches. A case study approach was followed, whereby literature and in-depth interviews were used to compare Lungisisa Indlela Village’s current marketing activities to best practice social marketing principles. The aim of the research was not only to assist Lungisisa Indlela Village with their expansion, but also to assist other orphanages and cause-related marketing organisations in putting together a marketing plan to drive the desired behaviour in both South Africa and the rest of Africa (in countries facing similar challenges). The study, even though aimed at how Lungisisa Indlela Village compares to best practice social marketing principles, revealed that there are many other business and strategic issues to consider. These issues, however, inform how the marketing plan is executed. Leadership, governance, relationship with government and marketing the Lungisisa Indlela Village brand and solution are very important questions, issues and initiatives that need to be addressed before further expansion takes place. The author would like to encourage the reader to watch the following video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSnujMEumrc, before reading the rest of this paper.

Thesis (MEdPsych (Educational Psychology)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The study investigated the effect of using projective narratives and drawings that depict diminished fear, on the anxiety levels of a group of children living in children’s homes, by means of a mixed methodology. The sample consisted of 30 middle childhood children (mean age = 9.60 years, SD = 1.13) from three children’s homes in the Western Cape. Drawings were used to elicit content of fear or anxiety (anxiety evoking drawing/bangmaaktekening) and proposed coping (anxiety lessening drawing/bangwegvattekening). After completing the anxiety provoking drawing, participants in the experimental group were asked to tell a story to other children with a similar fear to lessen/take that fear away (projective narrative). The Spence Childhood Anxiety Scale (SCAS) was completed after each drawing, and drawings evaluated through the use of anxiety scales, to measure changes in anxiety levels according to the concept of triangulation. The categories ghosts, snakes, and people were found to be the most prevalent content of fear from anxiety provoking drawings, and undifferentiated fears were also common within this population. Control of anxiety from anxiety lessening drawings indicated a definite prevalence of emotion focused (secondary) coping strategies, specifically religious solace. The content of projective narratives echoed this finding, although proposed solutions were more differentiated. Ownership of projections also occurred. The experimental effect was not significant, although mean anxiety levels were considerably lower in the drawings in comparison with that of the SCAS. Drawings are thus seen as an effective, nonthreatening technique to study anxiety phenomena. A comparison of the mean item scores of the SCAS subscales indicated that symptoms of separation anxiety, generalised anxiety disorder, and obsessivecompulsive anxiety disorder were prevalent among this group of children in children’s homes. A clear distinction was found between markers of state- and trait-anxiety through the qualitative analysis of the drawings, with anxiety lessening drawings showing definite diminished state-anxiety, although more established markers of trait-anxiety did not necessarily change. There are also indications that transference of activated negative emotional stimuli occurred on an unconscious level between the two drawings. Introducing the combination of projective narratives in the intervention stage of the study appeared to facilitate learning or the experience of observed positive affect in anxiety lessened drawings. Future research would benefit from including a normative group to establish more clear markers of state- and trait-anxiety in drawings, and by the use of a bigger sample to investigate factor loadings of the SCAS among children in children’s homes. The high prevalence of anxiety symptoms in this population emphasises their status as a vulnerable population, and the need for possible group intervention – specifically the psycho-education of effective coping strategies for anxiety.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-04-18T11:33:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Cláudia Oliveira Sant_Anna.pdf: 2450935 bytes, checksum: c9042b907824925ac174ca0dea9b4ac3 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-18T11:33:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cláudia Oliveira Sant_Anna.pdf: 2450935 bytes, checksum: c9042b907824925ac174ca0dea9b4ac3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-20 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The present dissertation has as objective to know and understand the perception of the users related to their recognition in the attention offered by a Social Assistance Service. It is the approach related to the institutional reception service, understanding the manner the social recognition expressions are made in the trajectory of attention to users, knowing the expressions of social deprotection which leads them to access a special social protection service of high complexity in the social assistance, as well identifying with families the acquisitions recognized as answers to their needs. The analytical route performed in this study demanded deepening about the scope of an institutional reception service to children from their historical evolution in Brazil and particularly the impact of legalization of social rights to the Brazilian people viable through the Federal Constitution of 1988 against the objective of Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA) and the Social Assistance Unique System (SUAS). In the course of this research, with the support of several authors it was possible to show the event which occurred historically in the legal area in overcome the attention to children in Brazil in the field of charity, favor and goodwill, supported by the value judgement for the perspective of attentions in the social right condition. To the interviews and field surveys were selected five families who had as reason of institutional reception of children the negligence or the abandonment. The study plunged in the relationship among the family, the child and the service, and being synthesized in three moments: the triggering situation of the reception: reason, complainant, procedure of the tutelary council and the judge, link with some social assistance service; the time of attention to the child in the reception and the manner of relation to the family made by the service and verified in the file records and the users’ speeches highlighting the records on: the attentions supported by the service and its direct repercussion in the life of the children, teenagers and families; the relation with the families and of their access to the public attentions and services which they would be entitled to; the ways in which social security was ensured to the children and teenagers; of activies that the children had the opportunity to experience during the institutional reception; and finally the moment of post-dismissal of the child of the reception service. It is a qualitative research whose essence was the quest to listen to users, which represents the most important step in this study, which allowed to know the meaning attributed by users to the attention of an institutional reception service / A presente dissertação tem como objetivo conhecer e compreender a percepção e as expressões dos usuários quanto ao seu reconhecimento nas atenções oferecidas por um serviço socioassistencial. Trata-se, em especial, da abordagem em relação ao serviço de acolhimento institucional, compreendendo-se o modo como as expressões de reconhecimento social são construídas na trajetória de atenção aos usuários, conhecendo as expressões de desproteção social que os levaram a acessar um serviço de proteção social especial de alta complexidade na assistência social, bem como identificando junto às famílias as aquisições que são reconhecidas como respostas às suas necessidades. O percurso analítico realizado neste estudo demandou aprofundamento sobre o escopo de um serviço de acolhimento institucional para crianças a partir dos traços de sua evolução histórica no Brasil, e, particularmente, o que diz respeito ao impacto da legalização de direitos sociais aos brasileiros, viabilizada por meio da Constituição Federal de 1988, face ao objeto do Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente (ECA) e do Sistema Único de Assistência Social (SUAS). No decorrer da pesquisa, com o respaldo de diversos autores, foi possível mostrar a passagem que ocorreu historicamente no campo legal em superar a atenção às crianças no Brasil do âmbito da caridade, favor e benemerência, respaldado no juízo de valor, para uma perspectiva das atenções na condição de direito social. Para as entrevistas e pesquisa de campo, foram selecionadas 05 (cinco) famílias que tiveram como motivo de acolhimento institucional das crianças a negligência ou o abandono. O estudo mergulhou na relação entre a família, a criança e o serviço, sendo sintetizado em três momentos, quais sejam: a situação desencadeante do acolhimento - motivo, autor de queixa, procedimento do Conselho Tutelar e do Juiz, vínculo com algum serviço socioassistencial; o tempo de atenção da criança no acolhimento e o modo de relação com a família, construída pelo serviço e constatada nos registros dos prontuários e nas narrativas dos usuários, destacando-se as menções sobre as atenções prestadas pelo serviço e sua repercussão direta na vida das crianças, adolescentes e famílias, a relação com as famílias e o acesso destas aos demais serviços e atenções públicas que lhes seriam de direito, os modos pelos quais foi garantida a segurança de convívio para as crianças e adolescentes, as atividades que as crianças tiveram a oportunidade de vivenciar no período de acolhimento institucional; e, por fim, o momento atual pós-desligamento da criança do serviço de acolhimento. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa, que teve em sua essência a busca por ouvir os usuários, o que representa o passo mais importante deste estudo, ou seja, o de possibilitar conhecer o significado atribuído pelos usuários da atenção de um serviço de acolhimento institucional

Doctor of Philosophy / This thesis is concerned with an examination and re-assessment of the establishment, operation and management of the Female and Male Orphan Schools, in the first half of the nineteenth century in New South Wales. The chaplains and governors in the early penal settlement were faced with a dilemma, as they beheld the number of children who were ‘orphaned’, neglected, abandoned and destitute. In order to understand the reasons why these children were in necessitous circumstances, the thesis seeks to examine the situations of the convict women, who were the mothers of these children. Governors Philip Gidley King and Lachlan Macquarie respectively in 1801 and 1819 established the Schools, which provided elementary education, training and residential care within a religious setting. Researching the motives underlying the actions of these men has been an important part of the thesis. An examination of the social backgrounds of some of the children admitted to these Schools has been undertaken, in order to provide a greater understanding of the conditions under which the children were living prior to their admissions. Information about family situations, and the social problems encountered by parents that led them to place their children in the Schools, have been explored. The avenues open to the girls and boys when they left the Schools, has formed part of the study. Some children were able to be reunited with family members, but the majority of them were apprenticed. A study of the nature of these apprenticeships, has led to a greater understanding of employment opportunities for girls and boys at that time. In 1850 the Schools were amalgamated into the Protestant Orphan School at Parramatta. By examining the governance and operation of the Schools during their last two decades as separate entities, we have more knowledge about and understanding of these two colonial institutions. It is the conclusion of this thesis that some of the harsher judgements of revisionist social historians need to be modified. It was the perception that more social disorder would occur if action was not taken to ‘rescue’ the ‘orphaned’ children, usually of convict parentage. However genuine charity, philanthropy and concern was displayed for the children in grave physical and moral danger. The goals of the founders were not always reached in the Orphan Schools, nevertheless they performed an invaluable service in the lives of many children.