(in English) This diploma thesis focuses on the topic of training and support of volunteers from the HoSt Home-Start CR organization. The aim was to find out an opinion of volunteers and coordinators on the quality of their training and support, provided by the organization. The second aim was to find out how much are the volunteers ready to volunteer in a client's family. Gathered information will serve coordinators as a guideline for improving the services for volunteers. The outcome of this diploma thesis is a questionnaire, which will help the organization to get a feedback from future absolvents of the training. The theoretical part focuses on four main topics - volunteering, volunteer, family and options of its support, volunteering in the field of family support. Results of my research inside the organisation are presented in the practical part. I chose semi-structured interviews as my research method. They were done with volunteers and coordinators of the organization. Recommendations for changes in particular subjects of training and support have resulted from the answers of the respondents. These results are summarized at the end of my thesis.

My diploma work focuses on the issues of single-parent families in the Czech Republic and selected countries of the European Union from the perspective of social policy. I have selected those countries that border the Czech Republic, i.e. Slovakia, Germany, Austria and Poland. In the theoretical part of my diploma work I define family as an institution, its main functions, its historical development and its present changes. Further, I address the problems of single-parent and divorced parents from the psychosocial view, touching also on the subject from the perspective of the church. In conclusion to the theoretical part I address the social policies of individual countries. The practical part involves two pieces of research. The objective of the first piece of research has been to evaluate and compare statistical data from the social environments of the above mentioned countries with that of the Czech Republic. In the second part of research, by means of a questionnaire, I have sought the opinions and views of future family founders with regard to the issues of single-parents families.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of English Language and Literature, August 2000. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

The shifting topography of contemporary Japanese society is engendering a significant reorientation of men’s family relations. However, exactly how Japanese men are adapting to these broad-based trends, including parent-child relations, demographics, marriage norms, care provision, residential choices, and gender roles, as well as in the decline of Confucian worldviews, remains relatively obscure. In this dissertation, I explore men’s everyday practices underpinning their family relations as husbands, fathers, sons-in-law, and grandfathers. I conducted ethnographic fieldwork in the summers of 2013 and 2014 in Hyogo, through narrative interviews and participant-observation. I find husbands’ view of their wives transitioning from having a culturally prescribed duty to perform domestic matters to simply having responsibility for domestic matters. This opens up space for negotiation within married couples, with my informants providing what I refer to as additional help, which offers new insight into charting the evolution of hegemonic masculinity. I evidence relatedness founded on exchange as an approach to understand relations across the extended family, which importantly involves additional help, financial resources, and intimacy. I underscore how men selectively seek intimacy in some family relations, notably as fathers and grandfathers. Provision of additional help and seeking of intimacy lead to men’s (re)construction of masculinities differing across family relations, with an important reason for men to select their practices so as to craft their family relations is to address their sense of well-being. Further, the pattern of men’s family relations reveals the emergence of substantially novel sons-in-law relations, as compared to that found in ie patriarchal norms. This evidence suggests a fundamental shift from a vertically-dominated set of family relations, as in the ie household, to a more horizontal, fluid set of relations across the extended family.

My choice of dissertation subject was influenced by the fact that there is a increasing number of divorces in recent years. This fact is supported by data from the Czech Statistical Office, which imply that every second marriage ends in divorce. It is impossible to define a clear-cut cause of the trend, because the decision to get divorced is influenced by many factors. These include the increasing pace of social changes, different approaches to problem-solving and to life in general, a specific argument between the partners that leads to a deep and lasting disharmony between them and many others. A divorce is a painful matter for all those involved. It influences broad areas of everyday life and has consequences for the adults as well as for the children (in the case of a divorce where children were born during the marriage). When the family situation is so unsettled that a compromise is difficult to find, it is possible to use an institution or a facility, which can offer social counselling according to law no. 108/2006 of the Collection of Laws on social services, in full wording. We differentiate between basic and professional social counselling. In the case of divorce, professional counselling is appropriate and can be accessed for example via counselling units for families, marriages and interpersonal relations which have this service properly registered within their remit. The extent of the use of these services was the research subject of this dissertation. The aim of this dissertation was to ascertain if families going through a divorce are accessing social counselling to resolve their situation and with what effect. To accomplish the stated aim, three investigative questions were chosen. 1.From what sources are the families informed about the possibility to take advantage of social counselling? 2.How does taking advantage of social counselling help families undergoing a divorce to resolve the life situation? 3.What do the families gain as a result of taking advantage of social counselling? A qualitative research strategy was chosen to collect the necessary information, using a survey method. Two techniques were used firstly the questionnaire containing closed questions and secondly the technique of in-depth interviews of selected respondents. The research was split into two phases. During the first phase a questionnaire with closed questions was used to establish which of the families took advantage of social counselling during divorce. During this phase the basic research set S1 was formed by the subset of respondents that went through divorce. This totalled 47 respondents chosen by the "snowball sampling" method. Using this method the chosen subject recommends further respondents that fulfil the conditions of the research. All 47 respondents agreed to fill in the questionnaire. The second phase of the research involved interviews with respondents forming the selective subset S2. This subset was created using quota selection from respondents who answered YES to the first question of the questionnaire.This select set was formed by 5 respondents. The interviews were transcribed into a recording form and the gathered data was further classified based on predefined questions or areas of the research enquiry, followed by analysis and comparison with the answers of other respondents. The purpose of this dissertation was to show, based on research carried out, if and to what extent the service of social counselling is used, which opportunities it offers and how it benefits the people taking advantage of these services. It was clear from the results, that the utilisation of these services is limited by the fact that a significant number of divorcing families, for whatever reason, does not look for this help. Conversely, the respondents that used social counselling benefited from this service whilst solving problems associated with their divorce, often simplifying the process.

This thesis deals with relationships between parents and children in the family, as well as the role of the family and breakdowns in this role, the raising of children and the socialisation of children in a children{\crq}s home environment. The theoretical part of this work describes the family and the factors that come into play when it comes to childcare. Furthermore, it outlines what constitutes healthy child development, which is only facilitated by a good-quality parent-child relationship. It looks at the issue of rescuing the family environment and the possibility of alternative nurturing care, particularly in family-type children{\crq}s homes. The practical part of this thesis describes the current quality of childcare in family-type children{\crq}s home facilities and the support provided for optimising this care. It presents a summary of the reasons for placing children in a children{\crq}s home. It outlines and analyses problematic conditions for rearing youngsters in five children{\crq}s homes in the central Bohemian region. The results of a questionnaire survey demonstrate the possibility of satisfactory nurturing and social adjustment for children in the care environment of a children{\crq}s home.

I described topics related to the title of the thesis in its theoretical part and in that way I made a comprehensive survey focused on the social fieldwork in families. The first target of the thesis was - to learn the experience of some chosen non-profit-making organizations which deliver socially activating services to families with children. The qualitative research, the method of questioning and the technique of semi-standardized interview were used for achieving my objective. The same kinds of research, method and technique were used for achieving my second objective, i.e. - to map the status of delivering socially activating services to families with children in the South Bohemia region which realize saving of families. I carried out two kinds of interviews; the first one - in non-profit-making organizations; the second one - with some OSPOD{\crq}s women-workers in České Budějovice. The set aims were fulfilled. Then, on the base of the detected data, I formulated my findings. My findings confirmed that the experience of organizations which deliver socially activating services to families with children is consistent. Employees of non-governmental non-profit-making organizations indicated that the functioning of their organizations is successful and that they cope with their purposes and aims. The women-workers of OSPOD concurred in their statements that the kind of work with families seemed beneficial and the women-workers were open for cooperation with organizations in that field, which is an important aspect for those organizations. The current situation in delivering socially activating services to families with children in the South Bohemia region is not unsatisfactory, but it is not fully cowered yet. There is no organization fully focused on the saving of families, especially in some border areas of the region. My interviews contributed to the creation of my project design of a non-governmental, non-profit-making organization. On the base of the project design socially activating services (fieldwork form) for families with children in the South Bohemia region could be realized (under the law No. 108/2008 of Collection of Law {--} Social Services Act). In this way the project is the practical output of my thesis and it can be used for the creating of an organization focused on the saving of families in the South Bohemia region. The project and its implementation expect cooperation with experts qualified in that field. If the project is realized, the number of socially activating services in the South Bohemia region will increase and the only organization focused wholly on the saving of families will be created.

The diploma work deals with the problems today's families suffer from, also deals with the support that can be given to dysfunctional families in the Czech Republic. Description of functional family and the family definition itself is the integral part of the diploma work. The text also brings information about criminal activities of under age children, CAN syndrome, divorce and about essential and important laws related to family problematics. The theoretical part is completed with practical examples obtained at interviews. The aim of the diploma work is to define and to analyze the problems, to summarize the assistance and support of today's families and, last but not least, to provide the description of the law leaning on the family assistance.

This thesis focuses on harmonisation of work and family life of female university graduates at beginning of their careers and at the time when they were taking care of babies up to five years of age. I have chosen this topic not only because it is rather an actual topic but also because I'm personally attached to it. My feminist research analysis is based on the theory of power and knowledge as is it described by Foucault and Butler. I was interested in original families of my communication partners where they grew up and where they adopted their social habits and behaviour. In the light of this social process, I have analysed what powers they had to face in their original families in terms of usage of gender stereotypes based on patriarchal layout of our society and preferential existence of one gender over the other. I have also focused on current families of my communication partners and on power relationships on the basis of which the process of harmonisation of professional and family life of my communication partners takes place, both in their private and public space. I have also analysed how social habits and behaviour gained during their childhood are implemented. It was very important for the interviews and for my feminist research to approach my communication partners as subjects, and...

This diploma thesis deals with the topic of clients after lower limb/s amputation and their social rehabilitation afterwards in home care. Beginning of thesis describes the current situation and the concept of social rehabilitation as one of the comprehensive rehabilitation process of people in early post-amputation stage. Next section of thesis shows difficulties that occurs after amputation and impact upon personal life that is materially changed. Describing the process of coping with this unpleasant health change is based on traditional model of two important people in this field Mr. Kübler-Ross and Mr. Křivohlavý. At the same time, analysis of the formal support system in Ústí nad Labem is being evaluated. This system provides support not only to disabled people but also to people who take infromal care of the one injured. Informal care plays significant role in the process of social rehabilitation of people starting new life stage due to physical change. In thesis are mentioned possibilities of developing skills of informal caregivers, usage of financial benefits for disabled people and possible providers support of medical and social services in a given location. However, it also focuses on possible troubles associated with care provided by family members or other persons. At the same time,...