Studien har syftat till att få en förståelse för familjehemsföräldrars perspektiv på anknytning och vad de menar att det finns för svårigheter och möjligheter gällande anknytning för barn som placeras i familjehem. Studien berör även hur relationen mellan barn och familjehemsförälder förändras över tid och hur samspel mellan barn och familjehemsföräldrar, barn och de biologiska föräldrarna och barnets tidigare erfarenheter kan påverka anknytningen. Studien är kvalitativ och bygger på intervjuer med sex familjehemsföräldrar. Bowlbys anknytningsteori har använts för att analysera det empiriska materialet och studien har en hermeneutiskt ansats. Familjehemsföräldrarnas upplevelser tolkas som att barn kan skapa en trygg anknytning till dem och att de kan utgöra en trygg bas för placerade barn. Familjehemsföräldrarna menar att en trygg anknytning rör både yngre och äldre barn. Samspelet mellan familjehemsföräldrar, barn och de biologiska föräldrarna påverkar anknytningen och ibland uppstår situationer som är svåra att förhålla sig till för såväl familjehemsförälder, barn som de biologiska föräldrarna. Av familjehemsföräldrarnas resonemang framkommer att såväl barn som familjehemsförälder kan drabbas av separationsångest, vilket i sin tur påverkar anknytningens kvalitet. Barnets bakgrund och tidigare erfarenheter påverkar den anknytning som barnet skapar till sin familjehemsförälder. De uppföljningar som görs enligt socialtjänstlagen (SFS 2001:453), där socialnämnden minst var sjätte månad ska överväga om vården ska fortgå, menar familjehemsföräldrarna skapar svårigheter att knyta an till barnen fullt ut. Uppföljningarna skapar en oro för att separeras för både familjehemsföräldrar och de placerade barnen. / The aim of the study is to gain an understanding of foster parent's perspective on attachment and which opportunities and difficulties there is with the attachment for children in foster care. The study is also describes the way the relationship between the child and foster parent changes over time and how interaction between children and foster parents, child and the biological parents and the child's past experiences can influence the attachment. The study has a qualitative method and is based on interviews with six foster parents. Bowlby's attachment theory has been used to analyze the empirical material and the study has a hermeneutic approach. Foster parent’s experiences give us an understanding that children can create a secure attachment to them and that they can provide a safe base for the children. Foster parents believe that the secure attachment is the same for both younger and older children. The interaction between foster parents, child and the biological parent’s affects the attachment and sometimes situations arise that are difficult to relate to for foster parent, child and birth parents. It is found that children as well as the foster parents can suffer from separation anxiety, which can affect the quality of the attachment. The child’s background and past experiences affect the attachment that the child creates to the foster parent. The study also shows that the follow-ups that are induced by the Social Services Act (SFS 2001:453), every six months for the social services committee to consider whether the treatment should be continued, create difficulties for foster parents to fully attach to the child. It creates a fear of separation for both the foster parents and the children.

Problema: Didžioji vaikų dalis, netekusių tėvų globos pirmiausia patenka ne į šeimynas, o į vaikų globos namus, kurie besąlygiškai laikomi veiksminga vaikų globos forma, nors vaikų globa organizuojama, atsižvelgiant į vaiko poreikius. Aktualumas:  Šiuolaikiniame pasaulyje visiems yra suprantama, kad vaikais reikia pasirūpinti pirmiausia, tačiau dauguma jų vis dar lieka labiausiai skriaudžiami ir pažeidžiami;  Daugėja vaikų, netekusių tėvų globos;  Vaikų globos įstaigos pilnos vaikų, todėl negali suteikti šiems vaikams tinkamos priežiūros bei pagalbos. Hipotezė: Globa šeimoje ir šeimynoje geriausiai atitinka vaiko poreikius ir labiausiai padeda vaikui socializuotis visuomenėje bei aktyviai dalyvauti greitai besikeičiančiuose kaitos procesuose. Darbo tikslas: Įvertinti vaiko globos šeimoje ir šeimynoje organizavimo privalumus, lyginant su vaikų globos namais. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. Išanalizuoti vaiko globos organizavimo raidą, skiriant ypatingą dėmesį vaikų globai šeimoje ir šeimynoje; 2. Aptarti Lietuvos Respublikos pagrindinius įstatymus, reglamentuojančius vaiko globos organizavimą; 3. Išanalizuoti respondentų nuomonę apie mūsų šalyje vykdomą vaiko globos organizavimą, taip pat sužinoti respondentų šeimyninio globos modelio vertinimą. Metodai:  Mokslinių darbų ir teisės aktų analizė;  Apklausa. Tyrimo objektas – šeimyninis globos modelis. 1. Vaiko globos organizavimas yra dinaminis procesas, kuris kiekvienais metais kinta, o tai skatina tobulinti vaiko globos... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Problem At present child care is organized according to their needs. However, a large majority of orphaned children are not placed in families, but in children’s homes. Importance It is universally established that children are still most vulnerable and wronged individuals. The number of children abandoned by parents is increasing. Institutions for children’s are too crowded to provide proper aid. Hypothesis Child care in the family and foster homes best meet children’s needs and teach them socialization skills. Aim Estimate the advantages of organizing child care in the family and foster families and compare them with children’s homes. Tasks: 1. To analyze the development of organizing child care with an emphasis on children’s care in the family and foster family. 2. To overview the laws of the Republic of Lithuania regulating organization of child care. 3. To analyze the respondents’ opinion of the organization of child care and to find out their evaluation of the foster family model. Methods • Analysis of scientific works and analysis of legal acts. • Interview. Object of investigation- foster family model. Conclusions: *Organizing child care is a dynamic process whose changes in the course of time contribute to its perfection; *The fundamental aim of child care is to secure his/her education and care in the environment beneficial to the promotion of his/her welfare and which would be similar to that of a natural family; *The shortage of guardians and their inadequate... [to full text]

Loneliness, unhappiness, and discord pervade David Foster Wallace’s novel Infinite Jest. Parental neglect and abuse, drug and alcohol addiction, and obsession with entertainment all work to increase characters’ narcissism and self-absorption. This increased narcissism prevents characters from developing meaningful relationships, and this absence of meaningful relationships contributes to the feeling of sadness that plagues the Organization of North American Nations. Rather than confronting reality and working to overcome their sadness by attempting to form meaningful relationships, characters instead seek to escape this sadness through the various fantasies provided by drug-use and entertainment. These fantasies only work to exacerbate characters’ self-absorption and narcissism which consequently increases their unhappiness. Certain characters are able to break free of these narcissistic impulses by turning outwards to form meaningful relationships. As these characters break free of the “cage of the self” (777), they experience a sense of meaning and happiness that other characters are without. / iv, 114 leaves ; 29 cm

In this small qualitative study, the researcher explores how four families involved in resource foster care services conceptualize concurrent planning in the child welfare system. Analysis of the four semi-structured transcribed interviews revealed four dominant themes: hope and optimism that resource foster care could be a rewarding alternative to further infertility treatment; anger and fear of disruption related to birth family visits; identification of the foster child as their own; and uncertainty regarding resource foster care team rules, roles, and responsibilities. Each theme was influenced by an attachment to the child they were fostering and the fear of losing that child. / The findings suggest that resource foster parents do not fully embrace concurrent planning as a philosophy of care that supports and works towards the best interests of children. Practice principles central to concurrent planning were often abandoned as a result of intense identification with adoptive parenthood status. / The researcher has included a number of recommendations with respect to future studies, training needs, and recruitment strategies. The conclusion states that in the best interests of children, resource foster parents must fully embrace the concept of concurrent planning defined within child welfare context and legislation.

Syftet med denna studie har varit att beskriva och analysera attityder hos socialsekreterare till homosexuella par som familjehemsföräldrar. Våra frågeställningar som har genomsyrat studien har varit centrerade kring vilka attityder till homosexuellas lämplighet som familjehemsföräldrar det finns hos socialsekreterare som arbetar med målgruppen barn och familj, samt hur attityder till homosexuella som familjehemsföräldrar ser ut beroende på de homosexuella parens kön. Socialsekreterarna som har medverkat i studien arbetar inom kommuner i södra Sverige med ärenden som rör målgrupperna barn och familj. Studiens empiriska data har inhämtats med hjälp av enkäter som består av frågor och påståenden som är baserade på tidigare forskning. Vi har analyserat vår data i förhållande till diskurs inom socialt arbete som profession och heteronormativitet. Resultaten visar att socialsekreterarnas attityder till homosexuella som familjehemsföräldrar är övervägande neutrala till positiva, även om det finns uppfattningar om att barn till homosexuella löper större risk än barn till heterosexuella att bli utsatta för mobbing och negativa attityder från den sociala omgivningen. Resultaten visar även att socialsekreterarna inte gör skillnad på homosexuellas lämplighet beroende på kön.

This study explores the notion of resilience and, in particular, its efficacy as a framework to assist and guide professionals in their work with children placed in the care of the State, many of whom have experienced situations of severe disadvantage, including abuse and neglect, prior to their admission to the out-of-home care system. The further distress and/or trauma for children, which is engendered by separation from their families and placement with strangers, is exacerbated by circumstances of transience and instability that many children experience during their care journeys. The study examines the care system as a circumstance of adversity and seeks to find out how specialist practitioners working in the care environment understand the notion of resilience and whether they operationalise the concept in their practice to assist children in care. The study is set within a critically reflective perspective, informed by a hermeneutic process that assists in building a deeper understanding of both the notion of resilience and the care system through the lived experiences of practitioners and interpretation of the literature on both topics. An unanticipated finding that emerged from research discussions conducted with practitioners revealed that their experiences of working within the care system created a sense of adversity for them and challenged their resilience, with many parallels between their responses and their observations of the distress and trauma of children in care. The necessity to understand these practitioners? experiences more deeply led to a further exploration of literature that described the impact of working in such adverse settings. This exploration uncovered the notion of vicarious traumatisation, a phenomenon that affects workers who are in continual contact with the trauma of others. An indepth discussion of this concept is provided outlining its relevance to this study. The implications of the impact of the adversity of the care environment on professionals are summarised in the final chapter of the study together with recommendations in the areas of both practice and research.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--McMaster University, 2003. / Advisor: John Ferns. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 232-241). Also available via World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Erskine Theological Seminary, 2006. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 98-103).

This study evaluated instruction and feedback on completion of data collection by licensed specialized Foster Parents caring for children with developmental disabilities and mental health issues. Instructions were delivered at the beginning of the intervention for three licensed specialized Foster Parents by providing them with a Foster Parent Handbook (FPH), and feedback was provided weekly based on the data collected by the Foster Parents. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to demonstrate the effects of instruction with frequent feedback, and an intervention fading phase was conducted by withdrawing the feedback component of the intervention several weeks following the intervention. The results showed an increase for each of the participants from 0% data completion in the baseline phase to 100% data completion in the intervention phase, with mean compliance of 92% during the fading phase. This study provides support for a packaged intervention for increasing data collection by Foster Parents that is less intensive than the traditional behavioral approaches to caregiver training.