Family foster care is the main resource of alternative care for children in South Africa. The researcher is of the opinion, and is supported in this by literature, that very little is known about the dynamics within the foster family and its effects on the different family members. Of special interest to the researcher is to understand what happens in the lives of birth children of foster parents when they have to share their “world” with a foster child. Up till now little attention has been given to the children who are directly involved in the fostering process. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of birth children in the foster care system within the context of the family systems theory. The qualitative method implemented in the research made it possible to come to an understanding of the effects of fostering on these children and to give a true description to their voices. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

Family foster care is the main resource of alternative care for children in South Africa. The researcher is of the opinion, and is supported in this by literature, that very little is known about the dynamics within the foster family and its effects on the different family members. Of special interest to the researcher is to understand what happens in the lives of birth children of foster parents when they have to share their “world” with a foster child. Up till now little attention has been given to the children who are directly involved in the fostering process. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of birth children in the foster care system within the context of the family systems theory. The qualitative method implemented in the research made it possible to come to an understanding of the effects of fostering on these children and to give a true description to their voices. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

The child protection system includes foster care. Yet some foster children are neglected, physically or emotionally abused and are used to obtain Foster Care Grants. The essence of this study is to develop a thorough and comprehensive understanding from the frame of reference of social workers on the factors that contribute to the neglect and abuse of foster children as well as their suggestions about possible interventions. The qualitative research approach was applied. The researcher utilised purposive sampling to select social workers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather information and data was analysed. It is clear from the findings that the foster care system needs to be reviewed to minimise or stop neglect and abuse of foster children. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

Uppsatsens syfte är att genom familjehemsföräldrars berättelser få en ökad kunskap och fördjupad förståelse för hur eftervården tillämpas i praktiken gällande ungdomar i åldern 18 - 23 år som varit placerade i familjehem. För att uppnå studiens syfte har en kvalitativ forskningsansats använts och det empiriska materialet har framtagits genom kvalitativa intervjuer. Inom studien genomfördes sex semistrukturerade intervjuer med totalt åtta familjehemsföräldrar. Under intervjuerna var temaområden vägledande: familjehemsföräldrars bild av dagens "stöd och hjälp efter avslutad  placering”/ eftervård, familjehemsföräldrars upplevelse av ungdomarnas behov av eftervård, samt familjehemsföräldrars syn på sin funktion i eftervården. Utifrån Meads symboliska interaktionism samt Bowlbys anknytingsteori analyserades det empiriska materialet. Resultatet visar att familjehemsföräldrarna ser behovet av ett långvarigt stöd för denna målgrupp, men anser att det som idag finns inte kan kallas eftervård. Vår slutsats är att det finns stora brister i eftervården för ungdomar som har varit placerade i familjehem, samt att insatser som finns inte är funktionellt utformade för denna målgrupp. För att detta ska kunna förändras krävs att ungdomarnas och familjehemsföräldrarnas behov i eftervården blir synliga. Familjehemsföräldrars uppdrag i eftervården behöver även utvecklas och förstärkas. / The purpose of the essay is to gain an increased knowledge and in-depth understanding of the use of aftercare in the practice of adolescents aged 18 - 23, who have been placed in a family home, through foster parents stories. To achieve the aim of the study, a qualitative research approach has been used and the empirical material has been developed through qualitative interviews. The study was conducted by six semistructured interviews of eight foster parents in total. During the interviews, thematic areas were indicative: foster parents view of “support and help after leaving care” a.k.a. aftercare, foster parents perception of adolescent need for aftercare and the foster parents view of their function in the aftercare. The empirin was analyzed based on concepts within Mead´s symbolic interactionism and Bowly´s theory of attachment. The result shows that foster parents see the need for a long term support for this target group, but believes that the existing support after leaving care cannot be called aftercare. Our conclusion is that there are major shortcomings in the aftercare of adolescents who have been placed in foster families, and that efforts that are available are not functionally designed for this target group. In order for this to change, it is necessary that the adolescents and foster parents needs of the aftercare are highlighted. The foster parents assignments in the aftercare need also to be developed and strengthened.

The purpose of this study was to identify to what degree specific factors influence the level of satisfaction experienced by foster parents whose foster children are recieving mental health services from agencies that they have been referred to by a Coming of Age Foster Family Agency.

本研究採用質性研究方法來探討寄養家庭親生子女對於家庭寄養服務的感受及其經驗，研究共選取九位寄養家庭親生子女進行深度訪談。本研究的研究目的為：第一，了解寄養家庭親生子女對於家庭寄養服務的感受；第二，了解寄養家庭親生子女對於寄養兒少的看法；第三，了解家庭寄養服務經驗對寄養家庭親生子女所造成的影響以及衝擊；第四，了解寄養家庭親生子女獲得哪些協助，以減緩寄養兒少所帶來的衝擊。本研究與台灣世界展望會台北家庭服務中心以及台灣兒童暨家扶基金會合作，選取符合的寄養家庭親生子女參與研究，研究結果如下：一、大致而言，寄養父母親以及寄養家庭親生子女在寄養安置之前的事前準備工作是缺乏的；二、本研究主要從「寄養前」以及「寄養後」來了解親生子女對於寄養服務的感受，在「寄養前」親生子女可能會主動「開心且期待」的接受，但也可能是被動「遵從但不反對」來面對父母親擔任寄養家庭的決定；「寄養後」，親生子女以「一體兩面」、「樂在其中」、「置身事外」來詮釋自己在寄養服務經驗過程中的感受；三、寄養家庭親生子女主要以「家人」、「朋友」的方式來看待寄養兒少，其中親生子女會因「彼此的年齡差距」、「寄養兒少性別」、「寄養家庭親生子女同享的想法」、「寄養兒少的行為問題」而影響自己對於寄養兒少的態度與互動；四、寄養經驗對於寄養家庭親生子女會造成「家庭生活」以及「個人層面」上的影響；五、針對寄養家庭親生子女所需的協助與需求提出相關的建議。最後，根據本研究結果，針對寄養實務提出相關建議。 / This study utilizes qualitative research to investigate feelings and experiences of biological children of foster parents in the foster family. Nine biological children of foster parents have been selected for in-depth interviews. There are four objectives of the current study: First, biological children’s feeling to the family foster service; Second, biological children’s opinion to foster children; Third, the impact of the experiences on the biological children; Fourth, what services are provided to help the biological children? The World vision and the Taiwan Fund for children and Families assist and provide subjects for the research. The findings are as followed: 1. In general, foster parents and biological children are lack of preparation for the placement of the foster children; 2.The feelings of the biological children are different between “ before” and “after” of the foster. “Before the foster”, biological children may initially accept it, but they may passively obey and silence to face it; “after the foster”, biological children may explain their feeling or experience by “one integrity with both sides”, “enjoy in it” or “ stay out of it”; 3.The biological children of foster parents regard foster children as their parents or friends in the family. The attitude is affected by age difference, foster children’s gender, opinion of the biological children, and problem behavior of the foster children; 4.The impact of experiences on biological children has been twofold: the family life level and the individual level; 5.Finally, the help of the service need are suggested. The study may provide some suggestions based on the research result for future foster family those who engage in foster services and practices.

Thesis (Psy.D.)--James Madison University, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references.

Syftet med studien är att ta reda på hur anknytningen med familjehemsföräldrarna och kontakten med socialtjänsten påverkar ett barn vid en familjehemsplacering och vidare in i vuxenlivet. Dessutom studeras även hur god anknytning främjar en familjehemsplacering och kontakten med socialtjänsten. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och fem intervjuer med vuxna personer som bott i familjehem har genomförts. Delar av Bowlbys anknytningsteori och Antonovskys (2010) föreställning om KASAM användes vid analys av uppsatsens empiri. Resultatet visar att samtliga intervjupersoner har upplevt en trygg anknytning till familjehemsföräldrarna när de var placerade som barn. En trygg anknytning i familjehemmet grundar sig på regler, rutiner, engagemang och samhörighet mellan det placerade barnet och familjehemsföräldrarna. Barn med en otrygg anknytning får det svårare att skapa nya relationer och utveckla en trygg relation till familjehemsföräldrarna vid en familjehemsplacering. I socialtjänstlagen står det att alla barn som placeras i familjehem ska ha en socialsekreterare som kontaktperson (2015:982). Familjehemsplacerade barn behöver en socialsekreterare som de känner tillit till, för att öka möjligheterna till att utveckla bra relationer i familjehemmet och att upptäcka eventuella missförhållanden. / The purpose of this study is to examine how the connection with the foster parents and the contact with the social services affects a child during a foster care placement and later in life. Furthermore, it also examines how good connection favours a foster care placement and the contact with the social services. For the study, a qualitative method was used. Five interviews took place with adults who have, at some point during their childhood, been in foster care. Parts of Bowlbys attachment theory and Antonovskys (2010) idea of KASAM was used to analyze the study’s empirics. The result shows that all adults who got interviewed in this study felt they had good relations with the foster parents and felt safe in their presence during the time they spent in foster care. Four guidelines for a good relationship between a child and their foster parents has showed to be rules, structure, commitment and affinity. Children who feel insecure with their current relations have a harder time building new relations and will have a tough time creating good relations within the foster home. The Social Service Act demands that every child in foster care shall be assigned a social secretary (2015:982). Children who has been placed in foster care needs a social secretary that they feel they can trust, this will increase the possibility of good relations within the foster home.

D.Cur. / The occupation of the SOS mother, which involves long-term care for orphaned and abandoned children under the SOS Children's Villages organisation, is unique and peculiar in many respects. She is expected to play a dual role of being a foster parent and a childcare professional, at the same time. The latter presents challenges of its own because the professional status is only recognised internally by the organisation. In one way or another, most of the children for which the SOS mother is responsible, have been exposed to some form of trauma. The problems of caring and parenting such children are well documented in the literature. These include learning and behaviour problems. For this reason, the mental health of the SOS mother, who is the focus of this study, should be of special interest to mental health practitioner. The motivation for this study arises out of a change that the organisation is trying to enforce in the work of the SOS mother. This change comes with the release of the new quality standards to guide village work. One of these standards, the SOS mother's autonomy, requires the SOS mother, like any mother in the community to take full responsibility for her SOS family, including the development of the children under her care. When she needs help, she seeks expert advice from village co-workers and from the community. In addition, the career of the SOS mother has to be developed so that she functions like a childcare professional and that her training is recognised by the government and other training institutions. This represents a big change from how most SOS villages have been operating. Up to this point, village co-workers made important decisions about the SOS family and the children while the SOS mother did the caring part. The change is expected to affect the interactions between SOS mothers and their co-workers and consequently, their mental health. For this reason, it was felt that there was a need to facilitate the implementation of the SOS mother's autonomy standard, which would also promote the mental health of the SOS mothers. The purpose of this research was, therefore, to develop and describe a model that would serve as a framework for the advanced psychiatric nurse practitioner to promote the mental health of SOS mothers by facilitating the implementation of the SOS mother's autonomy within SOS Children's Villages of Southern Africa Region 11. The research also focused on developing guidelines for the implementation of the model in practice.

No description available.