Coercion within parent/child relationships can have lasting effects on the behavior of children. The Family Safety/Applied Behavior Analysis Initiative at the University of South Florida is part of a statewide project designed to serve foster parents and the children in the foster care system, has developed a training program entitled .Parenting Tools for Positive Behavior Change.. To date, the effectiveness of the parenting course has been evaluated in two ways. First, parents have been tested in role-play situations before and after training, and have shown improvements in their use of positive parenting skills. Second, frequency of foster home placement disruptions has been evaluated. The Preliminary results suggest that the parenting course was successful in decreasing the costs associated with placement disruptions, as well as reducing the number decreasing the costs associated with placement disruptions, as well as reducing the number of restrictive placements. Despite the promising results thus far, research has not been conducted to determine whether the parenting course reduces coercion in interactions between parents and children. The present study sought to demonstrate the effectiveness of .Parenting Tools for Positive Behavior Change. training course on the use of positive parenting tools within the context of authentic environments (i.e., within home settings) using parents and biological children. Although all parent participants. appropriate responding improved during the course of the study, results appeared more dramatic for some parents over others. In general, the parent participants seemed to do better in decreasing coercive responses with their child.s appropriate behaviors than their child.s inappropriate behaviors. Overall, affect on the parent.s coercive responses to their children.s behaviors was not as dramatic as the affect on their increase in responding appropriately to their child.s appropriate behaviors. It seems that the increase in more appropriate responses does not necessarily mean that this will also result in dramatic reductions in coercive responses by the parents.

The economical and social changes, the high unemployment and differentiation of inhabitants’ capital influenced an inconsiderable part of families: the birthrate is decreasing and the number of problematic families is decreasing, so the organization of child care is taking a quite important place in the systems of social support. The purpose of work – is to analyze the work with foster-parents (guardians) in the department of children rights protection service of Utena region. The goals of work: 1. To analyze the different literature in the aspect of investigated problem. 2. To clarify the estimations of work with foster-parents (guardians) in the department of children rights protection service of Utena region in the point of view of specialists. 3. To show the learning aspects of foster-parents (guardians). 4. To give recommendations to the specialists of municipality, the social workers of neighborhoods or children care institutions and the social pedagogues of schools. There was used the method of questioning trying to highlight how the foster-parents (guardians) and the specialists who are working with them are estimating the work of the department of children rights protection service of Utena region with the foster-parents (guardians). Also the observation of foster family was done trying to clarify the singularities of foster family. In the theoretical part of work was reviewed the comprehension of child care (ward), the influence of the family to the... [to full text]

Globėjų (rūpintojų) savipagalbos grupė yra grindžiama bendradarbiavimo ir dalijimosi patirtimi principu. Grupės nariai padeda vieni kitiems spręsti iškilusius sunkumus ne tik vaikų, bet ir asmeninius, patys gali sulaukti pagalbos iš grupės vadovų, pasimokyti vieni iš kitų.Atlikus tyrimą paaiškėjo, jog vaikai, globojami šeimose, turi galimybę mokytis savarankiškumo, formuoti įgūdžius, tačiau išlieka galimi sunkumai adaptacijos periodu, pasireiškia sunkiai suvaldoma vaikų agresija, skirtinga patirtis, kas nulemia pokyčius globėjų (rūpintojų) šeimose bei skirtingas socializacijos situacijas. Socialiniai darbuotojai ir globėjai (rūpintojai) savipagalbą traktuoja per panašių problemų sprendimą, norą padėti ne tik sau, bet ir kitiems. Socialinių darbuotojų nuomone, savipagalbos grupių kūrimas ir globėjams (rūpintojams) teikiama pagalba yra prasminga dėl tarpusavio santykių, gerosios patirties, problemų sprendimo mechanizmo. Globėjų (rūpintojų) nuomone, savipagalbos grupėse yra palaikomos jų kompetencijos, kas teigiamai veikia globėjo (rūpintojo) santykius su vaiku, padeda perprasti vaiko poreikius, padeda pagilinti žinias ir leidžia globėjui (rūpintojui) jaustis komandos dalimi globos (rūpybos) situacijoje. / Self-help groups in foster-parenting are based on collaboration and sharing of common experience. Group members help each other in solving not only child related but personal problems as well; they can attain help from the group leaders, and learn from each other. The research revealed that family- fostered children tend to be more independent, they are able to form certain skills. However, some difficulties during period of adaptation remain, including barely manageable aggression, differing life experiences that shape changes in foster families, and different paths of socialization. Social workers and foster parents understand self-help groups as a possibility to solve similar problems, helping oneself and each other. Social workers believe that self-help groups can offer significant improvement in relationships, problem solving, and exchange of good practices. Foster parents believe that in self-help groups they can enhance their competencies, which in turn can improve their relationships with a child, help understanding his/her needs, and enrich their knowledge, helping feel a part of the team in a foster- parenting situation.

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.

The objective of the present study was to explore the experiences of New Zealand non-relative foster carers fostering children with attachment difficulties (indicative of disorders of non-attachment). This objective was achieved using a detailed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (Smith et al., 2009). Analysis revealed five themes evident in carer accounts: expectations versus reality; satisfactions and strains of fostering children with attachment difficulties; attachment relationships and the benefits of information; the impact of others on the caring experience; and negative expectations and future concerns. Overall, these themes suggest that fostering children with attachment difficulties is a complex and challenging experience which significantly impacts carers and their families. While lack of public understanding and public judgement compound the difficulty of the experience, receiving information about fostering and attachment difficulties appears to alleviate it. The five identified themes and their relation to the existing literature are explored in detail in this thesis. Implications for social policy and practice are discussed, and potential future research directions are outlined.

This dissertation describes a study that investigated the perceptions of foster parents and kinship caregivers (grandparents caring for their grandchildren) around contact issues between children in their care and their birth parents in Canterbury, New Zealand. The study employed a qualitative approach for data collection and analysis. The qualitative method of data collection for the study comprised of three focus groups, two with foster parents and one with grandparents. The focus groups were conducted using a modified Nominal Group Technique (NGT) where two questions posed to the participants sought to understand their views about behaviours they noticed in children in their care before and after contact with birth parents. In addition, a further question was asked to gain an understanding around their feelings on contact with birth parents. Findings of the study indicated that foster parents largely described children’s behaviour before and after contact to be distressing and stressful for them, with few positive benefits. Furthermore, foster parents mainly stated strong, negative feelings around contact with biological parents. In the discussion, implications of these results are discussed for foster children, foster parents and social welfare practices.

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.

Studien gjordes i syfte att undersöka hur familjehemsföräldrar kan uppleva att deras uppdrag som familjehem påverkar dem själva, deras biologiska barn och deras relationer. Fokusgruppsintervjuer genomfördes med två grupper innehållande fem familjehemsföräldrar i varje grupp. Fokusgrupperna bestod av fem kvinnor och fem män emellan 33 och 61 år. En intervjuguide och en mindre enkät skapades och användes under intervjuerna som spelades in på ljudfiler. Databearbetningen bestod av en fenomenologisk, hermeneutisk analysmetod. Analysen gav tre slutliga teman: kommunikationens betydelse inom familjehemmet och i dess kontakt med omvärlden utanför hemmet; familjehemsuppdragets positiva och negativa påverkan på grundfamiljens relationer inom och utom familjen och familjehemsuppdragets positiva och negativa effekter på personlig och psykologisk utveckling hos föräldrar och biologiska barn i familjehem. Kommunikation och är ett centralt begrepp i livsvärlden för de i studien deltagande familjehemsföräldrarna. Relationer och psykologisk utveckling påverkas både positiv och negativt. Resultaten i studien är i linje med tidigare forskning och kommunikation, gränssättning och empati visade sig vara användbara verktyg i uppdraget som familjehem för föräldrarna i studien. Uppsatsen generar en modell som fick namnet Familjehemsdynamik. Modellen beskriver vilka effekter uppdraget som familjehem kan ha på individerna i grundfamiljen. / The study was done in order to investigate how foster parents experience how foster care affects themselves, their biological children and their relationships. Focus group interviews were conducted with two groups of five foster parents in each group. The focus groups consisted of five women and five men between 33 and 61 years old. An interview guide and a smaller survey was created and used during the interviews that were recorded on audio files. Data processing consisted of a phenomenological, hermeneutic analysis. The analysis gave three final themes: the importance of communication within the foster home and in their contact with the world outside the home; the impact of foster care on the biological children and their parents' relations within and outside the foster home and the positive and negative impact on personal and psychological development on parents and biological children in foster homes. Communication is a central concept in the foster carers everyday life. Relationships and psychological development is influenced both positively and negatively. The results of the study are in line with previous research. Communication, boundaries and empathy are key elements in foster care. The paper generated a model named Fostering care family dynamics. The model describes potential effects of fostering on the individuals in the biological family.

The purpose of this theoretical study was to examine factors associated with the development of attachment relationships for children in long term foster care who Overt demonstrating problematic sexual behaviour. Due to the dearth in available research on this topic, it was necessary to draw from studies in three distinct areas (1) Attachment, (2) Childhood Sexuality, and (3) Placement Stability. In total, the present study examines 13 studies drawn from these three areas, and includes 11 quantitative and 2 mixed method studies. / These studies were chosen for their attention to the middle age child in foster care who was demonstrating problematic sexual behaviour. Due to the lack of attachment studies on fostered middle age children, two infant studies were included with the rationale that middle age children and foster parents engage in a similar attachment process and infant studies would provide direction and context for future studies with older children. In the area of childhood sexuality, clinical samples were also included as they contained large numbers of children who had experienced sexual abuse or who had contact with child protection agencies even if they did not reside in foster care. / Studies were examined along dimensions of sample, methods and findings. The results of this inquiry are then discussed, weaving together the three areas of study to answer two research questions: Is there a relationship between problematic childhood sexual behaviour and the development of a successful attachment relationship with a foster parent? And secondly, is there a particular foster parent attachment profile that promotes attachment security with children who are in care? / Studies reviewed support the hypothesis that problematic childhood sexual behaviour presents challenges to foster parents significant enough to seriously impair the development of a secure attachment and that the foster parent's attachment state of mind will be an important factor in success. Results of the analysis of these questions contribute to an emerging hypothesis that the human sexual system may be intricately woven together with the attachment system, making an attachment analysis of problematic sexual behaviour in children particular relevant. A concluding discussion examines clinical issues which may be targets of intervention and the necessity of future research in this area is proposed.

Thesis (DPhil(Social Work)--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.