Magister Artium (Child and Family Studies) - MA(CFS) / Kinship foster care in South Africa, whereby orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) are being cared for by their biological relatives, is increasing. The significant increase in kinship foster care has a strong correlation to the high rates of HIV/AIDS-related deaths, resulting in a high prevalence of children who are vulnerable and orphaned. Social workers are mandated to seek alternative care placements for such OVC, prioritising kinship care as opposed to foster care with non-biological families. However, such kinship foster care, in which children are likely to be placed in the care of their grandparents, as common practice in South Africa, is not without challenges relating to family dynamics, especially when foster children become teenagers.

The subject of the presented thesis focuses on foster care exercised by children´s relatives. The target is to ascertain possible different roles in kinship foster care and different attitudes to the aforementioned, record the experience of kinship care givers, their viewing and experiencing of childcare. I wanted to know if fostering had brought any positives into their lives and on the other hand if there are any negatives related to such care. The theoretic part of my thesis describes the history of foster care in different periods, explains the terms like family, social role and attachment. Furthermore, particular forms of foster care are explained and foster care exercised by children´s relatives is described in more details. Attention is also paid to the relationship and contact between a child and his/her parents. The Authority for social and legal protection of children (OSPOD in Czech) has an essential role in foster care together with assisting organizations, which are described in the last chapter of the theoretic part. I used qualitative methodology for research purposes and semi-structured interviews for collection of data. The research file contained eight respondents which were selected based on simple purpuseful sampling. The research file consisted of foster parents caring for children of their relatives. I determined reasons why the children had been placed into foster care, how the foster parents experience such care and how they view it themselves. The results of the interview analysis helped me to uncover and understand the basis of kinship foster care. According to similar signs, they were divided into several areas. The first area focused on the reasons why the child had been placed into kinship foster care. The main reasons included various types of addictions, child neglect, failure to provide suitable housing or lack of interest in the child. The second area related to the feelings of foster mothers when accepting the child. Their decision-making process is described here, including their motivation and fears related to fostering. In most cases, foster mothers had enough time for making their decisions on fostering. Half of the foster mothers found it natural; the other half had ambivalent feelings for it. The third area is dedicated to changes in wider personal relationships and relationships in the family, in particular, to the impact of foster care on relations between partners and the potential influence on the relationship of foster parents with their own children. Relations with biologic children of the foster parents had an important role as well. The fourth area includes basic characteristics of childcare. Most foster mothers noticed significant changes in their lives. Foster care had a negative impact on the quality of their lives but it principally became a source of vitality and optimism for them. Foster mothers faced problem situations related to intergenerational differences, behaviour of children and problems at school. They also worried often about the future of their foster children. Some foster mothers accepted the role of a mother that predominated over their other life roles. Others had no problems in separating their roles and shifting from one role to another. Most conflicts in the role appeared when the child was fostered by his/her grandmother. The last area contains conditions that have helped foster mothers to reduce the burden of foster care. Foster mothers appreciated help of their families, which they preferred, and sufficient financial security. They gladly accepted the help of assisting organizations and the services offered by them. Mandatory education and the possibility to share their experience with other foster parents were of great importance too.

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)

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)

(in English) The aim of this diploma thesis is to map and analyse psychosocial consequences of over-indebtedness and to emphasize on importace komplex solution considering to all aspect. In the introduction of theoretical part are defined professional terms. The other chapters are focused on history of over-indebtedness, the issue of over-indebtedness in the Czech Republic and several other European countries, the providers and the types of financial products, the conditions under which the debt arises, causes of over- indebtedness, the development phase of the debt, insolvency and related legislation. The theoretical part is also focused on dept issue in social work, specifically on providers social services for over-indebtedness people and social services for over-indebtedness people. Followed by a chapter focused on prevention over-indebtedness and chaptes focused on psychosocial consequences. To achieve an aim was used the qualitative research method, specifically questionnaire of half-structured interviews technique. Followed by case reports of respondents, interpretation and analysis of data, discussion and suggestions and recommendations.

Placement of orphans under kinship foster care is a common occurrence in social work practice, especially around Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga Province. Social workers are facing the challenge of an alarming increase in foster care cases due to the HIV and AIDS pandemic in the area. Thus the social workers are trapped in a situation of having to place orphans in kinship foster care, without adequate preparation nor the opportunity to explore the feelings and experiences of being in a child-headed household. This study aimed at exploring and describing the experiences and expectations of orphans who were in charge of child-headed households, regarding their preparation for being placed in kinship foster care and their subsequent placement in such care. Research findings revealed that some orphaned children who had previously been heading a child-headed household and were now placed in kinship foster care were continuing to head the households despite the fact that an order had been issued by the children’s court for them to be under the care and guidance of kin foster parents. The non-involvement of orphaned heads of households in any decisions that affect them emerged in the findings of the study as a critical issue. Another important finding was that some orphaned children in kinship foster care experienced the abuse of the foster care grant by their kin foster parents. The research study has made provision for conclusions and recommendations to all role-players responsible for placing child-headed households in kinship foster care in order to enhance the efficacy of kin foster care placement. / Department of Social Work / M.A. (Social Science (Mental Health))

Placement of orphans under kinship foster care is a common occurrence in social work practice, especially around Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga Province. Social workers are facing the challenge of an alarming increase in foster care cases due to the HIV and AIDS pandemic in the area. Thus the social workers are trapped in a situation of having to place orphans in kinship foster care, without adequate preparation nor the opportunity to explore the feelings and experiences of being in a child-headed household. This study aimed at exploring and describing the experiences and expectations of orphans who were in charge of child-headed households, regarding their preparation for being placed in kinship foster care and their subsequent placement in such care. Research findings revealed that some orphaned children who had previously been heading a child-headed household and were now placed in kinship foster care were continuing to head the households despite the fact that an order had been issued by the children’s court for them to be under the care and guidance of kin foster parents. The non-involvement of orphaned heads of households in any decisions that affect them emerged in the findings of the study as a critical issue. Another important finding was that some orphaned children in kinship foster care experienced the abuse of the foster care grant by their kin foster parents. The research study has made provision for conclusions and recommendations to all role-players responsible for placing child-headed households in kinship foster care in order to enhance the efficacy of kin foster care placement. / Department of Social Work / M.A. (Social Science (Mental Health))

Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) have many devastating impacts, including the growing number of AIDS-orphans left without care. In the study, semi-structured interviews, incomplete sentences and Kinetic family drawings were used to explore the life-experiences and perceptions of AIDS-orphans living in kinship foster care, from a Gestalt perspective. The study revealed that the majority of the AIDS-orphans included were making good contact at the contact boundary and all the respondents were not familiar with the term 'foster care'. The researcher therefore recommended that children are educated about foster care at school, thus possibly increasing the awareness of foster care in South Africa, thus possibly increasing the provision of homes for the vastly growing numbers of AIDS-orphans in our country and perhaps make a difference in society. / Sociology / M. Diac. (Play therapy)

Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) have many devastating impacts, including the growing number of AIDS-orphans left without care. In the study, semi-structured interviews, incomplete sentences and Kinetic family drawings were used to explore the life-experiences and perceptions of AIDS-orphans living in kinship foster care, from a Gestalt perspective. The study revealed that the majority of the AIDS-orphans included were making good contact at the contact boundary and all the respondents were not familiar with the term 'foster care'. The researcher therefore recommended that children are educated about foster care at school, thus possibly increasing the awareness of foster care in South Africa, thus possibly increasing the provision of homes for the vastly growing numbers of AIDS-orphans in our country and perhaps make a difference in society. / Sociology / M. Diac. (Play therapy)