Apart from the significant amount of research based in the perspective of social service workers, parents’ viewpoints of their experiences with children in long-term foster care is notably underrepresented within social science literature. To address this lack in coverage this paper discusses parents’ experiences of compulsory care (LVU) using content analysis drawing on selected comment sections from two internet-based discussion forums, Flashback and Familjeliv. Our main objective was to analyse parents’ descriptions of their relations with the social services and changes in the perceptions of the role of parenting after the emergency removal. Applying the theoretical framework of social trust we sought to achieve a deeper understanding for the parents’ situation. The social trust theory aims at analysing individuals’ trust for the state and state institutions, especially in relation to different social groups. The study shows that the high levels of trust between citizen and authorities, one of the Swedish society’s central trademarks, was not reflected in the material collected concerning parents’ experiences of the so-called social safety net. In line with previous research, parents’ narratives demonstrated a significant distrust for the social services and their descriptions indicated a sense of neglect. Parents’ comments also suggested a lack of understanding for the judgements made by social service workers and the resulting compulsory care.

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The thesis is devoted to the topic of preparatory courses for applicants for foster care. The aim of the thesis is to chart the course of professional preparation of future foster parents and replenish their subjective opinions. The theoretical part refers to the current legislative changes affecting the area of foster care in the Czech republic. It also deals with topics closely related to foster care, such as kinship care, contact with the biological parents or the identity of children in foster care. The following section is focused on the analysis of available training programs for foster parents, their specifics and the related methodological recommendations of Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic. Practical work was supported by DC Paprsek. By the form of semi-structured interviews with applicants for foster care was studied their subjective view of the importance and effectiveness of training courses.

The thesis is a probe into the picture of alternative family care in the Czech Republic, oriented to the foster care. In the theoretical part a description of alternatice foster care for children removed from their biological family is given. It is concerned with vital needs of such children and their psychical deprivation. It tries to show why mothers waive their child and shows some aspects of social work in this field. The practical part of the thesis is concerned with the qualitative research that compares fostering in classical Czech foster families with fostering in special institutions {--} so called Big Foster Families. Research investigations are taken from the point of view of teenaged children being in foster care, and research is based on principles of modern (professional) fostering. The research investigations contain six interviews with children from classical families and four with children from special instituions for foster care. (The research is not concerned with SOS villages) Good quality of the foster care does not depend too much on the fact whether it is provided with a classical foster family or with a fostering institutions. It depends, first and foremost, on the character foster parent, i.e. if he/she is able to create positive relationships with the child and if he/she is able to adopt and accept the child unconditionally.