The topic of the research is derived from the researcher‟s own interest as a social worker and observations of reality within youth-headed families. Over the past few years the number of published studies on child and youth-headed households has grown out of the realisation that this multi-faceted phenomenon is growing in numbers and complexity. Most of these studies and reports concentrate on the issue of scale and the severity of the crisis of child and youth-headed households (UNICEF, 2002; Maqoko & Dryer, 2007 & Kuhanen, Shemeikka, Notkola & Nghixulifwa, 2008). These studies reveal the complex nature of the phenomenon of child and youth-headed families and the challenges that face young people within these families which impact on their growth and development. In most of the studies, the phenomenon of child and youth-headed households has been reported to have an impact on societal framework as a result of its complexity (UNICEF, 2002, 2008; van Dijk, 2008; Kuhanen et al., 2008; Evans, 2010). Over the past years there has been a steady increase in studies that has focussed on coping and resilience of children and young people. Many of these studies have identified resilience-related factors through quantitative ecological approaches to research. To date, there seems to be very few qualitative studies that have been undertaken to delineate the construct of resilience in child and youth-headed families within the South African context from the perspectives of children and young people growing up in these families (Beeka, 2008; Nkomo, 2008; Leatham, 2005). McCubbin (1999, in Smith 2006:48) argues that qualitative research is well suited to understanding processes and strategies in the study of resilience. This study therefore corresponds to McCubbin‟ calling by employing a qualitative research to the study of resilience in youth-headed families. The first goal of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences and needs of youth-headed families in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, as well as to enhance understanding of the protective factors and processes within youth-headed families and their environment that enable them to cope with their circumstances. The secondary goal of this study was to formulate practice guidelines for supporting members of youth-headed families that could be used by social workers and other service providers rendering services to these families in order to enhance their coping and resilience. The following objectives were formulated to guide the research process: - To explore and describe the experiences and needs of youth-headed families; - To explore the perceptions of community members regarding the needs of youth-headed families, as well as their perceptions regarding how these needs are addressed at community level; - To identify and describe the protective factors and/or processes within individual members of youth-headed families, their families and community context that promote the coping and resilience of youth-headed families; - To explore the views of service providers rendering services to youth-headed families regarding the nature of interventions and programmes rendered to these families; - To review the literature on existing family support programmes in order to identify good practice examples to inform the formulation of practice guidelines for supporting members of youth-headed families.

D.Ed. / The purpose of this inquiry was to explore perceptions and practices of family well-being in the context of child-headed families, and to propose a comprehensive framework that would be beneficial for supportive, educational interventions in the families. This inquiry was conducted among orphans living in two child-headed families. Family life of the orphans was the major focus of this study. All the resources from within a family, the activities, interactions and the way a family organizes and plans determines the well-being of individuals in the family. The specific characteristic of this inquiry is that it captures phenomena around human group way of life (families) and human conduct (lived experiences, interactions and behaviours). It is for this reason that the qualitative ethnographic design was employed and a Grounded Theory Approach of analysis was used to inductively derive a comprehensive framework for the facilitation of well-being in the child-headed families who participated in this study. Data generation was done through in-depth interviews, small group discussions, visual and imagery observation, and theoretical sampling. Interviews were conducted with orphans 12 years and older and for orphans under the age of 12 years observations were employed for ethical compliance. The grounded theory analysis included initial coding, focused coding, axial coding, identifying main categories and memo writing to develop the framework.

Ideas of childhood and citizenship stood at the center of the Soviet Union’s empire-building project during the 1920s and 1930s. After the 1917 Revolution the Bolsheviks were faced with the challenge of establishing a new state structure and governing a vast territory inherited from its tsarist predecessor. In the early years of the Soviet project, new leaders enlisted a cadre of professionals tasked with not only creating the norms of childhood and the everyday, but also implementing policies to modernize habits and values of the empire’s younger citizens. To understand how children became a prime focus of Soviet imperial and ethno-cultural politics, my dissertation employs discourse analysis and compares the ways in which Soviet imperial policies were implemented in two ethnically different regions: the Buddhist Republic of Kalmykia as the colonial case study and Moscow as the Metropole. The current project examines newspapers, treatises, and inspectors’ reports over the span of twenty years. It finds that the Bolsheviks’ initial values and discourses in the realm of children’s education, health, leisure and nutrition, all which were scientifically designed to transform children into ideal Soviet and modern citizens, changed over time as a result of the competing ideologies among local elites and the challenges they faced while intervening in children’s everyday lives. The most significant conclusion in this dissertation reveals that, contrary to previous scholarly arguments, the modernization projects that took place in Moscow and Kalmykia were more similar in the challenges and outcomes that local officials faced when implementing state policies.

The purpose of this constructivist research study was to examine the idea of returning to the orphanage system, as a placement option for children who have been removed from their homes. The authors felt that this was especially important since lawmakers have been discussing this option as an answer to the question of welfare reform, and further felt that decisions such as these should not be made without the input of professionals in the social work field.

In Zambia, it is true to say that people are politically free but materially still very poor, 49 years after independence which was attained in 1964. Many people lie below poverty datum-line and those that are, most hit, are the people living in rural areas. Many people are flocking from the rural areas to cities, leaving the old people, women and children in rural areas and in poverty. The levels of poverty in Zambia have reached a crisis, that even the president of Zambia, His Excellence Mr. Michael Chilufya Sata, acknowledged this fact during his parliamentary address to the second session of the 11th National assembly broadcast live on Zambia National broadcasting Network in September 2012. The church is challenged by conditions under which the rural dwellers find themselves in. As a church, our political liberation is to be transformed and driven by the will to restructuring and healing our society; thus ultimately developing those individuals who are suffering in the rural areas of the country. In Zambia, the church should accept that the missionaries who brought the gospel from western countries worked very well in the area of community development. The missionaries’ work and their care for the poor should inspire the churches today to be willing to help the poor rural people to be transformed. The good thing the United Church of Zambia could learn from the early missionaries is that the Christian church needs to be committed and involved in the plight of the poor. The church cannot ignore the socio – economic issues that affect rural poor communities. The United Church of Zambia should be transformed and made to understand that human liberation is not possible, if the political and economic issues are not equally addressed, a human being is not only the soul but also, consist of body and mind. The Christian church must bring a holistic ministry to the suffering people. The church; especially the United Church of Zambia, should understand that economic freedom is a reality which cannot be separated from people’s daily life. The church should learn to listen and act as ‘a midwife’ and a place of safety. She must be willing to suffer with the poor, for the sake of the poor. While the church is committed to development issues, let it also not lose sight of spiritual issues. Therefore, the church leadership should serve as a role model in human and community development. The Christian church should use the gospel to change the mind-set of the rural poor in order to help them transform their living standards. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Practical Theology / unrestricted

Child and Youth Care is another profession that falls under the social services sector. A contextualization of child and youth care field within the broader socio-economic South African context is presented. In particular, the contribution of child and youth care as a unique field is outlined in this study. The ecological systems theory was used as the theoretical framework to underpin the study. This theory acknowledges that child and youth care as a field and child and youth care workers as professionals are not working in isolation, but are affected by the socio-economic dynamics within the broader macro-system. In the context of applied research, this study investigated the challenges and coping strategies of child and youth care workers in the South African context. Qualitative methodology was used to allow participants some reflection on the challenges experienced and coping strategies used by them. By utilizing the collective case study design, 11 focus group interviews were conducted in six provinces of South Africa to collect data from 93 participants. The participants were employed in government organisations and non-governmental organisations. Participants further represented child and youth care workers from rural, semi-urban and urban areas. Findings revealed that child and youth care workers are faced with an array of challenges which fall under the following categories: psycho-social challenges, professional challenges and socio-economic challenges. Under each of these categories, a range of themes and sub-themes have emerged. Themes and sub-themes that emerged under psycho-social challenges are as follows: inability to disengage from work environment, disengagement from socialisation activities, personal trauma, invasion of personal boundaries and emotional well-being issues. Coping strategies that emerged are: non-existent coping mechanisms, personal mission, substance use and quitting. Under the professional challenges category, the following themes have emerged: dealing with clients’ behaviours, personal risk, lack of tangible and immediate results, poor stakeholder relations, lack of clarity on the role and title of the child and youth care worker, inconsistent job requirements, lack of recognition, lack of training and promotion opportunities and inadequate working conditions. To cope with these challenges, the following strategies have emerged: non-existent coping mechanisms, personal support networks and professional support networks. A range of concepts emerged under each of the sub-themes. The specific features of the sub-theme ‘personal support networks’ include: rationalizing, self-protection and self-care. Coping strategies under professional support networks include: colleagues, team meetings, supervision, and psychological support systems. Challenges that emerged under socio-economic category are: inadequate remuneration structures and inadequate programme funding. To cope with these challenges, it emerged that participants resort to budgeting, formal and informal lending mechanisms, and alternative income generating streams. Upon closer inspection of all the challenges, the study revealed that many of these challenges originate from child and youth care workers not being fully recognised as professionals. Formal recognition of this category of workers will go a long way in resolving a number of challenges raised by the participants. It is also assumed that when registered, child and youth care workers will experience better working conditions which will also enable them to be remunerated properly in line with their counterparts within the social service professions. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Social Work and Criminology / PhD / Unrestricted

This study aims to identify referral criteria for music therapy which can be used at an institution for children affected by HIV / AIDS in South Africa. The purpose of this research is a) to identify the needs of institutionalised children and how music therapy can be applied to treat these needs; b) to establish the current referral process in this institution; and c) to develop referral criteria which can be used to refer these children to music therapy. Interviews conducted with different staff members at the institution, as well as a music therapist who worked at the institution, showed that some of the needs, challenges and resulting behaviours of the children are not currently referred to music therapy. This study shows that music therapy can be used to address a wide range of these difficulties. / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Music / MMus / Unrestricted

This study was a situation analysis of the socio-economic conditions of orphans and vulnerable children in Dessie Town. Specifically the study assessed the educational attainment, economic status, social isolation, adjustment, discrimination and psycho-social status of OVCs, the characteristics of the care-givers of OVCs and the support systems for OVCs. Therefore, 270 OVCs, 130 guardians and 4 OVCs service-providing organisations were selected as respondents. A survey research design was used. The study found that OVCs and their households faced problems such as school dropout, low educational performance; economic and food insecurity, lack of adequate clothing; social isolation and emotional hardships due to separation of siblings; discrimination, and neglect. Children’s housing conditions, toilet facilities, and access to clean water and health facilities were poor. The majority of guardians were unemployed and unable to fulfil the needs of the OVCs in their care. It is recommended that support systems for OVCs be strengthened. / Sociology / M.A. (Sociology)

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The growing interest in the well-being of children who have been orphaned due to HIV/AIDS is widely reflected in the emerging body of research. Children orphaned by AIDS-related causes are identified as a vulnerable population of youth who display lower levels of psychosocial well-being and experience increased psychosocial distress. While HIV-related stigma remains a salient risk factor hindering the psychosocial well-being of children orphaned by AIDS, the concept remains elusive and poorly understood. Hence, the call for a comprehensive understanding to support an effective response to stigma reduction, and for the systematic identification and response to the psychosocial needs and challenges of children in the context of HIV/AIDS. The overall aim of this study was therefore to develop a model to understand the manner in which HIV-related stigma affects the psychosocial well-being of children orphaned by AIDS. A mixed method, exploratory, sequential design situated within a theory generative research approach was implemented in four sequential phases geared towards model development. The specific objectives of this study were to: (1) review existing literature focusing on the relationship between HIV-related stigma and the psychosocial well-being of children orphaned by AIDS (systematic review); (2) explore children orphaned by AIDS perceptions and experiences of HIV-related stigma (qualitative exploratory design); (3) develop a model that offers an understanding of the manner in which HIV-related stigma affects the psychosocial well-being of children orphaned by AIDS (a theory generative design); and (4) determine the functionality of the developed model through the use of the Delphi technique (a modified Delphi technique). The systematic review conducted in Phase I indicated the presence of HIV-related stigma, which inhibited the psychosocial well-being of children orphaned by AIDS. The findings further highlighted the mediating role of maladaptive coping strategies and social support likely to reduce healthy psychosocial well-being and cause psychosocial distress among children orphaned by AIDS. Similarly, the findings arising from the qualitative exploration in Phase II indicated that children orphaned by AIDS were highly perceptive and experienced HIV-related stigma as a result of parental illness and death. These experiences negatively affected the psychological, emotional, and social well-being, self-concept and self-esteem, and future orientation of children orphaned by AIDS. The theory generative design in Phase III identified, classified, and defined six focal concepts upon which the model is based, namely, (1) enacted stigma, (2) perceived stigma, (3) internalized stigma, (4) coping strategies, (5) psychosocial well-being, and (6) interpersonal relations. The developed relationship statements of the model indicated: (1) the bidirectional relationship between enacted, perceived, and internalized stigma; (2) the mediating role of coping strategies; (3) the direct and indirect influences of HIV-related stigma on the psychosocial well-being of children orphaned by AIDS; and (4) the contextual role of interpersonal relationships in which the process of stigmatization may unfold. The modified Delphi technique conducted in Phase IV indicated that the developed model was simplistic, clear, generalizable, accessible, and important for use in research and practice. The developed model will aid future studies by providing a theoretical lens through which HIV-related stigma and its influence on the psychosocial well-being of children orphaned by AIDS may be viewed. HIV-related stigma should be considered strongly when addressing the well-being of orphaned children, so that tailored programs, interventions, and services may be set in place to effectively bring about the reduction of stigma and ensure the psychosocial well-being of children. The recommendations set out serves to further inform practice and programs and form a baseline for future empirical research focusing on HIV-related stigma and the psychosocial well-being of children orphaned by AIDS.

Uganda is one of the first African countries affected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the early 1980s. The country did not have the resources to provide the required treatments and prevent the spread of the virus. The poor and sometimes non-existent health care services increased the spread of HIV in the country, especially in rural areas where some communities are hard to reach. This study sought to explore the services and support offered to children in different Ugandan communities, as well as to understand their perceptions about these interventions. Structured interviews using a mapping technique with 15 children aged between 13 and 17 years were conducted in five districts in Jinja town. Direct observations were also conducted in five different sub-counties through The AIDS Support Organization (TASO). Content qualitative analysis was used to capture the children’s perceptions. There were 6 themes identified in this study: 1) Children identified family, friends, pastors and teachers as key actors in their social circle as people who are respecting their rights; 2) Chairpersons were crucial to the daily functionality of their communities, where they provide safety and consultation services; 3) Although some children acknowledged the presence of local, national and international organizations for developing and implementing projects, most children were unaware of the presence, specific functionalities, or the operation centres of the organizations. In consort, they were unaware of the services out there designed to help vulnerable children; 4) Children had various sex disaggregated responsibilities, from financial support for their families (girls) to subsistence activities (boys). Work responsibilities and childbearing expectations hindered girls from staying in school after the secondary level; 5) Children felt more comfortable discussing perceived delicate and sensitive topics (e.g. secrets) with friends. Children were least comfortable expressing their opinions with adults to whom they could not relate (e.g. educational aspirations). Children were mainly afraid to openly discuss sensitive and difficult topics with adults due to fears of the negative consequences, such as physical beatings, of disobedience; 6) Unavailability and inaccessibility of secondary and post-secondary schools in remote communities hindered children from receiving education past primary levels. Our findings revealed some key challenges that vulnerable children in Uganda can face, including discomfort and fear about speaking with adults, responsibilities and unavailability or inaccessibility of education, as well as the lack of knowledge and awareness of the available services. Our findings also revealed some central, positive influences in the children’s lives, including friends, some family, teachers, and pastors. These findings can help to reduce the contextual uncertainties in the study communities and to inform targeted interventions that utilize the positive influences to help vulnerable children address and overcome the key challenges. Future studies should be conducted to understand whether the responsibilities of children towards the adults could affect the protection of their rights as they might be limited to some services or simply not aware of them.