Statutory involvement with adolescents is based on the assumption that it is a means of serving the adolescent’s best interests. In South African society, the adolescent is placed in a place of safety as an interim measure, until the children’s court investigation is finalized. When the children’s court investigation has been finalized, the adolescent will be placed in a long-term placement for two years at a time. The ideal length of a children’s court investigation is six months. However, the reality is that adolescents remain in places of safety for periods far exceeding the legal and departmental guidelines. The adolescent developmental phase presents unique and varied developmental challenges. Adolescents develop a self-image, self-knowledge and knowledge of how and where they fit into society. The question arises whether placement in a place of safety serves the adolescents’ best interests, or whether it adds to the trauma that the adolescent experiences. The best interests of adolescents can only be served if their experiences within the place of safety placement are the central motivation for care in the place of safety. In order to develop insight into the experience of the adolescent in a place of safety, the researcher conducted a phenomenological study, based on the qualitative research design. The researcher conducted a literature study, which forms the knowledge base for this study. The literature study focuses on adolescents’ developmental tasks and adolescence as seen from a gestalt perspective. When an adolescent is not able to reach the important developmental milestones, this might impact negatively on the adolescent’s adult life. From a gestalt approach, the integrated functioning of the adolescent should form the basis of all care provision. The adolescent can only take control of his or her life if a state of homeostasis or organismic self-regulation has been achieved, by the creation of a full awareness of the self and of the surroundings. The study included in-depth interviews with eight (8) adolescents in places of safety. The in-depth interviews provided the researcher with the opportunity to explore, together with the adolescents, the experiences which they felt were important. By doing so, the researcher could gather data about the adolescents’ experiences from the adolescents’ perspectives. The empirical study, contributed to the knowledge base by providing evidence that the adolescents in a place of safety experience secondary trauma, based on their being ill-informed of the statutory process. Empirical evidence further showed that adolescents experience uncertainty, feelings of depression, isolation, and anxiety in places of safety. Because of the isolation they experience in a place of safety, they are denied the opportunity to feel part of the society, and also to develop a self-image and self-knowledge. Social workers and places of safety need to take responsibility to support adolescents in continuing with their development process in a healthy manner. If the adolescent is not supported in this way, he or she experiences feelings of anger and depression, as well as developmental difficulties, within an environment in which it is difficult to develop optimally. Copyright / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

EXPLORATION OF THE EXPERIENCES OF CHILD CARE WORKERS AS EDUCATORS IN A PLACE OF SAFETY SUMMARY OF THE STUDY: This study aims to explore and describe the experiences of child care workers in their role as educators at a place of safety, in order to gain a better understanding of what they see as their educational task and the difficulties they experience in executing this task. The literature review provides a survey of the purpose of a place of safety, what education of children entails and the specific needs of children who experience trauma in their lives. Some of the factors that influence the way the care workers execute their task as educators, are discussed briefly. This qualitative case study is approached from the interpretative paradigm. Child care workers were engaged in individual interviews and a focus group discussion. The data-analysis leads to the following conclusions: • Although child care workers show understanding for the needs of the children in their care. And have a basic understanding of what education entails, aspects were identified in which they need training and support. • Child care workers show symptoms of burnout and reveal the need for supervision. • The way the institution is managed leaves child care workers dissatisfied, which leads to feelings of passivity, negativity, demotivation and a vengeful attitude. / Dissertation (Magister Educationis (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

The researcher has identified an aspect of the practical implementation of the social services rendered to vulnerable children that required attention. This was that a child’s emotional wellness is influenced by the circumstances in which the child is raied. Children removed from the care of their primary caregiver and placed in alternative care tend to be emotionally needy. Without efficient stimulation, the cycle of unhealthy emotional intelligence will continue from one generation to the next, as children cannot stimulate their own children appropriately when they become parents, if they were never stimulated appropriately themselves. This study dealt with the influence that group work may have on the emotional intelligence of vulnerable children in middle childhood. A literature study was conducted, which contains information regarding group work and the emotional development of children in middle childhood. This information also formed the basis of a questionnaire. The empirical study involved group work with five vulnerable children in middle childhood placed in places of safety under the auspices of Tsenang Homes of Safety. The study was conducted in the onegroup- pre-test-post-test context of the quasi-experimental design. Therefore a pretest was conducted to gain an understanding of the group members’ pre-existing emotional intelligence. After eight group work sessions, two post-tests, utilising the same questionnaire as was used during the pre-test, were conducted by each group member. The pre-test and post-tests results were compared and illustrated in the findings. The empirical data obtained in this study revealed that group work can be utilised to enhance the emotional intelligence of vulnerable children in middle childhood. Therefore, from this study conclusions and recommendations for future studies and practice were formulated. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted