A qualitative research study was undertaken within a participatory action research design in order to identify the role of the social worker in the advancement of relationships between parents with challenging social circumstances and teachers in a rural community. By making use of visual aids, the discussion groups with parents, teachers and members of the community could be facilitated and it was during these discussion groups that they could describe their experiences with regard to parent-teacher-relationships in the specific rural community. From the data that was collected several challenging social circumstances in the home and school context were identified that can hamper parents’ involvement in school activities as well as parent-teacher-relationships. During the cooperation with the members of the community several responsibilities were attributed to social workers through which they can contribute to the advancement of relationships between parents with challenging social circumstances and teachers in the specific rural community. The responsibilities attributed to social workers include addressing the challenging social circumstances that parents and children experience, supporting parents in their parenting roles, informing parents on the importance of schooling and a vision for the future for their children, empowering parents and children with regard to their rights to education and their rights within the school context and equipping teachers to be able to handle challenging social circumstances in the community. The ways in which social workers can act as social brokers, teachers, facilitators, mediators and advocates in terms of these responsibilities are also discussed. / MSW, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

A qualitative research study was undertaken within a participatory action research design in order to identify the role of the social worker in the advancement of relationships between parents with challenging social circumstances and teachers in a rural community. By making use of visual aids, the discussion groups with parents, teachers and members of the community could be facilitated and it was during these discussion groups that they could describe their experiences with regard to parent-teacher-relationships in the specific rural community. From the data that was collected several challenging social circumstances in the home and school context were identified that can hamper parents’ involvement in school activities as well as parent-teacher-relationships. During the cooperation with the members of the community several responsibilities were attributed to social workers through which they can contribute to the advancement of relationships between parents with challenging social circumstances and teachers in the specific rural community. The responsibilities attributed to social workers include addressing the challenging social circumstances that parents and children experience, supporting parents in their parenting roles, informing parents on the importance of schooling and a vision for the future for their children, empowering parents and children with regard to their rights to education and their rights within the school context and equipping teachers to be able to handle challenging social circumstances in the community. The ways in which social workers can act as social brokers, teachers, facilitators, mediators and advocates in terms of these responsibilities are also discussed. / MSW, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Presented diploma thesis deals with the problematics of communication between the social workers and the children or adolescents. The first three chapters introduce theoretical starting points serving as the base for the following research. Attention is paid to the characteristics of social work, including its legislative definition and methods and techniques with regard to their use in contact with the child's client. The thesis also brings forward the role of the social worker. Briefly, the specifications of the child's age, that are to be taken into account in terms of social work, are addressed - mainly attachment issues and developmental aspects. The fourth chapter is spent on description of the survey involving 19 social workers from the South Bohemian Region. The survey showed, the social workers are familiar with the principles of social work with the children and adolescents and they are careful to follow them in practice. In communication with the children and adolescents they focus mainly on non-verbal communication, recognizing the difference between a child and an adolescent. Due to the respondents, the most important is the social worker's authenticity, the creation and maintenance of secure relationship and the consistency of verbal and non-verbal communication. Unfortunately, the social workers are mostly not interested in expanding their competencies in connection with the acquisition of new social work techniques suitable for communication with the children and adolescents.

The diploma thesis "The possibilities of school social work in tertiary education in the Czech Republic" analyses the possibilities of introducing the profession of a social worker into the Czech university education system. The first part of the thesis is focused on presenting general issues of school social work. Moreover, the development of school social work in the Czech Republic is described and compared to the experience in other countries where school social work has a long tradition. The second part is dedicated to the specifics of university environment, its problems and its potential. The differences between the client target groups in secondary and tertiary education are explained. The last section of the thesis defines the roles and competences of school social workers at universities. The definition of a university social worker is created with regard to the worker's activities and specialization. Keywords: Social work; school social work; university education; role of school social worker; system of university support

The diploma thesis deals with the possibilities of implementation of school social work to the elementary schools in the Czech Republic. In the introduction, the thesis focuses on general inside of issues of school social work and the role of school social worker is characterized here. It also focuses on possible problems with implementation of school social work. In the next part, the diploma thesis deals with the practice of school social work in foreign countries and also with the current state of school counseling in the Czech Republic. Diploma thesis also focuses on legislative system and it suggests the possible future form of school social work in the Czech Republic. The conclusion outlines the proposal of specialized education program for school social workers in the Czech Republic.

This diploma thesis deals with the care of people with mental illness. It describes the individual approaches (services and methods) that are used today in working with people with experience of mental illness, and connects these approaches with the role of a social worker. The theoretical part deals with the development of care for people with mental illness, describes the possibilities of services and approaches in mental health care. Then the work defines the term "recovery" and characterizes the "Recovery College", in the country of authors and in the world, as one of the most modern approaches in the care of people with mental illness. The aim of the work is to find out what benefits and differences are perceived between Recovery College and other approaches in the care of people with mental illness by peer lecturers and employees of Recovery College in Prague. In-depth interviews with open-ended questions were used for the solution. Research has shown that Recovery College has a wide range of benefits not only for peer lecturers but also for students - people with experience of mental illness or for society in general. Recovery College is a place for recovery that gives hope to people. Peer lecturers perceive many differences between Recovery College and other approaches which have their...

Palliative care is one of the crucial services provided by social workers to improve the quality of life of people suffering from life-threatening illnesses. It is an inter-disciplinary medical care giving approach which focuses on relieving symptoms and stress of life threatening illness. To my knowledge there is limited guidelines on how social workers should intervene in providing palliative care services. Therefore, this study will the explore experiences of social workers in rendering palliative care services to people faced with life-threatening illnesses. The study will follow a qualitative research approach. Purposive and snowball sampling will be employed to frame the sample of social workers who render palliative care services. Ethical issues regarding informed consent, confidentiality/anonymity and management of information will be considered and attended to. Data will be collected through semi structured interviews and analysed in terms of Tesch eight steps. The Guba and Lincoln’s model will be employed for data verification (Lincoln and Guba in Schurink, Fouché and de Vos 2011:419-421). / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)