The purpose of this study was to illustrate how social welfare secretaries reason around the decision to place a child in foster care. More specifically it aims to find out what social welfare secretaries think about the childs contact with its biological parents during out-of-home placement. The data was collected through questionnaires that were sent out by mail. The result was analyzed with the conceptions; attachment, separation, dissonance and acting space. As a conclusion the result show that the social welfare secretaries experienced that the biological parents sometimes stood in the way of the childs need. This meant that sometimes the child wasn’t given the best available care. The attachment was a central aspect of the decision. The biological parent was described as a significant part of the out-of-home placement and the contact between the child and the parents was seen as important. Mainly, the social welfare secretaries, didn’t give any motive to why. It seems to be the general opinion that it’s good for the child to be in contact with its biological family. / Uppsatsen handlar om separationer, anknytning och svårigheten att bedöma vad som är i barnets bästa intresse. Familjehemsplaceringar är den vanligaste insatsen som socialtjänsten tillhandahåller. Syftet med studien är att belysa hur socialsekreterare resonerar inför beslut om att placera ett barn i familjehem. De tre forskningsfrågorna är; hur resonerar socialsekreterarna kring barnets behov och föräldrarnas rätt? Hur ser socialsekreterarna på kontakten mellan barnet och de biologiska föräldrarna? Hur beskriver socialsekreterarna sina tankar runt beslutet? Studien är en kvalitativ undersökning där postenkäter har skickats till socialförvaltningar i Sverige. Resultatet analyseras utifrån begreppen; anknytning, separation, dissonans och handlingsutrymme. Resultatet visar att socialsekreterarna upplevde att de biologiska föräldrarnas rätt ibland stod i vägen för barnets behov vilket innebar att barn inte alltid kunde ges bästa tillgängliga vård. Anknytningen mellan barnet och de biologiska föräldrarna kommer fram som en central aspekt i beslutet. De biologiska föräldrarna beskrivs som delaktiga i placeringen. Kontakten mellan barnet och de biologiska föräldrarna är viktig men överlag ges få motiveringar till varför kontakten ska bibehållas. Det tycks vara den allmänna uppfattningen att barnet har behov av kontakt med ursprungsfamiljen.

<p>The purpose of this study was to illustrate how social welfare secretaries reason around the decision to place a child in foster care. More specifically it aims to find out what social welfare secretaries think about the childs contact with its biological parents during out-of-home placement. The data was collected through questionnaires that were sent out by mail. The result was analyzed with the conceptions; attachment, separation, dissonance and acting space. As a conclusion the result show that the social welfare secretaries experienced that the biological parents sometimes stood in the way of the childs need. This meant that sometimes the child wasn’t given the best available care. The attachment was a central aspect of the decision. The biological parent was described as a significant part of the out-of-home placement and the contact between the child and the parents was seen as important. Mainly, the social welfare secretaries, didn’t give any motive to why. It seems to be the general opinion that it’s good for the child to be in contact with its biological family.</p> / <p>Uppsatsen handlar om separationer, anknytning och svårigheten att bedöma vad som är i barnets bästa intresse. Familjehemsplaceringar är den vanligaste insatsen som socialtjänsten tillhandahåller. Syftet med studien är att belysa hur socialsekreterare resonerar inför beslut om att placera ett barn i familjehem. De tre forskningsfrågorna är; hur resonerar socialsekreterarna kring barnets behov och föräldrarnas rätt? Hur ser socialsekreterarna på kontakten mellan barnet och de biologiska föräldrarna? Hur beskriver socialsekreterarna sina tankar runt beslutet? Studien är en kvalitativ undersökning där postenkäter har skickats till socialförvaltningar i Sverige. Resultatet analyseras utifrån begreppen; anknytning, separation, dissonans och handlingsutrymme. Resultatet visar att socialsekreterarna upplevde att de biologiska föräldrarnas rätt ibland stod i vägen för barnets behov vilket innebar att barn inte alltid kunde ges bästa tillgängliga vård. Anknytningen mellan barnet och de biologiska föräldrarna kommer fram som en central aspekt i beslutet. De biologiska föräldrarna beskrivs som delaktiga i placeringen. Kontakten mellan barnet och de biologiska föräldrarna är viktig men överlag ges få motiveringar till varför kontakten ska bibehållas. Det tycks vara den allmänna uppfattningen att barnet har behov av kontakt med ursprungsfamiljen.</p>

Most of studies have revealed that children entering foster care have various mental health problems and need help of mental health care professionals. Unfortunately, many authors notice that psychological help rendered for foster children lack organization, for mental health care professionals giving services for foster children are forced to use methods, which empirically are tested among adults or among children having specific mental health disorders or to use methods without empirical proof. Thus issue concerning effective psychotherapeutic methods for foster children remains especially relevant. The aim of the study is to assess the potential of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) improving psychosocial functioning of adolescents in foster care and factors related to better outcome of the SFBT. Research group consisted of 228 adolescents living in foster care homes (12-18 years old). 47 adolescents participated in SFBT group, 47 adolescents from the rest of the group were selected for control group. Research methods: 1) three methods for evaluation of psychosocial functioning; 2) five methods for evaluation of intervention outcomes. Research consisted of three stages: 1) evaluation of the psychosocial functioning of adolescents living in foster care; 2) intervention for treatment group; 3) evaluation of the changes in psychosocial functioning after the period of 6 weeks since first evaluation. Research results demonstrated that SFBT is an effective method for... [to full text] / Tyrimai rodo, kad į valstybės globą patenka psichikos sveikatos sunkumų turintys vaikai, kuriems būtina įvairių psichikos sveikatos priežiūros specialistų pagalba. Vis tik pastebima, kad psichologinė pagalba globojamiems vaikams ne tik Lietuvoje, bet ir užsienyje dažniausia teikiama nesistemingai, taikant metodus, kurių efektyvumas patvirtintas kitose amžiaus, socialinio statuso ar problemų grupėse, tad specifinių psichologinės pagalbos metodų, efektyviai veikiančių būtent globojamų vaikų grupėje, klausimas išlieka itin aktualus. Pagrindinis šio tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti Į sprendimus sutelkto trumpalaikio konsultavimo (SSTK) galimybes, skatinant geresnį globojamų paauglių psichologinį-socialinį funkcionavimą ir problemų sprendimą, bei veiksnius, susijusius su geresniais konsultavimo rezultatais. Tyrime dalyvavo 228 paaugliai (12-18 m.), gyvenantys vaikų globos namuose. 47 iš jų buvo konsultuoti, taikant SSTK modelį, 47 – sudarė kontrolinę grupę. Tyrime taikyti metodai: 1) trys psichologinio-socialinio funkcionavimo vertinimo metodai, 2) penki poveikio efektyvumo vertinimo metodai. Tyrimo planą sudarė trys etapai: 1) vaikų globos namuose gyvenančių paauglių psichologinio-socialinio funkcionavimo tyrimas; 2) poveikio vykdymas; 3) vaikų globos namuose gyvenančių paauglių psichologinio-socialinio funkcionavimo pokyčių, praėjus šešioms savaitėms po pirmojo įvertinimo, tyrimas. Tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad SSTK yra efektyvus vaikų globos namuose gyvenančių paauglių problemoms... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

This thesis investigates the relationship between foster care placement settings and discharges. Placement settings are where foster children live: foster homes, group homes, etc. There may be one or several placements for any individual child. In the interest of stability, federal funding to states depends in part on low numbers of placement moves. Federal reviews, however, do not consider whether the placement settings resemble permanent family life (foster homes compared to congregate care) or the direction of placement moves. Competing risks regression was used to analyze time to discharge data of foster children in Georgia. Discharges (competing risks) were compared based on the number and the direction of placement moves. Children with movement patterns that favored placements similar to permanent family life were found to have higher probabilities of discharges to safe permanence. This thesis promotes “proximity to permanence” as an important, but often overlooked, consideration in foster care placements.

Pastaraisiais metais tapatumas apibrėžiamas kaip dinamiška save apibrėžianti sistema, besiformuojanti santykiuose, kurios pagrindas yra emocijos. O tapatumo formavimasis – tai intrapsichinių pasikeitimų paauglystėje visuma – atsiskyrimo ir individuacijos procesas, patyrimų integracija bei ego tęstinumo įtvirtinimas. Todėl siekiant suprasti, kaip sunkumai artimuose santykiuose susiję su tapatumo išgyvenimu paauglystėje, buvo atliktas kokybinis tyrimas, naudojant biografinio pasakojimo interpretacinį metodą. Metodika. Tyrime dalyvavo šeši (3 merginos ir 3 vaikinai) 15-16 metų paaugliai, gyvenantys globos namuose. Naudoti metodai: biografinio pasakojimo interpretacinis metodas, dokumentų analizė ir trauminių įvykių anketa. Rezultatai. Tyrimo rezultatų turinio interpretacinė analizė atskleidė tris tapatumo išgyvenimo tipus: tapatumo išgyvenimas pagrįstas vidiniu konfliktu: konfrontacija su siekiant įrodyt savo vertę; tapatumo išgyvenimas pagrįstas idealizacija ir nuvertinimu: fantazijos ir svajonės – kaip būdas atlaikyti realybę ir tapatumo išgyvenimas pagrįstas fragmentacija: izoliuotas subjektyvumas. Šiame darbe keliamos hipotezės, kad skirtingi biografinio pasakojimo tipai atskleidžia skirtingą tapatumo formavimosi paauglystėje dinamiką. Taip pat patvirtinama artimų ir ilgalaikių santykių svarba tapatumo išgyvenimo ir trauminio patyrimo įveikos procese. / Nowadays identity is defined as rooted in emotion, emerging in relationship and developing as dynamic, self-organizing system. And identity formation is a intrapsychic changes during adolescence: separation individuation process, experience integration and establishment of ego continuity. It is necessary to use new methods for identity evaluation in order to understand it’s development in relational context. Qualitative research: biographical narrative interpretative analysis, was made to understand identity formation in adolescence who live in foster care. Method: six, 15-16 years old teenagers (3 girls, 3 boys) participated in research. Biographical narrative interpretative method was used to collect and interpret data, additional methods: document analysis and traumatic events questionnaire. Results: data analysis revealed three types of identity experience: identity experience based on inner conflict: fight as way to survive; identity experience based on idealization and devaluation: fantasy– the way which helps to deal with reality and identity experience based on fragmentation: isolated subjectivity. It is hypothesized that different types of told life stories are connected with different dynamic of identity experience in adolescence. It is confirmed importance of close and long lasting relationship in a process of coping with traumatic experience.

Pastaraisiais metais tapatumas apibrėžiamas kaip dinamiška save apibrėžianti sistema, besiformuojanti santykiuose, kurios pagrindas yra emocijos. O tapatumo formavimasis – tai intrapsichinių pasikeitimų paauglystėje visuma – atsiskyrimo ir individuacijos procesas, patyrimų integracija bei ego tęstinumo įtvirtinimas. Todėl siekiant suprasti, kaip sunkumai artimuose santykiuose susiję su tapatumo išgyvenimu paauglystėje, buvo atliktas kokybinis tyrimas, naudojant biografinio pasakojimo interpretacinį metodą. Metodika. Tyrime dalyvavo šeši (3 merginos ir 3 vaikinai) 15-16 metų paaugliai, gyvenantys globos namuose. Naudoti metodai: biografinio pasakojimo interpretacinis metodas, dokumentų analizė ir trauminių įvykių anketa. Rezultatai. Tyrimo rezultatų turinio interpretacinė analizė atskleidė tris tapatumo išgyvenimo tipus: tapatumo išgyvenimas pagrįstas vidiniu konfliktu: konfrontacija su siekiant įrodyt savo vertę; tapatumo išgyvenimas pagrįstas idealizacija ir nuvertinimu: fantazijos ir svajonės – kaip būdas atlaikyti realybę ir tapatumo išgyvenimas pagrįstas fragmentacija: izoliuotas subjektyvumas. Šiame darbe keliamos hipotezės, kad skirtingi biografinio pasakojimo tipai atskleidžia skirtingą tapatumo formavimosi paauglystėje dinamiką. Taip pat patvirtinama artimų ir ilgalaikių santykių svarba tapatumo išgyvenimo ir trauminio patyrimo įveikos procese. / Nowadays identity is defined as rooted in emotion, emerging in relationship and developing as dynamic, self-organizing system. And identity formation is a intrapsychic changes during adolescence: separation individuation process, experience integration and establishment of ego continuity. It is necessary to use new methods for identity evaluation in order to understand it’s development in relational context. Qualitative research: biographical narrative interpretative analysis, was made to understand identity formation in adolescence who live in foster care. Method: six, 15-16 years old teenagers (3 girls, 3 boys) participated in research. Biographical narrative interpretative method was used to collect and interpret data, additional methods: document analysis and traumatic events questionnaire. Results: data analysis revealed three types of identity experience: identity experience based on inner conflict: fight as way to survive; identity experience based on idealization and devaluation: fantasy– the way which helps to deal with reality and identity experience based on fragmentation: isolated subjectivity. It is hypothesized that different types of told life stories are connected with different dynamic of identity experience in adolescence. It is confirmed importance of close and long lasting relationship in a process of coping with traumatic experience.

This dissertation examines the mental health presentations of clinic-referred children in state ordered out-of-home care and compares these to the presentations of clinic-referred children from the general population. The results of this study will inform the design of a more comprehensive research project assessing the differences between the psychopathology of clinic-referred children in out-of-home care and children from the general population. The overall goal is for researchers and clinicians to be able to better understand the underlying determinisms of the psychopathology of children in out-of-home care. Three samples were used for the between-group comparisons. The Children in Care Study (CICS) sample consists of 213 clinic-referred children in out-of-home care between the ages of four and eleven years. Firstly, this group was compared to 800 clinic-referred children, between six and eleven years, from the general population. For this analysis, the CICS sample was adjusted to match this group’s age range. Secondly, the entire CICS sample was compared to 1201 clinic-referred children, between the ages of four and eleven, from the general population. Mental health presentations were measured using the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). A within-subject comparison was conducted comparing the CICS sample’s CBCL DSM-oriented scores to the children’s caregiver-reported diagnosis. Results indicated that clinic-referred children in care presented with significantly fewer internalising symptoms than clinic-referred children from the general population. Clinic-referred children in care displayed greater correlations among their CBCL subscale scores than other clinic-referred children, which may suggest greater symptom complexity. Additionally, there appeared to be poor concordance between caregiver-reported psychiatric diagnoses and CBCL DSM-oriented scores for clinic-referred children in out-of-home care. Overall, the mental health presentations measured by the CBCL indicated that the differences between the two populations were relatively small in terms of their severity. However, clinic-referred children in care presented with less severe internalising problems than other clinic-referred children. Further research is needed to explore the issues underlying diagnostic dis-concordance and the complexity of the mental health presentations of children in state ordered care.

A large number of children and teenagers are placed in foster care for various reasons. Social services have a responsibility to follow up youths and ensure that they have the same opportunity for positive development as other young people. A qualitative study was conducted with an abductive perspective by gathering material from social workers in this particular field. The research design of this study is an interview study. The theoretical premise was Bronfenbrenners ecosystem theory and Maslows hierarchy of needs theory. The aim of this study was to examine how social services work to secure youths life situation and how social workers promotes teenagers perspective in their work. The collected material was analyzed thematically. Results showed that all social workers in the study perceived that a functioning schooling and network around the teenagers is important. Another outcome was that frequent follow-up work in foster care is important and that four of six municipalities have one responsible social worker that only follows teenagers in foster care. One of the municipalities which do not have one responsible social worker as a separate position is under preparation to develop this profession. A further result in this study was that social workers variously promote teenagers perspective in their work.

THE UTILISATION OF LIFE MAPS AS AN AID IN FOSTER CARE SERVICE DELIVERY. During the past few years there has been a significant increase in foster care service delivery, partially due to the HIV and AIDS pandemic. More children need to be placed in foster care, and family placements become an only option in many cases. Due to this shift in foster care placements permanency planning has become an important part of foster care services. Thus, this study has focused on the development of guidelines by using a concept model with the focus on life maps in order to facilitate and structure the foster care process. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

THE UTILISATION OF LIFE MAPS AS AN AID IN FOSTER CARE SERVICE DELIVERY. During the past few years there has been a significant increase in foster care service delivery, partially due to the HIV and AIDS pandemic. More children need to be placed in foster care, and family placements become an only option in many cases. Due to this shift in foster care placements permanency planning has become an important part of foster care services. Thus, this study has focused on the development of guidelines by using a concept model with the focus on life maps in order to facilitate and structure the foster care process. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.