<p>Social workers in this study describes various experiences of the assessments of interventions for children and adolescents. Social workers experience of the many different situations where an assessment of best effort must be made on the basis of BBIC, which is the Social Services investigation records. To make this assessment, the Social workers need social assistance and support of their colleagues and manager. Knowledge mixed with experience is also an important part when it comes to being professional and not let emotions control that could otherwise be happened when the social worker meets and builds relationships with clients. Social workers are also those who will decide which achievement the client needs from the needs. We use systems theory, Hasenfeld´s theory of human services organizations  and Lipsky´s grassroots bureaucrats to analyze how social worker work with clients of different experiences, knowledge and some of their own personal values for the various operations. The efforts in our work we have examined is traditional familycare and MTFC (Multi dementional Treatment Foster Care), we have found that there are different arguments for different actions, but the assessments are made virtually the same assessment model. There are requirements that govern the operation of which is matched with the objectives and resources administration. Social worker also believes that social work is a game where we do not know how the results will be.</p>

This thesis is a qualitative probe into the story of a temporary foster mother. The thesis captures, analyses and classifies this story into systemic context. It does so with an emphasis on the temporary foster mother's personal experience and also with using personal experience of other participants involved in this particular case - including mine. This thesis is largely a reflection of my own role in this story, it is looking at it from different perspectives that evolve over time. The thesis is grounded in theoretical sources, especially methodologies of temporary foster care and methodological recommendations. Theoretical sources are critically viewed and connected to personal experience. The resulting storytelling, which provides an insight into the wider context of temporary foster care in the Czech Republic, was based on this procedure. Capturing systemic context is used in this thesis to create suggestions for possible systemic improvements.

In communities across the United States, thousands of young people leave foster care without the support of family or community. At age 18, now legally adults, young people in foster care face potentially dramatic life changes as they are terminated from foster care services because they have reached the age of ineligibility, commonly referred to as “aging out.” Although research has increased an understanding of the experiences of youth exiting the foster care system, studies focusing on their experiences while transitioning out of the foster care system and into adulthood have been largely absent in the literature. This qualitative study is an effort to address this gap in the research. Using a modified grounded theory approach, this study explores the experiences of fifteen young adults between the ages of 18 and 24, as they transition to independence after exiting the foster care system. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 young adults ages 18-24, who have aged out of the foster care system or are receiving extended youth services. Results from this study support previous findings that youth exiting the foster care system face challenges transitioning to adulthood, particularly in their efforts to learn the skills needed to function independently, gain the education and/or vocational training to gain skillful employment, and have the social and emotional support needed to help facilitate their transition. The study results indicate that 87% of the participants expressed having a caring, supportive adult in their life who has assisted them. 66% of the study participants were enrolled in post-secondary institutions and expressed the importance of placement stability to maintain school credits and supportive relationships with their teachers. Specific areas of challenge for the youth preparing to transition to independence focused on money management and daily living skills. Implications for further research, professional practice, and policy development include states incorporating tools to assess readiness for independence, addressing the barriers to education as identified in the study and exploring the impact of family involvement/support for youth exiting the foster care system.

The topic of my thesis is importace of foster care in the social-legal protection of children. The thesis deals with the issues of foster care, professional foster care and also of the transformation of care for children in need. The aim is to describe changes in the foster care that brought the amendment of the Law on the social-legal protection of child and adoption of the new Civil Code. Another aim is to determine the effect of strengthening the professional foster care to the number of children placed in institutional care. In the beginning of the thesis is defined the concept of family, social-legal protection of children, alternative family care and its forms like foster care, professional foster care and adoption. Another part of thesis deals with amendment to the Law on social and legal protection of children and the new Civil Code. In this part I describe the most important changes that the Law on the social-legal protection of children brought and I also describe changes that brought an amendment to the civil code. The adoption of the amendment to the social-legal protection brings a number of changes in the activities of the social-legal protection of children and the exercise of social-legal protection of children in general. The last chapter deals with the statistic of foster care. This part compares the number of children in professional foster care and institutional care.

The backlog in foster care applications has been an issue in the Department of Health and Social Development, Johannesburg office, for the last number of years, resulting in foster care placement applications accumulating and families’ quality of life being affected and compromised. The service providers are inundated with high caseloads. Foster care applications could take up to a year or longer before they are processed and finalised at the Children’s Court. The aim of the study was to explore and describe the factors contributing to the foster care backlog from the service providers’ perspective and to provide suggestions to address this continuing backlog. The researcher employed a qualitative research approach and an explorative, descriptive and contextual research design. Factors such as high caseloads, lack of resources and lack of support and training from management were identified as contributing to the backlog. Recommendations made are the immediate filling of vacant posts, induction of new social workers, provision of adequate resources and infrastructure as well as the division of foster care services. / Social Work / M.A. (Mental Health)

No description available.

Transracial foster care is a reality due to the ongoing social problems in South Africa, that leads to a high number of children found in need of care and protection and in need of foster homes. The Children’s Act (38 of 2005) encourages children to be placed in the care of a person with a similar background to their own, but simultaneously makes provision for children to be placed in the care of a person that does not have the same background as their own. The number of children found in need of a foster care placement, significantly surpasses the number of willing and able, same race, foster care parents. Transracial foster care has been a topic for research internationally for a couple of years, highlighting the influence of the transracial placement on the foster child. However, there continues to be limited research in South Africa on this growing phenomenon. Most research in South Africa focus on transracial adoptions and not specifically foster care placements. The aim of this qualitative research study was to broaden the knowledge base of transracial foster care in South Africa, in order to contribute to services provided to transracial foster care families. The research study was based in the northern and southern suburbs of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. Participants included foster parents of transracial foster care families and the social workers who supervise the foster care families participating in this study. Nine foster parents and three social workers participated in the study. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant in order to explore their experiences of being involved in transracial foster care placements. The article in Section B of this document aims to highlight the important aspects of transracial foster care in order to create a better understanding of this phenomenon. / MSW (Child Protection), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Transracial foster care is a reality due to the ongoing social problems in South Africa, that leads to a high number of children found in need of care and protection and in need of foster homes. The Children’s Act (38 of 2005) encourages children to be placed in the care of a person with a similar background to their own, but simultaneously makes provision for children to be placed in the care of a person that does not have the same background as their own. The number of children found in need of a foster care placement, significantly surpasses the number of willing and able, same race, foster care parents. Transracial foster care has been a topic for research internationally for a couple of years, highlighting the influence of the transracial placement on the foster child. However, there continues to be limited research in South Africa on this growing phenomenon. Most research in South Africa focus on transracial adoptions and not specifically foster care placements. The aim of this qualitative research study was to broaden the knowledge base of transracial foster care in South Africa, in order to contribute to services provided to transracial foster care families. The research study was based in the northern and southern suburbs of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. Participants included foster parents of transracial foster care families and the social workers who supervise the foster care families participating in this study. Nine foster parents and three social workers participated in the study. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant in order to explore their experiences of being involved in transracial foster care placements. The article in Section B of this document aims to highlight the important aspects of transracial foster care in order to create a better understanding of this phenomenon. / MSW (Child Protection), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka det stöd och den hjälp familjehemsplacerade barn har fått av socialtjänsten. Fem personer som har varit placerade i familjehem under sin uppväxt har intervjuats och materialet har sedan analyserats med kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Utifrån en induktiv ansats analyserades materialet först teorilöst för att sedan genomgå en andra analys utifrån teorin barndomssociologi och det teoretiska begreppet handlingsutrymme. Resultatet pekar på att socialarbetaren har en viktig och svår uppgift där skapandet av en tillitsfull relation är av stor vikt för att barnet ska kunna bli delaktig i processen. Lyhördhet, anpassning efter individ och situation samt att skapa utrymme för barnet att komma med önskemål är mycket betydelsefullt. Detta försvåras då socialarbetarna ofta har en stor arbetsbörda och begränsade resurser. / The purpose of this study is to look into what kind of support and help the social services has given to children placed in foster care. Five people who have been living in foster families during their childhood were interviewed and then the data was analyzed with qualitative content analysis. On the basis of an inductive approach the data was first analyzed theorylessly and then in a secondary analysis the theory of children studies and the theoretical term discretion/acting space was applied. The result indicates that the social workers have an important and difficult task where the building of a relationship of trust is essential if the child should be able to really participate in the process. To be perceptive and make adjustments according to what is best for the individual and in the situation, and to make room for the child to express their wishes is significant. This can be difficult to manage because of the great workload social workers often have along with limited resources.

Historically and currently, the federal and provincial or territorial governments of Canada have neglected to ensure that Aboriginal children in foster care receive genuine, Aboriginal-centered cultural support. This research project aims to address the lack of available cultural programming for Aboriginal girls in foster care. Through interviews and a review of current literature, knowledge about cultural programming is examined and components of a successful mentorship model for Aboriginal girls in foster care are identified. Five semi-structured interviews were carried out and analyzed through grounded theory, complemented with autobiographical reflections. The study concludes that there is an evident need for cultural continuity programming for Aboriginal girls in foster care on southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and that a mentorship framework is the best applicable model. / Graduate / 0452 / 0631 / 0326 / kr@uvic.ca