The aim of the thesis Volunteer programs that support child in adoption or foster care is to monitor the offer of volunteer programs for children in adoption foster care in the Czech Republic and to show possibilities of support which volunteer program could bring to children, including demonstrations of experience from similar programs abroad. The theoretical part of thesis describes the foster care system with respect to the child's needs and ways of support that are available to them in both professional and volunteer sphere. Emphasis is placed on the role of people who accompany a child on his way from the biological family to foster families, including important relationships and ties, which child lose during his way. It will also explain the idea and values of volunteering as unpaid voluntary work, including the typology of programs focusing on children and the ways volunteers can help to improve their situation. Practically oriented empirical part shows the concrete experiences of the actors from the volunteer program supporting children in foster care by the interviews. This program is organized by the volunteer center and respondents are volunteers, parents and children involved in this program, including the head of the program, through which the program was created. At the end of this...

The transition from the previous Child Care Act 74 of 1983 to the new Children’s Act 38 of 2005 has been chaotic. Since the introduction of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005, and its subsequent implementation in April 2012, there has been instability in rendering child protection services. This state of affairs has been caused by some serious loopholes and shortcomings in the new legislation; challenges faced by social workers in adapting to it; lack of capacity of the stakeholders in the child protection field; and the shortage of resources to implement it. The goal of the study was to explore the challenges faced by social workers working in child protection services in implementing the Children’s Act 38 of 2005. The researcher conducted this study from a qualitative approach. The study was applied and exploratory in nature and utilised a collective case study design. There were 18 social workers in the employ of Johannesburg Child Welfare who participated in the study. They were selected through purposive sampling. Data was collected by means of focus group discussions. The findings show that social workers face institutional and infrastructural barriers in implementing the Children’s Act. Furthermore, social workers face massive human resource challenges in the implementation of the Children’s Act and these stem from the shortage of social workers; inadequate training of social workers and high case loads. Shortcomings that have been realised in the implementation of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 relate to the transfer of children to alternative placements; different interpretations of different sections of the said Act; the fundamental change to a court based system of renewing the placement of children; contradictions of the Children’s Act with other legal statutes and societal values; and the over reliance of the child protection system on the foster care system to provide income support for children. The study concluded that the Children’s Act needs to be amended to address its pre-statutory, statutory and post-statutory shortcomings, which create many challenges in its implementation. The study also concluded that the shortage of social workers and/or inadequate training contributes to high case loads, which in turn, influences the effectiveness of child protection services. Recommendations on addressing the challenges faced by social workers in implementing the Children’s Act include the establishment of a kinship care grant; amending the Children’s Act; organising training for all role players involved in implementing the Children’s Act; and addressing technical issues on the implementation of the Children’s Act. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Doctor Legum - LLD / In Africa generally, orphaned and vulnerable children are traditionally cared for by their relatives or close family friends; this is an abiding practice even in contemporary times. This was historically considered to be a moral obligation binding on different relatives in different ways or at differing levels. In the face of the increasing complexities and changing demographics in African societies, high levels of poverty and socioeconomic inequalities as well as the incidence of HIV and AIDS, among others, the traditional family continues to undergo structural changes and experience various challenges which make child rearing responsibilities difficult to cope with especially in the context of loss of parental care. Nonetheless, the extended family system still bears the greatest burden in caring for such children, despite the obligation of governments to provide alternative care for children without parental care. The care of children who have become deprived of parental care by other relatives/family members or family friends is generally described as kinship care. This study seeks to examine kinship care against the background of international children’s rights law as encapsulated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the United Nations Guidelines on the Alternative Care of Children and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, among others. Thus, this research seeks answers to a number of related research questions such as: Does the international children’s rights framework recognise or provide for kinship care as a measure of alternative care for children deprived of a family environment? What is the history and practice of kinship care in Africa and what are the challenges confronting kinship care in contemporary African societies? What is the relationship between kinship care and the child protection system? And what forms of support are available for kinship care at both the international and national levels? Four main themes are considered in separate chapters of the thesis as follows: the contextual and historical background to kinship care in Africa; the international and regional legal framework on the right to alternative care; the conceptualisation of kinship care as alternative care; and the law and practice of kinship care in selected domestic jurisdictions. South Africa and Namibia are the main focus of this study in the chapter on the status of kinship care at the domestic level. This is mainly because both countries have made some progress in the attempts at (legally) providing for kinship care and addressing some of its attendant challenges, with a particular emphasis on the provision of support for kinship care.

The diploma thesis deals with the parenting styles of grandparents and the parenting characteristics of the grandparents, who have grandchildren in foster care. The theoretical part focuses on the description of the theoretical concepts of the way of parenting, the role of the grandparent, including his part in the child's development in the family, and the specifics of the grandparent's foster care with emphasis on the raising grandchild. For the research in the empirical part was chosen intensively intensive empirical survey. Extensive research has a quantitative character and its aim was to map the grandparents' parenting styles and the shared activities of grandparents and teenage grandchildren. Data in intensive research was obtained by a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods with goal to describe the educational and parenting experiences of grandparents who has their teenage grandchild/grandchildren. The output of intensive research is a description of the circumstances of foster care, the parenting specifics of foster care provided by grandparents and development of grandchildren from the grandparent-fosterparent point of view. The final part of the thesis summarizes the results of the research, including the limits and application of the acquired knowledge in...

As the number of Indigenous children and youth in the care of Manitoba child welfare steadily increases, so do the questions and public debates. The loss of children from Indigenous communities due to residential schools and later on, to child welfare, has been occurring for well over a century and Indigenous people have been continuously grieving and protesting this forced removal of their children. In 1999, when the Manitoba government announced their intention to work with Indigenous peoples to expand off-reserve child welfare jurisdiction for First Nations, establish a provincial Métis mandate and restructure the existing child care system through legislative and other changes, Indigenous people across the province celebrated it as an opportunity for meaningful change for families and communities. The restructuring was to be accomplished through the Aboriginal Justice Initiative-Child Welfare Initiative (AJI-CWI). Undoubtedly, more than a decade later, many changes have been made to the child welfare system but children are still been taken into care at even higher rates than before the changes brought about by the AJI-CWI. In order to develop an understanding of what has occurred as a result of the AJI-CWI process, this study reached out to child welfare workers who had worked in the system before, during and after the process was put in place. Using a storytelling approach based in an Indigenous methodology, twenty-seven child welfare workers shared how they perceived the benefits, the deficits, the need for improvement and how they observed the role of Indigenous culture within the child welfare context. The stories provide a unique insight into how the changes were implemented and how the storytellers experienced the process, as well as their insights into barriers, disappointments, benefits and recommendations for systemic change. / Graduate

Syftet med denna kvalitativa studie var att ur ett retrospektivt perspektiv undersöka biologiska barns upplevelser av att växa upp i familjehem. Fokus var deras upplevelse av att ingå i en familj med fostersyskon, samt deras upplevelse av socialtjänstens stöd. Empirin grundades på enskilda intervjuer med fyra nu vuxna biologiska barn i familjehem. Vid analysen användes barndomssociologi, barnperspektivet samt Harts delaktighetsstege. Resultatet visade att informanterna upplevde att socialtjänsten inte involverade dem i familjehemsprocessen. Graden av delaktighet grundades istället på föräldrarnas agerande. Samtliga informanter upplevde tillgängligheten till sina föräldrar som bra, hälften hade dock önskat mer tid och uppmärksamhet. Majoriteten av informanterna beskrev att de tagit ett stort ansvar för sina fostersyskon, påtvingat eller på eget initiativ. Resultatet indikerar också att erfarenheten av att växa upp med fostersyskon utvecklat empati och förståelse för andra hos samtliga informanter. Resultatet visar också att majoriteten av informanterna upplevde stark samhörighet till sina fostersyskon, att de hade goda relationer till dem och tyckte om att ha fostersyskon. / The purpose with this qualitative study was to investigate biological children’s experience of growing up in private foster care homes. This was done through a retrospective perspective, and the purpose was to focus on the children’s experiences of being in a family with foster siblings, and the support they perceive that they received from the social services. The empirical data is based on four interviews with adults that during their childhood were growing up as biological children in private foster care homes. When analysing the result, the childhood sociology perspective, the child perspective, and Hart’s ladder of participation were used. The result showed that the interviewees did not perceive the social services incorporating them as biological children in the foster care process. The level of participation was instead determined by the parents’ intuition. The informants perceived their relationship to their parents as good, however, half of them had wished more time and more attention. The majority of the participants described that they took a great deal of responsibility for their foster care siblings, either voluntarily or involuntarily. Further on, the result indicated that the interviewees had, thanks to growing up with foster care siblings, developed empathy and a more profound understanding of others. Finally, the result showed that the majority of the informants felt a strong bond to their foster care siblings, had good relationships to them, and liked having foster care siblings during their childhood.

This study explored the separation of twins in foster care and examined how their lived experiences relate to their interpersonal relationships as adults. Many researchers have studied the long-term impact of nontwin sibling separation in foster care, but little is known about the separation of twins, leaving a significant gap in existing literature. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences twins who were separated in foster care as relates to their interpersonal relationships during adulthood. A qualitative, narrative approach was used to gather the lived experiences of one set of twins. The research questions examined how one specific set of adult fraternal twin sisters interpreted their personal experiences of being separated from each other while in foster care and whether this experience had an impact on their interpersonal relationships. The study relied on the theoretical foundations of attachment theory and family systems theory to support the use of existing literature and to integrate the research findings into current child welfare practice. Through personal interviews, each twin was asked to recall experiences from foster care and comment on the impact of being separated from their twin. Thematic analysis of the interview data and observations of the interview process helped to identify four themes: forming successful attachments, mental health issues, trauma history, and number and type of placements experienced. To encourage social change these results can inform the child welfare system, add to the body of existing research, and influence future placement decisions regarding twins in foster care.

SAMHÄLLETS UTVALDA FÖRÄLDRAREN KVALITATIV STUDIE GÄLLANDE DET LÄMPLIGA FAMILJEHEMMET ANNA WELINWelin, A. Samhällets utvalda föräldrar. En kvalitativ studie gällande det lämpliga familjehemmet. Examensarbete i Socialt arbete, 30 högskolepoäng. Malmö universitet: Fakulteten för hälsa och samhälle, Institutionen för Socialt arbete, 2018.Abstrakt: Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka vad som uppfattas vara ett lämpligt familjehem utifrån de känslomässiga behov familjehemsvården ska fylla för de placerade barnen. Kvalitativa intervjuer har gjorts med tio personer som har lång arbetslivserfarenhet inom svensk familjehemsvård. Resultatet visar att det lämpliga familjehemmet har en egen trygg anknytning och ett känslomässigt överskott som gör att barnen kan tryggas. Det lämpliga familjehemmet upplever tillvaron begriplig, hanterbar och meningsfull och kan förmedla känslan till de placerade barnen. När samhället väljer familjehem till barn, väljs också förebilder. Familjehemsvård är inte automatiskt god vård för barn – den förutsätter lämpliga familjehem. Annars riskeras barnens hälsa och förmåga att hantera tillvaron, såväl under barndomen som i vuxenlivet.Resultatet visar också att barnen som familjehemsplaceras ofta har omfattande känslomässiga behov. Det är vanligt att barnen har psykiatriska diagnoser och beteendestörningar. De placerade barnens mående har försämrats över tid. Samtidigt råder stor brist på lämpliga familjehem. På kort tid har antalet barn i familjehemsvård fördubblats, bl a till följd av de ensamkommande barnen som kommit till Sverige. När kommunerna inte själva klarat av att hitta lämpliga familjehem har privata företag anlitats. Familjehemsutredningarna ser väldigt olika ut. Ett familjehem som bedömts olämpligt av en kommun - kan bedömas lämpligt av en annan. De ”godkända” familjehemmen kan därmed ha mycket olika kvalitet, vilket påverkar vården av barnen som placeras.Det råder stort missnöje gällande hur familjehemsvården är organiserad. Större samordning gällande rekryteringsinsatser efterlyses, liksom bättre villkor för familjehemmen och socialsekreterarna. Andra förbättringar som önskas är ökad kontroll av de privata företagens verksamhet samt ökad forskning inom familjehemsvården, inte minst gällande hur familjehemmens lämplighet bör utredas. Nyckelord: Anknytningsteorin, barn i dygnsvård, existentialismen, familjehem, familjehemsvård, föräldraförmåga, känsla av sammanhang / SOCIETY´S SELECTED PARENTS A QUALITATIVE STUDY RELATING TO THE SUITABLE FOSTER HOME ANNA WELINWelin, A. Society´s selected parents. A qualitative study relating to the suitable foster home. Degree project in social work, 30 p. Malmö University: Faculty of health and society, Department of Social work, 2018.Abstract: The purpose of the paper is to investigate what is considered to be a suitable foster home based on the emotional needs that the foster care needs to fill for the placed children. Qualitative interviews have been conducted with ten people who have long working experience in Swedish foster care. The result shows that the suitable foster home have their own safe connection and an emotional surplus that allows children to be safeguarded. They experience existence comprehensible, manageable and meaningful and can convey the feelings to the placed children. When society chooses foster homes for children, role models are also chosen. Foster care is not automatically good care for children - it requires suitable foster homes. Otherwise, the children's health and ability to handle life, both during childhood and in adulthood, are at risk.The result also shows that children in foster homes often have extensive emotional needs. It is common for the children to have psychiatric diagnoses and behavioral disorders. The psychological mood of the children has deteriorated over time. Simultaneously, there is a great lack of suitable foster homes. In a short period of time, the number of children in foster care has doubled, partly as a consequence of single-parent children who came to Sweden. When the municipalities have not managed to find suitable foster homes, private companies have been hired. The investigations regarding the suitability of the foster homes look very different. A foster home that is assessed directly inappropriate by a municipality can be appropriately assessed by another. The "approved" foster homes can therefore have a very different quality, which affects the care of the children placed in foster homes.There is great dissatisfaction regarding how foster care services are organized. Greater coordination regarding recruitment efforts is sought, as well as better conditions for foster homes and social security officers. Other improvements that are desired include increased control of the private companies' operations and increased research in foster care, not least regarding the way in which the foster home suitability is to be investigated.Keywords: attachment theory, children in day care, existentialism, foster care, foster home, parenting, sense of context

I en analys av 300 annonser på en öppen webbplats där socialtjänsten söker efter familjehem till specifika barn kommunicerades fyra olika teman avseende familjehemsuppdraget. Det första temat som avsåg familjens egenskaper förekom i 80 procent av annonserna och det andra temat som gällde förväntningar på uppdragets utförande och familjehemmets kompetens beskrevs i 98 procent av annonserna. Det tredje temat berörde beskrivningar av barnet, hens erfarenheter och egenskaper och förekom i drygt 82 procent av annonserna. När det gällde det fjärde temat- vad familjehemmet kunde förvänta sig i form av utbildning, stöd och ersättning beskrevs det i drygt 35 procent av annonserna. Innehållet i annonserna kan förstås utifrån institutionella logiker om familj, utförande, marknad och solidaritet. Samtidigt förekommande logiker kan erbjuda möjligheter såväl som konflikter och spänningar. Att marknadsföra barn på annons kan bidra till att socialtjänsten kan tillgodose behovet av familjehem, vilket de är ålagda att göra (SOSFS 2012:11). Potentiella familjehem får i tidigt skede information om såväl barnet som förväntningarna på uppdraget och hur socialtjänsten förhåller sig till eventuellt stöd och ersättning. Förfarandet med annonser och dess innehåll kan därmed betraktas som rationellt och effektivt när det gäller utförande av familjehemsuppdraget. Studiens viktigaste bidrag är att konflikter skulle kunna uppstå i mötet mellan en å ena sidan hög förväntan på utförande, kunskap och erfarenhet och å andra sidan en hög förväntan om att ta emot barn av solidariska skäl. Att fokus på stöd och ersättning till familjehemmet är låg, skulle kunna bidra till svårigheter att rekrytera och behålla familjehem. Spänningar skulle också kunna uppstå i mötet mellan socialtjänstens historia av en byråkratisk logik där myndigheten vanligtvis inte delat information om klienter med allmänheten och en marknadslogik där specifika barns egenskaper marknadsförs (anonymt) på öppna webbplatser. Även mötet mellan att se familjehem som en vanlig familj och att ha högt fokus på utförande skulle kunna innebära en konflikt som kan påverka möjligheten att rekrytera familjehem. / In an analysis of 300 advertisements on an open website where the social services are looking for foster homes for specific children, four different themes were communicated regarding the foster home assignment. The first theme, which concerned the family's characteristics, appeared in 80 percent of the advertisements, and the second theme, which concerned expectations of the execution of the assignment and the foster homes competence, was described in 98 percent of the advertisements. The third theme concerned descriptions of the child, her experiences and characteristics and appeared in just over 82 percent of the advertisements. Regarding the fourth theme - what the foster home could expect in the form of education, support and compensation, it was described in just over 35 percent of the advertisements. The content of the ads can be understood from a perspective of institutional logics about family, execution, the market and solidarity. Simultaneously occurring logics can offer opportunities as well as conflicts and tensions. Marketing children through ads can contribute to the social services being able to meet the need for foster homes, which they are obliged to do from the Swedish government (SOSFS: 2012: 11). Potential foster homes receive information at an early stage about both the child and the expectations of the assignment, and how the social services relate to give support and compensation for the foster families. The procedure with advertisements on open websites can thus be considered rational and efficient in the execution of the foster home assignment. The most important contribution of the study is that conflicts could arise in the meeting between a high expectation of execution, knowledge and experience on the one hand and a high expectation of taking care of children in need for solidarity reasons on the other. The low focus on support and compensation for the foster family could contribute to difficulties in recruiting and maintaining foster homes. Tensions could also arise in the meeting between the social services' history of a bureaucratic logic where the authority usually does not make information about clients accessible for the public, and a market logic where specific children's characteristics are marketed (anonymously) on open websites. The meeting between seeing foster homes as an ordinary family and having a high focus on execution could also involve a conflict that might affect the possibility of recruiting foster homes.

The intended work examines how the relationship between the unaccompanied migrants and the hosts is formed within foster care. Foster care could be defined as "long-term and repetitive contacts," where specific forms of relationship are negotiated between individual actors. I ask what activities and practices the actors make significant concerning the arrival, what ideas and imaginations on the part of the actors enter into the relationship, and how emotional rules are negotiated in a relationship. Last but not least, the work examines how the individual actors relate to the category of unaccompanied minors, that is, how this category, which has its legal definition, is negotiated. Key words: unaccompanied minors, foster care, family practices, emotional work, reflexivity