The thesis deals with the experience of long-term foster parents and their opinions at the care of foster children. It looks at the impact of foster care on the psyche of children. The aim of this thesis is to determinate the effects of long-term foster care for children's mental and intellectual development. The theoretical part explains the difference between foster care and other types of care for children in need. It describes the historical development of foster care and it is legislative grounding in the legal system of the Czech Republic. The practical part contains interviews with long-term foster parents, two detailed studies of two selected children in foster care and also study of documentation regarding their mental health condition. All questions were answered and analyzed obtained data. The findings show, that long-term foster care is a quality institution with a positive impact on child development. These children easier overcome mental barriers and intellectual deprivation created in institutional care or in their biologicals families, which did not provide them quality environment.

The problem involved in this study is to determine the progress in the last decade of a representative number of elementary schools of Texas in their methods of reporting child growth to parents.