Personality, ways of coping and occupational burnout were examined within the context of child care work, using a number of self-report questionnaires. Subjects included 70 full-time child care workers from children's homes in the Natal-KwaZulu area. The subject sample was treated as one group, as environmental sources of stress were perceived more or less consistently across the population. Stepwise multiple regression was used to assess the relationships between personality (neuroticism, extraversion) and ways of coping and the three facets of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment). Demographic variables such as age and experience were also explored. Varying degrees of burnout were found, with particularly high levels of diminished personal accomplishment. Both emotion- and problem-focused coping strategies contributed significantly to the burnout response, with emotion-focused coping being the most frequently reported coping strategy. Significant relationships were found between personality and burnout. Neuroticism contributed a significant proportion of the variance in all three dimensions of burnout, particularly emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. Extraversion and psychoticism contributed significantly to higher levels of personal accomplishment. A significant relationship was found between personality and ways of coping. Neuroticism contributed significantly to the prediction of emotion-focused coping strategies, particularly wishful thinking and self-blame. Extraversion was found to contribute significantly to problem-focused coping and growth-oriented coping. Demographic variables, particularly age and experience, were found to influence both burnout and coping responses. Ethnic identity was found to influence the coping strategies used. The results were discussed primarily in terms of their function as defenses, or as efforts to adapt (successfully or unsuccessfully) to the stress being experienced, and as vulnerability factors. The importance of contextual factors in the stress and burnout process, particularly within the current South African context, was highlighted. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1997.

Partial care is the care of more than six children on behalf of their parents or caregivers for a temporary period during the day and could include overnight care. Access to partial care and Early Childhood Development (ECD) services are important for child development. South Africa does not have minimum standards for provision of ECD and funding for it is limited. A Children's Bill has been proposed to replace the Child Care Act no 74 of 1983. In the proposed Bill, both partial care and early childhood development will be regulated. This study attempted to explore partial care and early childhood development in Cato Manor, an informal settlement in the process of development. The study was qualitative with a sample of twelve facilities selected from partial care facilities in the community. Interviews were conducted with facilitators from the facilities about their experiences and challenges of providing partial care in the community, using a semi structured interview schedule. Observation of the facilities was also made using an observation checklist to ascertain resources and the physical environment. The findings showed that three categories of partial care facilities existed in Cato Manor. The different cateqorles had inequalities in resources, leading to differences in the nature of care and programmes children were offered. The findings indicated that there were problems associated with registration and monitoring of the facilities. Lack of funding was shown to be a big challenge for the facilities. Community efforts of establishing facilities need to be strengthened. The registration process of facilities needs to be simplified and communication between government departments responsible for registration and the facilities improved. Facilitators need assistance to have access to available funding. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2006.

Background: The amount of time children spend in child care (CC) each week has increased in recent years. As a result children consume a large proportion of their daily energy intake at CC facilities. The purpose of this study is to describe the baseline dietary practices and environment in preschool-aged children attending CC centers in Southwest Georgia before the implementation of a one-year policy implementation program. Methods: The data is the baseline data of a pilot study evaluating nutrition and physical activity wellness policy implementation in twenty four licensed CC in Georgia. Each CC provided a sample one week menu (three meals/day: breakfast, lunch and afternoon snacks). The energy and nutrient contents of 360 meals were analyzed using NutriKids. Food groups were assessed using a menu rubric. Menus were compared to the Dietary Reference Intakes and MyPyramid food group recommendations for children 3 to 5 years of age Results: Children were served a mean of 883 kcal at three meals. The menus content met the requirements for energy, macro-nutrients, vitamins A and C. However, the menus were high in saturated fat, and sodium content and did not meet the requirements for iron, fiber and calcium. The majority of the centers did not meet the requirements of the Food Guide Pyramid for pre-schoolers. With the exception of milk, children at all participating centers were served less than the recommended amounts for grains, vegetables, meat/beans and fresh fruits. Conclusions: Child care settings provide a unique opportunity to influence children's dietary behaviors and health. Our data suggests that children are not consuming recommended amounts of whole grains, fruits or vegetables while attending full-time childcare. Instead, children are consuming excessive amounts of added sugars from sweet snacks, sodium, and saturated fat from whole milk and high-fat or fried meats. We anticipate that by the end of the one-year implementation of the wellness policies, day-care centers in Southwest Georgia will be better equipped to improve the quality of food served to this population of children. Findings from this study and the policy recommendations that emerge could significantly impact efforts to provide healthier nutrition environments to children in child care centers.

Problema: Didžioji vaikų dalis, netekusių tėvų globos pirmiausia patenka ne į šeimynas, o į vaikų globos namus, kurie besąlygiškai laikomi veiksminga vaikų globos forma, nors vaikų globa organizuojama, atsižvelgiant į vaiko poreikius. Aktualumas:  Šiuolaikiniame pasaulyje visiems yra suprantama, kad vaikais reikia pasirūpinti pirmiausia, tačiau dauguma jų vis dar lieka labiausiai skriaudžiami ir pažeidžiami;  Daugėja vaikų, netekusių tėvų globos;  Vaikų globos įstaigos pilnos vaikų, todėl negali suteikti šiems vaikams tinkamos priežiūros bei pagalbos. Hipotezė: Globa šeimoje ir šeimynoje geriausiai atitinka vaiko poreikius ir labiausiai padeda vaikui socializuotis visuomenėje bei aktyviai dalyvauti greitai besikeičiančiuose kaitos procesuose. Darbo tikslas: Įvertinti vaiko globos šeimoje ir šeimynoje organizavimo privalumus, lyginant su vaikų globos namais. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. Išanalizuoti vaiko globos organizavimo raidą, skiriant ypatingą dėmesį vaikų globai šeimoje ir šeimynoje; 2. Aptarti Lietuvos Respublikos pagrindinius įstatymus, reglamentuojančius vaiko globos organizavimą; 3. Išanalizuoti respondentų nuomonę apie mūsų šalyje vykdomą vaiko globos organizavimą, taip pat sužinoti respondentų šeimyninio globos modelio vertinimą. Metodai:  Mokslinių darbų ir teisės aktų analizė;  Apklausa. Tyrimo objektas – šeimyninis globos modelis. 1. Vaiko globos organizavimas yra dinaminis procesas, kuris kiekvienais metais kinta, o tai skatina tobulinti vaiko globos... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Problem At present child care is organized according to their needs. However, a large majority of orphaned children are not placed in families, but in children’s homes. Importance It is universally established that children are still most vulnerable and wronged individuals. The number of children abandoned by parents is increasing. Institutions for children’s are too crowded to provide proper aid. Hypothesis Child care in the family and foster homes best meet children’s needs and teach them socialization skills. Aim Estimate the advantages of organizing child care in the family and foster families and compare them with children’s homes. Tasks: 1. To analyze the development of organizing child care with an emphasis on children’s care in the family and foster family. 2. To overview the laws of the Republic of Lithuania regulating organization of child care. 3. To analyze the respondents’ opinion of the organization of child care and to find out their evaluation of the foster family model. Methods • Analysis of scientific works and analysis of legal acts. • Interview. Object of investigation- foster family model. Conclusions: *Organizing child care is a dynamic process whose changes in the course of time contribute to its perfection; *The fundamental aim of child care is to secure his/her education and care in the environment beneficial to the promotion of his/her welfare and which would be similar to that of a natural family; *The shortage of guardians and their inadequate... [to full text]

Magistrinio darbo tikslas - atskleisti pagalbos šeimai globojančiai vaiką ypatumus. Tyrimo tikslą sukonkretina darbe keliami uždaviniai: apibūdinti socialinės pagalbos šeimai, globojančiai vaiką, sistemą; išanalizuoti seniūnijos socialinio darbuotojo teikiamos pagalbos veiklos kryptis šeimai globojančiai vaiką; ištirti šeimos globojančios vaiką socialines problemas. Pirmoje darbo dalyje nagrinėjama moksliniuose šaltiniuose pateikiama globojamo vaiko ir šeimos teisinė ir socialinė padėtis: išskiriami šeimos, globojančios vaiką, pagrindiniai uždaviniai ir apibūdinamos jos socialinės problemos, apžvelgiami teisiniai dokumentai, reglamentuojantys vaiko globą šeimoje. Antroje darbo dalyje analizuojama socialinės pagalbos šeimai, globojančiai vaiką, sistema: valstybės skiriama piniginė parama, seniūnijoje teikiamos socialinės pagalbos kryptys, kurias įgyvendina seniūnijoje dirbantis socialinis darbuotojas. Trečioje darbo dalyje apibendrinami kokybinio tyrimo duomenys, atskleidžiantys socialinės pagalbos šeimai, globojančiai vaiką ypatumus. Tyrimo metu nustatėme, kad šeimai, globojančiai vaiką, dažniausiai iškyla tokios problemos: vaiko sveikatos ir ugdymo, šeimos narių bendravimo, globėjo nesugebėjimas suprasti bei patenkinti pagrindinius vaikų poreikius - per mažai dėmesio skiriama vaiko laisvalaikiui bei užimtumui, vaiko ryšiui su savo biologiniais tėvais. Tyrimas patvirtino hipotezę, kad vaikų globėjai nesupranta svarbiausių vaikų poreikių ir yra nepasiruošę globoti... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The purpose of the Master paper is to disclose pecularities of the support to families in the care of a child. The purpose of the study is spesified by the tasks of this paperwork: to describe the system of social support to families in the care of a child; to analyse a social worker‘s support areas to families in the care of a child; to investigate problems of a family in the care of a child. In the first chapter of this paperwork the legal and social status of the foster child and family is analysed: the main purposes of family in care of the child are presented, its social problems are described, legal documents regulating custody of the child in the family are reviewed. In the second chapter the system of social support to families in the care of a child is analysed: state granted financial support, trends of social support provided by the smallest administrative district, which is implemented by its social worker. The qualitative survey data revealing peculiarities of social support to families in the care of a child is summarized in the third chapter of this paperwork. The research revealed that family in the care of a child in most cases faces with the following problems: child’s health and education, communication between family members, guardian‘s incapability to understand and satisfy basic needs of children: too little attention is paid to children's entertainment and employment, child's relationship with his biological parents. The study confirmed the hypothesis... [to full text]

Darbe nagrinėjami asmens tapatumo ir tapatumo su šeima jausmo formavimosi ypatumai. Asmens tapatumas yra reikšmingas, nes jis nusako žmogaus vientisumą, įprasmina jo gyvenimo tikslus, padeda suvokti savo vietą pasaulyje, užtikrina buvimą pačiu savimi. Tyrimo tikslas - įvertinti vaikų namuose, savaitinėse grupėse ir pilnose šeimose augančių vaikų (5-7 m.) tapatumo su šeima jausmo formavimosi ypatumus. Atlikus tyrimą paaiškėjo, kad tapatumo su šeima jausmo formavimąsi lemia vaiko poreikis turėti tėvus. Nustatyta, kad tapatumo su šeima jausmui formuotis reikalingas emocinių ryšių suvokimas, kad „turiu kažką, ką galiu pavadinti šeima“. / The Paper analyses peculiarities of development personal identity and a feeling of person’s familial identity. Person’s identity has a great significance, because it describes personal integrity, gives sense to purposes in life, helps to perceive a place in the World and ensures your being yourself. The purpose of this research is to estimate peculiarities of development of a feeling of familial identity among children (5-7 years), growing in children’s homes, weekly groups and full families.The analysis has shown, that development of a feeling of familial identity is determined by a need of a child – to have parents. It was found, that in order to develop a feeling of familial identity, a perception of emotional relations, that “you have something you can call a family” is needed.

Bakalauro darbe analizuojamas perdegimo sindromo apraiškos socialinių pedagogų, dirbančių vaikų globos įstaigose, profesinėje veikloje pagal tris dimenisijas: depersonalizacija (neigiamas, abejingas, ciniškas požiūris į darbą, bendradarbius, ugdytinius), emocinis išsekimas - (fizinių bei emocinių resursų išeikvojimas, persidirbimo jausmas) ir asmeninių profesinių siekių redukcija (žmogaus bejėgiškumas, neigiamas savęs ir savo darbo vertinimas). Darbo tikslas - išanalizuoti vaikų globos įstaigųų socialinių pedagogų patiriamo perdegimo sindromo apraiškas profesinėje veikloje. Tyrime dalyvavo 100 socialinių pedagogų, dirbančių vaikų globos įstaigose. Uždaro tipo klausimyno metodu tirta socialinių pedagogų, dirbančių vaikų globos įstaigose, perdegimo sindromo apraiškos profesinėje veikloje, remiantis dimensijomis (depersonalizacija, emocinis išsekimas, sumažėję asmeniai laimėjimai) išskirti aspektai: darbo pobūdis, stresas darbe, darbo santykiai su kolegomis ir ugdytiniais, savęs vertinimas profesinėje veikloje, darbo sąlygos. Depersonalizacijos srities klausimai apima kolegų ir ugdytinių santykius, emocinio išsekimo sritis apima darbo pobūdį ir emocinę būseną darbo metu, o asmeninių profesinių siekių redukcija apima savęs vertinimą ir darbo sąlygas. Analizuojant tyrimo duomenis, bandyta įvertinti socialinių pedagogų, dirbančių vaikų globos namuose, perdegimo sindromo apraiškas profesinėje veikloje. Tyrimu nustatyta, jog gana sudėtingas socialinių pedagogų darbo pobūdis... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Bachelor's paper analyzes the social manifestations of burnout syndrome social pedagogue working in orphanages, according to the three professional dimentions: depersonalization (negative, indifferent, cynical attitude towards work, colleagues, and learners), emotional exhaustion (physical and emotional exhaustion of resources) and decreased professional accomplishment (human helplessness, negative self-evaluation and his job). The aim is to examine how the burnout syndrome is experienced by the teachers in children's social care homes. The study included 100 social pedagogues working in child care centers. Closed-ended questionnaire method was used. The volunteers were social pedagogues working in child care facilities who experience the burnout syndrome manifestations of the occupation. The principles of the basis of dimensions (depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, reduced the achievements of a person) were used to distinguish aspects: depersonalization, field questions from colleagues and pupils included relationships, emotional exhaustion areas included the nature and emotional condition at work, personal and professional goals included the reduction of self-evaluation, and working conditions. The analysis of the data was to try to assess the social educators, working in orphanage and assess manifestations of burnout syndrome in working life. The study found that relatively complex social nature of teachers' work (work intensity, complexity and... [to full text]

This study explored the effectiveness of Handle With Care, a mental health promotion training program for child care practitioners working with children between birth to age 6. Handle With Care program content is based on research evidence. Training units are intended to deepen practitioners’ understanding of how children’s social-emotional development, centre and family connections and positive workplace activities link to children’s well-being and practitioners’ roles in these areas. Fifty-seven front-line practitioners from three different regional groups (Rural, Suburban, Urban) completed Handle With Care workshops and were compared to 56 comparison participants, matched according to region, who were not exposed to training. The evaluation utilized a time series repeated measures design and consisted of mixed quantitative and qualitative measures to determine training outcomes related to practitioner’s mental health promotion knowledge and practices. Findings indicated that child care practitioners who participated in Handle With Care training demonstrated increased mental health promotion knowledge. In particular, they acquired better comprehension of issues concerning practitioner and child attachment relationships, children’s self-esteem, emotion expression and regulation and peer relationships. Training participants significantly differed from comparison participants in their knowledge of these topics. In terms of practices, training participants also evidenced significantly improved practices relative to comparison participants. These gains were especially observed in relation to practitioners building trusting relationships with children, fostering children’s sense of self and competence, positive peer interactions and practitioners promoting their own mental health. In contrast, Handle With Care training did not show the intended consistent outcomes with respect to practitioners helping children with emotional communication, dealing with diversity, changes and transitions and practitioners building relationships with children’s parents. Results tended to be discrepant across regional groups, and in some instances, gains in mental health promotion and knowledge were not sustained over time. Overall, the study suggests that Handle With Care is a useful way to augment child care practitioners’ capacity to consider the mental health of all children in their care and flexibly implement strategies to help children reach their optimal potential. The study also provides important information concerning regional differences and areas of training content that may benefit from revision.

Lietuvoje kasmet tėvų globos netenka daugybė vaikų. Globos įstaigų auklėtiniams dažnai nustatomi emocijų sutrikimai, kuriuos lemia ydinga ankstyvoji emocinė raida. Emocinių sutrikimų turintys vaikai yra atsiriboję nuo kitų vaikų. Lietuvoje specializuota pagalba tokiems vaikams labai ribota. Vaikams turintiems emocinės sferos patologiją reikalinga specializuota pagalba, intensyvi įvairių specialistų. Vienas iš prevencijos ir socialinės pagalbos būdų - dailės terapija. Šio tyrimo tikslas ištirti globos namų 3-5 metų auklėtinių emocijų raišką taikant užsiėmimuose dailės terapijos būdus. Uždaviniai: išanalizuoti mokslinę literatūrą, susijusią su darbo tema; pateikti emocinių sutrikimų turinčių 3-5 metų vaikų pedagoginę ir psichologinę charakteristiką; išryškinti dailės terapijos būdų taikymo galimybes ugdant emocinių sutrikimų turinčius 3-5 metų vaikus; išsiaiškinti vaikų globos namų darbuotoju požiūrį į dailės terapijos naudingumą. Tyrimo objektas - 3-5 metų vaikų, ugdomų globos namuose, emocijų raiška taikant dailės terapijos būdus. Tyrimo metodai: Lietuvos švietimo dokumentų, pedagoginės, psichologinės, dailės terapijos literatūros studijavimas, veiklos tyrimas: stebėjimas, dokumentų (piešinių) analizė, kokybinė duomenų analizė, pusiau struktūruotas interviu. Veiklos tyrimo metu nustatyta, kad dailės terapijos būdų taikymas vaikams turintiems emocinių sutrikimų, gali padėti geriau pažinti save ir kitus, padėti išreikšti savo jausmus (taip pat ir negatyvius), ugdo asmenybės... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Lots of children in Lithuania become orphans every year. Children living in care institutions often suffer from emotional disorders which are caused by faulty early emotional development. The children facing emotional disorders are distanced from other children. Any specialized aid for such children in Lithuania is very limited. Children with emotional sphere pathology are in great need of intensive specialized help of various specialists. Art therapy is one of preventive and social ways of help to such children. The aim of this research is to investigate the expression of emotions when the art therapy is applied to 3-5 years old children living in foster home. The main objectives of the research are to analyze the academic literature related to the topic of the research, to provide with pedagogical and psychological characteristics of the 3-5 years old children with emotional disorders, highlight the possibilities of art therapy application to the children and find out the opinion about the utility of the art therapy of people working in care institutions. The object of the research is the expression of emotions when the art therapy is applied to the 3-5 years old children living in foster home. The research methods encompass the study of documents related to education in Lithuania, pedagogical and psychological literature, the analysis of literature on art therapy. The investigation includes observation, analysis of documents (drawings), qualitative data analysis and a... [to full text]

Nepilnamečių nukrypstamas elgesys kelią didelių problemų visuomenėje. Jis dažnai perauga į rimtesnius teisės pažeidimus, o tai įtakoja kriminogeninius reiškinius visuomenėje ir sudaro problemas visoje socialinėje sistemoje. Vaikai augantys globos namuose susiduria su neigiama socializacija šeimos aplinkoje, institucinio ugdymo specifika, visuomenės požiūriu ir kitais neigiamais faktoriais, kas vienaip ar kitaip įtakoja socialinių normų perėmimo sudėtingumą. Visuomenėje nepilnamečių nusikalstamumas išlieka aktualia problema visuomenėje, ir išlaiko gana aukštus rodiklius nusikalstamumo statistikoje. Todėl svarbu sukurti efektyvias prevencines programas, kurios užkirstų kelią delinkventinio elgesio pasireiškimams bei nusikalstamumo formavimuisi, sutelkiant dėmesį į ankstyvąją prevenciją ir efektyvų jos įgyvendinimą, atitinkantį ugdymo dalyvių lūkesčius. Darbo tikslas: apžvelgti vaikų globos namuose taikomas delinkventinio elgesio prevencijos priemones ir atskleisti auklėtojų ir auklėtinių vertinimą bei tobulinimo prielaidas jų atžvilgiu. Darbo uždaviniai: Išanalizuoti delinkventiškumo sampratą ir apžvelgti pagrindines delinkventinį elgesį aiškinančias teorijas; apžvelgti socialinius veiksnius, galinčius turėti įtakos, delinkventiniam elgesiui; apžvelgti globos įstaigoje taikomas delinkventinio elgesio prevencines priemones; atlikus tyrimą atskleisti vaikų globos namų auklėtojų ir auklėtinių vertinimą ir lūkesčius delinkventinio elgesio prevencijos tobulinimo atžvilgiu. Tyrimo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Inappropriate juvenile behavior causes serious problems in the society. Such behavior often leads to more serious offenses which have an impact on criminogenic phenomenon in the society, and create social problems in the whole social system. Children living in care homes are faced with negative socialization in the family environment, peculiarities of institutional development, society‘s attitude and other negative factors which one way or another have an influence on the adoption of social norms. Juvenile delinquency remains a topical issue in the society, and the rate of such offences is fairly high according to the crime statistics. Therefore, it is very important to develop effective prevention programs that would help to prevent delinquent behavior and formation of delinquency, focusing on early prevention and its effective implementation according to the expectations of the participants of the prevention program. The aim of the paper – to review measures preventing delinquent behavior that are applied in the child care home and to reveal corresponding evaluation of those measures by educators and pupils, and suggestions for improvement. The tasks of the paper – to analyze the concept of delinquency and review the basic theories explaining the delinquent behavior; to review social factors that may have an influence on delinquent behavior; to review measures preventing delinquent behavior that are applied at the care home; to carry out a research and reveal the... [to full text]