Doctor of Philosophy / This thesis is concerned with an examination and re-assessment of the establishment, operation and management of the Female and Male Orphan Schools, in the first half of the nineteenth century in New South Wales. The chaplains and governors in the early penal settlement were faced with a dilemma, as they beheld the number of children who were ‘orphaned’, neglected, abandoned and destitute. In order to understand the reasons why these children were in necessitous circumstances, the thesis seeks to examine the situations of the convict women, who were the mothers of these children. Governors Philip Gidley King and Lachlan Macquarie respectively in 1801 and 1819 established the Schools, which provided elementary education, training and residential care within a religious setting. Researching the motives underlying the actions of these men has been an important part of the thesis. An examination of the social backgrounds of some of the children admitted to these Schools has been undertaken, in order to provide a greater understanding of the conditions under which the children were living prior to their admissions. Information about family situations, and the social problems encountered by parents that led them to place their children in the Schools, have been explored. The avenues open to the girls and boys when they left the Schools, has formed part of the study. Some children were able to be reunited with family members, but the majority of them were apprenticed. A study of the nature of these apprenticeships, has led to a greater understanding of employment opportunities for girls and boys at that time. In 1850 the Schools were amalgamated into the Protestant Orphan School at Parramatta. By examining the governance and operation of the Schools during their last two decades as separate entities, we have more knowledge about and understanding of these two colonial institutions. It is the conclusion of this thesis that some of the harsher judgements of revisionist social historians need to be modified. It was the perception that more social disorder would occur if action was not taken to ‘rescue’ the ‘orphaned’ children, usually of convict parentage. However genuine charity, philanthropy and concern was displayed for the children in grave physical and moral danger. The goals of the founders were not always reached in the Orphan Schools, nevertheless they performed an invaluable service in the lives of many children.

The roll-out of Anti-retroviral Therapy in South Africa has enabled perinatally HIV infected children to reach the adolescent phase. It is important to acknowledge that the psycho-social experiences of perinatally HIV infected children differ from other adolescents. This study explored the psychosocial experiences of perinatally HIV infected adolescents residing in Child and Youth Care Centres in Pretoria. Using qualitative interpretive-descriptive methodology, the sample consisted of eight perinatally HIV infected adolescents, two social workers and ten child and youth care workers from two Child and Youth Care Centres. Data was collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews with perinatally HIV positive adolescents and two focus groups were held with child and youth care workers and social workers. The use of these two data collection methods enhanced the reliability and trustworthiness of the data. Using social constructionism as the key conceptual framework, there were four key themes and subthemes that distilled from the interviews and focus groups. The results revealed that perinatally HIV infected adolescents have difficulties discussing their status and that they used blocking as a coping strategy to avoid the subject. Disclosure was difficult for the adolescents as they were acutely aware of stigma and discrimination. With regards to adherence to medication there was lack of self-efficacy as the adolescents relied mostly on Child and Youth care workers and social workers. Finally in both Child and Youth Care centres, lack of on-going disclosure and discussion about HIV hindered the availability of psychosocial support services. This study concludes that child and youth care centres should develop programs which focus on support topics such as sexuality, disclosure and self-esteem. The Department of Social development should implement psychosocial support training specifically for Child and Youth care workers and Social workers working with perinatally HIV positive children. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

There are many challenges that face children in residential care. Among those challenges is the little or no interaction between the children in residential care and their biological family. This study investigated if biological family involvement in the lives of children in residential care had any effect on the children's development while they were in care. The study was a comparison between children with biological family involvement and children without any biological family involvement. The comparison focused on two main variables, namely, academic performance and behaviour characteristics. This was qualitative, multiple case study research where triangulation was used as a tool for collecting information. Ten children participated in this study i.e. five children with biological family involvement and five children without any biological family involvement. Data used in this study was collected from children, their housemothers and from children's files. Findings from this research indicated that there was a difference between children with biological family involvement and children without such family involvement in terms of academic performance and behaviour characteristics. Children with biological family involvement performed better academically and displayed fewer negative behaviour characteristic than children without biological family involvement. Findings also suggested there was a need for further research on this topic in order to find ways to assist children in residential care to develop optimally. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

This thesis is concerned with cultural connection and its role in creating cultural permanence when planning for Indigenous children and youth in care. Its goal is to mitigate the current path of disconnection and imbalance for Indigenous children and youth in care and to recommend an ecological, holistic approach to child welfare practice. It comprises a literature review that documents theories and practices to support belonging, cultural permanence, and cultural identity for Indigenous children while supporting meaningful connections with family, culture, and community. This information and analysis will be applied to the care of children and youth being served by Northwest Inter-Nation Family and Community Services Society (NIFCS) in British Columbia. The study’s findings will highlight guidance to assist social workers in centering cultural traditions that promote cultural strengths, resiliency, and a sense of belonging for Indigenous children and youth. This thesis will provide suggestions for interacting with the Indigenous community, parents, relatives, workers, and other delegated agencies. Finally, this thesis will explore how one social worker’s dream influences the direction of her practice to build on cultural strengths and spiritual resiliency. / Graduate / 0452 / 0631 / 0628 / kbennett@nifcs.org

This thesis is concerned with cultural connection and its role in creating cultural permanence when planning for Indigenous children and youth in care. Its goal is to mitigate the current path of disconnection and imbalance for Indigenous children and youth in care and to recommend an ecological, holistic approach to child welfare practice. It comprises a literature review that documents theories and practices to support belonging, cultural permanence, and cultural identity for Indigenous children while supporting meaningful connections with family, culture, and community. This information and analysis will be applied to the care of children and youth being served by Northwest Inter-Nation Family and Community Services Society (NIFCS) in British Columbia. The study’s findings will highlight guidance to assist social workers in centering cultural traditions that promote cultural strengths, resiliency, and a sense of belonging for Indigenous children and youth. This thesis will provide suggestions for interacting with the Indigenous community, parents, relatives, workers, and other delegated agencies. Finally, this thesis will explore how one social worker’s dream influences the direction of her practice to build on cultural strengths and spiritual resiliency. / Graduate / 0452 / 0631 / 0628 / kbennett@nifcs.org

Doctor of Philosophy / This thesis is concerned with an examination and re-assessment of the establishment, operation and management of the Female and Male Orphan Schools, in the first half of the nineteenth century in New South Wales. The chaplains and governors in the early penal settlement were faced with a dilemma, as they beheld the number of children who were ‘orphaned’, neglected, abandoned and destitute. In order to understand the reasons why these children were in necessitous circumstances, the thesis seeks to examine the situations of the convict women, who were the mothers of these children. Governors Philip Gidley King and Lachlan Macquarie respectively in 1801 and 1819 established the Schools, which provided elementary education, training and residential care within a religious setting. Researching the motives underlying the actions of these men has been an important part of the thesis. An examination of the social backgrounds of some of the children admitted to these Schools has been undertaken, in order to provide a greater understanding of the conditions under which the children were living prior to their admissions. Information about family situations, and the social problems encountered by parents that led them to place their children in the Schools, have been explored. The avenues open to the girls and boys when they left the Schools, has formed part of the study. Some children were able to be reunited with family members, but the majority of them were apprenticed. A study of the nature of these apprenticeships, has led to a greater understanding of employment opportunities for girls and boys at that time. In 1850 the Schools were amalgamated into the Protestant Orphan School at Parramatta. By examining the governance and operation of the Schools during their last two decades as separate entities, we have more knowledge about and understanding of these two colonial institutions. It is the conclusion of this thesis that some of the harsher judgements of revisionist social historians need to be modified. It was the perception that more social disorder would occur if action was not taken to ‘rescue’ the ‘orphaned’ children, usually of convict parentage. However genuine charity, philanthropy and concern was displayed for the children in grave physical and moral danger. The goals of the founders were not always reached in the Orphan Schools, nevertheless they performed an invaluable service in the lives of many children.

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.

Text in Afrikaans / Die doel van hierdie studie was om te bepaal waarom kinders uit kinderhuise wegloop en om voorstelle ter voorkoming daarvan te maak. Ten opsigte van die fenomeen "wegloop" stateer die literatuur dat kinders wegloop vanaf onaangename omstandighede en/of wegloop na aangename omstandighede. Die belewing van gesinstres, gesinskonflik, portuurgroepdruk, utopiese voorstellings van wegloop, onaangename skoolbelewing en tiener swangerskap is aangeduide rolspelers onderliggend aan bogenoemde. Die empiriese studie na wegloop uit kinderhuise bet aan die lig gebring dat kinders uit kinderhuise wegloop weens traumatiese belewing van verwydering uit die ouerhuis, etikettering en inrigtingsversadiging. Voorts is bevind dat faktore wat onderliggend aan bogenoemde is, tot 'n groot mate voorkom kan word. Sekere aanbevelings ter voorkoming van wegloop uit kinderhuise is na aanleiding van die studie gedoen en kan gebruik word in die volwassene se bemoeienis met die kinderhuiskind. / The object of the study was to identify the reasons why children run away from children's homes and to make recommendations on how to prevent them from running away. On considering "run away" as a phenomenon, the literature states that children run away from harsh circumstances to acceptable or pleasant circumstances. Experiences such as family stress, conflict in the family, peer group pressure, romanticising the idea, harsh school experiences and teenage pregnancies are roll players subjacent to the above mentioned. The empirical study of "running away from children's homes" has confirmed that children run away because of traumatic separation from parental homes, labelling and institutional intolerance. Furthermore it was also found that factors subjacent to the above mentioned can be neutralised to a large extent. Certain guidelines have been recommended for adults when confronted with children in children's homes. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Voorligting)

As a social worker at the Desmond Tutu Child and Youth Care Centre in Gauteng province, the researcher noticed an increase in the number of applications for adolescents’ admission to the Centre due to a breakdown in their foster care placements. This raised a question regarding the factors contributing to this breakdown. The aim of the study was to develop an in-depth understanding of factors contributing to the breakdown of foster care placements from the perspectives of the adolescents who were fostered and from those of their foster parents. The qualitative research approach was used applying an explorative, descriptive and contextual design. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and was analysed according to the framework provided by Tesch (in Creswell, 2009:186). For data verification, Guba’s model (in Krefting (1990:214-220) was applied. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations made about foster care involving adolescents. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

M.A. (Social Work) / The lack of relevant therapeutic programmes suitable for pre-school children staying in children's homes became apparent whilst the researcher was working in children's homes, as well as during discussions with colleagues. The inability of the pre-school child to converse fluently leads to a continuous search for quality interventions. In an attempt to resolve this need, two therapeutic programmes namely Viola Brody (1975) Developmental Touch Therapy Programme as well as a developmental group work programme developed by the researcher are implemented in a children's home. An exploratory, evaluating study, with two groups of four pre-school children each, are conducted in a children's home. An adapted experimental design is used to compare the results of the two groups. The children's behaviour are monitored and reported on in case studies. A singlesystem design is used to arrange the data, compare the two groups with each other and to monitor individual behaviour changes. The study is an exploratory probe into the viability / workableness and effectiveness of the two interventions with pre-school children in a children's home. The objective is to establish whether the programmes can be implemented in a children's homes and whether it will lead to a change in the general functioning of the children involved. The study concluded that both programmes is viable / workable. In addition, the Developmental Touch Therapy programme prove effective in the development of self concept as well as improving their general functionality, especially in developing positive behaviour. The developmental group work programme is marginal successful in respect of developing positive behaviour but unsuccessful in developing self concept.