Disproportionately high numbers of Black people use mental health services and experience involuntary treatment in the UK. There is no simple explanation, but research and policy suggest that groups run by and for Black people with mental health problems provide valued support. This study asks how community development (CD) practice can help these groups to develop and thrive. The research adopted an action research framework to develop four cycles of research, each informing the next, within a social constructivist paradigm. Methods were mainly qualitative: interviews, group discussions and observation, with a questionnaire survey in cycle one. This asked CD practitioners about their activities and helped to identify two groups for case studies in cycles two and three. During the case studies, groups received development support on their chosen topic while participating in qualitative research; activities were clearly demarcated. Reflective field notes added to the data. In the fourth cycle reflective conversations with eminent ‘critical friends’ refined and affirmed the learning. Thematic analysis was continuous and progressive. Findings suggest that CD practitioners can inspire and help Black people with mental health problems to come together in member-led, mutually supportive groups, justifying Black-only membership. Effective practitioners, especially Black role models, helped groups to generate self-belief and self-efficacy through collective action, enabling members to change their status, services and community. Those practitioners who demonstrated critical humility, commitment and competence broke the pattern of racial and psychiatric dominance. Others inadvertently reinforced societal oppression. A new concept is introduced to encapsulate the learning: the ‘liberation approach’ to CD which synthesises four perspectives: radical CD, mental health recovery, Black self-help and liberation theories. This approach helps groups to challenge oppressive processes, breaking the mould in which they feel constrained. The study contributes new theory, evidence and research methodology about CD and self-organising groups within this context.

<p>Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva socialsekreterares uppfattning om och klienters upplevelse av en hjälp- och stödverksamhet riktad till utsatta barn. Intentionen med studien var dessutom att undersöka vilka förslag dessa har på framtida förändringar av verksamheten.</p><p>Metod: Tre personliga intervjuer med två målgrupper genomfördes. Målgrupp 1 var klienter som tidigare deltagit i insatser hos hjälp- och stödverksamheten och målgrupp 2 var socialsekreterare med minst fem års erfarenhet inom det sociala yrkesområdet.</p><p>Resultat: Resultatet visade en samstämmighet mellan målgrupperna, gällande stödverksamhetens positiva effekter gentemot utsatta barn. De mest framträdande positiva effekterna var att barnet gavs kunskap om sin omkringliggande problematik och en insikt i att de inte är ensamma i sin livssituation. De aspekter där de två målgrupperna hade olika syn på denna form av insats var huruvida insatsen är lämplig och tillräcklig för alla utsatta barn. En framtidsvision som framkom var att båda grupperna ansåg att ett införande av ett personligt ombud skulle vara positivt för utsatta barn.</p><p>Slutsats: Den slutsats som framkommit under denna studie är att hjälp- och stödverksamheten är en betydelsefull insats utifrån ett barnperspektiv, men att det inte är en åtgärd som kan ses som en slutlig lösning av ett problem. Således bör denna insats kombineras med fler insatser som rör familjeproblematiken från andra synvinklar, för att på så sätt nå ett helhetsperspektiv.</p> / <p>Objective: The objective with this study was to describe social welfare sekretaries opinion of and former clients experience of one help and support programme for vulnerable children. An additional intention was to examine the informants’ suggestions of future changes of the programme.</p><p>Method: Three personal interviews were made with two interview groups. Interview group 1 was former clients of the help and support programme and interview group 2 was social welfare secretaries with at least five years of experience in the profession of social work.</p><p>Results: The result of the study shows consensus between the interview groups according to the positive outcomes of the programme for the vulnerable children. The most appearing positive effects were that the children were given knowledge of the problems in their families and an insight in the fact that they are not alone in their situation. The aspects where the interview groups had different points of view concerning this form of effort were whether this contribution is suitable or enough for all the vulnerable children. One future vision that came through was that both groups considered that it would be positive for the vulnerable children to introduce a personal representative for their cause.</p><p>Conclusion: The conclusion of this study was that this form of help and support programme is an important contribution from the children’s perspective, but not a final solution of a problem. Therefore, this contribution should be combined with more efforts that involve the problems in the family from other points of view, to reach a perspective of entirety.</p>

Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva socialsekreterares uppfattning om och klienters upplevelse av en hjälp- och stödverksamhet riktad till utsatta barn. Intentionen med studien var dessutom att undersöka vilka förslag dessa har på framtida förändringar av verksamheten. Metod: Tre personliga intervjuer med två målgrupper genomfördes. Målgrupp 1 var klienter som tidigare deltagit i insatser hos hjälp- och stödverksamheten och målgrupp 2 var socialsekreterare med minst fem års erfarenhet inom det sociala yrkesområdet. Resultat: Resultatet visade en samstämmighet mellan målgrupperna, gällande stödverksamhetens positiva effekter gentemot utsatta barn. De mest framträdande positiva effekterna var att barnet gavs kunskap om sin omkringliggande problematik och en insikt i att de inte är ensamma i sin livssituation. De aspekter där de två målgrupperna hade olika syn på denna form av insats var huruvida insatsen är lämplig och tillräcklig för alla utsatta barn. En framtidsvision som framkom var att båda grupperna ansåg att ett införande av ett personligt ombud skulle vara positivt för utsatta barn. Slutsats: Den slutsats som framkommit under denna studie är att hjälp- och stödverksamheten är en betydelsefull insats utifrån ett barnperspektiv, men att det inte är en åtgärd som kan ses som en slutlig lösning av ett problem. Således bör denna insats kombineras med fler insatser som rör familjeproblematiken från andra synvinklar, för att på så sätt nå ett helhetsperspektiv. / Objective: The objective with this study was to describe social welfare sekretaries opinion of and former clients experience of one help and support programme for vulnerable children. An additional intention was to examine the informants’ suggestions of future changes of the programme. Method: Three personal interviews were made with two interview groups. Interview group 1 was former clients of the help and support programme and interview group 2 was social welfare secretaries with at least five years of experience in the profession of social work. Results: The result of the study shows consensus between the interview groups according to the positive outcomes of the programme for the vulnerable children. The most appearing positive effects were that the children were given knowledge of the problems in their families and an insight in the fact that they are not alone in their situation. The aspects where the interview groups had different points of view concerning this form of effort were whether this contribution is suitable or enough for all the vulnerable children. One future vision that came through was that both groups considered that it would be positive for the vulnerable children to introduce a personal representative for their cause. Conclusion: The conclusion of this study was that this form of help and support programme is an important contribution from the children’s perspective, but not a final solution of a problem. Therefore, this contribution should be combined with more efforts that involve the problems in the family from other points of view, to reach a perspective of entirety.

Self-help groups are an interesting phenomenon and they could serve as a significant complement to the social services. Nevertheless they don't attract much attention in the Czech republic. In the theoretical part this thesis is trying to describe in detail how the self-help groups work, how they can complement social services and what are their risks and limitations. In the practical part a research was conducted in order to understand and map the situation of Czech self-help groups. This research was based on the internet search engine and registry of social services providers. The goal of the research was to map the self-help groups in the Czech republic in relation to geographical and typological allocation. The outcome of the research is a directory of active self-help groups that should serve both social workers and potencial clients of the self-help groups.

No description available.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka några föräldrars upplevelser kring bortförandet av deras barn och hur stöd och hjälp från samhället upplevs. Tidigare forskning pekar på att kvarlämnade föräldrar drabbas svårt av ett bortförande då det orsakar emotionell stress. En del av forskningen som inriktar sig på riskfaktorer och kännetecken för bortföranden visar att bortföranden ofta äger rum i samband med vårdnadstvister och föregås av hot. Kvarlämnade föräldrar drabbas också ekonomiskt av ett bortförande. Forskning tyder också på att det finns brister i stöd och hjälp för drabbade föräldrar. Denna forskning utgår från en internationell kontext och myndigheter i engelskspråkiga länder. Då antalet bortföranden fortsätter att öka i Sverige finns anledning att uppmärksamma och studera frågan då det finns väldigt lite svensk forskning om bortförande av barn. Studien genomfördes med hjälp av intervjuer med fem föräldrar som drabbats av ett bortförande, där den andra föräldern bortfört barnet till utlandet. Intervjumaterialet har bearbetats genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Aaron Antonovskys teori KASAM – Känsla av sammanhang, utgör studiens teoretiska referensram.Studiens resultat visade att föräldrarna upplevde bortförandet som en kris. Majoriteten av föräldrarna hade upplevt varningssignaler med bland annat hot från den bortförande föräldern innan bortförandet. Föräldrarna upplevde även skuldkänslor relaterat till detta. De reagerade på olika sätt på bortförandet. Reaktionerna innebar bland annat sömnsvårigheter, oro, chock, panik, ångest, sorg och saknad. Vidare visar resultatet att föräldrarna upplevde att svenska myndigheter inte gjorde tillräckligt för att hjälpa dem. Bortförandet innebar stora ekonomiska kostnader de själva fick betala och de efterfrågade även bättre psykosocialt stöd. Slutsatsen är att föräldrarna upplevde bortförandet som en kris som de kände sig maktlösa i då de upplevde att de inte fick det stöd och den hjälp de behövde från det svenska samhället. / This bachelor thesis aims to investigate a few parents' experiences of the parental abduction of their children and how they experience support and help from society. Previous research indicates that left-behind parents experience emotional stress and that the abduction of their children can be traumatic. Parts of the existing research focouses on risk factors and shows that parental abductions often occur in connection to a child-custody case, and with threats from the other parent. The abductions affect the left-behind parents' economic well-being. Research about parental support and authority responses also indicates that support needs to be extended and improve. This research was conducted in international contexts and related to authorities in the English-speaking world. Because of the increasing cases of parental abduction in Sweden, and that little research has been conducted about the left-behind parents' experinces in Sweden, there is a reason to investigate this in this bachelor thesis. Interviews have been carried out with five parents whose children have been abducted by the other parent to another country. The theoretical framework of the study is Aaron Antonovsky's theory Sense of Coherence (SOC). The analysis suggests that the parents experienced that the abduction of their children was a life crisis. The majority of the parents had seen alarming signs, and gotten threats from the other parent before the abduction. These findings confirmed previous research. The parents experienced feelings of guilt related to the alarming signs. The parents also felt powerless and stated that the Swedish authoritys, and society, did not do enough to help them.

No description available.

This Diploma Thesis deals with the issues of social and pedagogical work with the minorities. The opening chapters aim to determine the basic theoretical terms and they introduce basic information about some selected national minorities. The core of the practical part of this work describes the processes and specific activities, which can help in integrating pupils, who belong to ethnic minorities, into the educational system. The closing chapters of this Diploma Thesis include an empirical survey, focused on professional orientation and vocational selection among the Roma pupils at the basic school in Obrnice. Attention is drawn to the family influence and the role of school and other institutions operating in this field.

Care is an essential need for human beings, especially students who spend extensive time at school. The goal of this study is to qualitatively explore Saudi university students’ perceptions of teacher care in the US. Fourteen male and female Saudi students at a large Midwestern US university were interviewed. This study offers a literature review about Saudi students’ cultural backgrounds, which make studying their educational experiences more understandable. Several themes emerged from the research data including cultural differences, learning a new language, help and support, making connections, and caring teachers as role models. Recommendations for US American teachers, Saudi Ministry of Education, and future research are offered.