Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2005. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (July 13, 2006) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-106). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: Frances S. Berry, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences, Dept. of Public Administration and Policy. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 21, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains xiii, 114 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves: [53]-56)

This thesis draws together a series of publications that were based on research studies conducted between 1981 and 2011, covering care homes and alternative forms of housing with care. The majority of the studies were funded by the Department of Health or its predecessors, and were aimed at responding to policy issues, particularly for local authority grant funding. However, the funding provided the opportunity to collect information for broader purposes, and a central feature linking the studies was the collection, as far as possible, of consistent information about the characteristics of residents over time. The thesis includes 12 pieces of work, based on information collected in ten studies, and illustrates the changes in care home provision from 1981 onwards, and the potential role of alternative forms of housing with care. The aim of the thesis is to explore the following themes: the changing role of care homes and the development of the independent sector, particularly the private sector; factors associated with care home costs; changes in the relative role of residential and nursing homes, including changes in the characteristics of residents over time; changes in the quality of provision; the impact of care home closures; provision for self-funders and the expectations of residents; and the development of alternative forms of housing with care, and the degree to which specialised housing can provide an alternative to residential care. Care homes in the UK provide around 470,000 places and account for over half the expenditure on social care for older people in England. However, information about care facilities and residents is very limited. The papers presented here aimed to fill some of the gaps in understanding residential care and possible alternatives by making use of data collected in a unique series of related research studies conducted over a period of 30 years.

Although much has been written in the field of family history since Phillipe Aires' Centuries of Childhood (1962), the study of foster care in its various forms has received less attention. Themes concerning orphans and foster children do, however, appear guite often in literature and dramatic works. Two academic articles from Iceland and Brazil respectively discuss historical material relating to foster children and orphans in the 19th century. Themes from these articles, about the role of kin and neighbours in foster care, and the use of orphans to meet labour shortages, are discussed as background to the B.C. study. The constitutional-legal framework and social welfare policies adopted in British Columbia in the 1900-1930 period were under Anglo-American influence, with influences from Ontario being most direct. B.C. established some level of economic security for women and children with the establishment of women's pensions in 1920 and in 1927 the B.C. Survey of Child Welfare made recommendations for supervised foster care, that is, foster care subsidized by government and supervised by social workers. Although the legislation mandated "approved foster homes" as early as 1901, and envisaged temporary placement with children's aid societies (CAS) until such homes could be found, the annual reports and discharge summaries of the CASs, and the records of the Superintendent of Neglected Children show that this option was largely ignored. Not until overcrowding and medical crises forced the issue did CASs turn to foster care as an option. / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate

M.A. / The South African Government, through its social services, takes great caution about the children and their well-being. To emphasize this the minister of Social Development has priorities, which are outlined in the minister’s Ten-Point Plan. In this ten-point plan, services are outlined according to their priorities and one of the priorities in this plan is the well- being of vulnerable groups, including all children in South Africa. Foster care, as a form of substitute care, is not new in the system. For years, children who have been regarded as children in need of care have more than often been placed in foster care. This method is preferred by the Department of Social Development. The current state of affairs in South Africa, characterized by the high rate of HIV/AIDS infections and death, as well as poverty, calls for more children to be placed in alternative care. Therefore, for such children, foster care has been identified as the most viable option. However, it has always been the researcher’s experience that once children are placed in foster care there is often limited if no contact by the social workers. Thus, the children’s experiences are often not known. The assumption is often that if the foster parent is not complaining about the well-being of the child concerned, then the placement is perceived to be going well. The primary aim of the study therefore was to explore and describe the degree of contentment that foster children have about their status of being a foster child. Quantitative descriptive methods were used in the study. A sample of 67 foster children was drawn from the population (i.e. foster children in Tsakane). The researcher made use of group administered questionnaires to collect data. (iv) The results of the study show that most children have a positive experience about foster care. It is however significant to note that although the children are positive about their status, they feel that less attention is being given to them by their social workers and that procedures about foster care are often not explained to them. Therefore, mechanisms need to be put in place to ensure that constant attention is provided to the children in need of care, for without this the social worker cannot assess whether the foster care system is effective for the child concerned or not. The researcher provides inside knowledge about the foster children’ degree of contentment about their status. The results of the study are discussed and recommendations are offered to improve on service delivery. / Dr. E. Oliphant

Clearly very little is known about the dynamics within foster families and the effects of fostering on children. The intention of this study was to understand what happens in the lives of children during their period of placement in foster homes and it affected them and to explore and describe the experiences of the foster parent. It was learned that there is often a breakdown in the relationship between foster parents and the children they foster, particularly with regards to the gaining of trust, the socio economic status of the foster parents also played a part in the success of the placement. This research has found that substance abuse on the part of the children was prevalent leading to great tension within the households.

The core of this study is an intensive review of a small sample of Indian foster children, their natural parents, their foster parents and of the services each group receives from a children's aid society. To a considerable extent, this is a test of facts against theoretical knowledge and against common beliefs. It is also an operational study which has been undertaken in response to a specific need, and with the hope of finding some procedures for remedial action. The research material is drawn from thirty-one sets of three kinds of files, and the returns from twenty-four questionnaires which were mailed to the foster parent group with covering letters. Data were also secured from a questionnaire which was pretested in an interview with one foster mother who had several Indian children; from consultations with social workers and other experienced people; and from personal knowledge gained by working with the groups involved. A preliminary review of Indians in British Columbia, historically and currently, throws light on the special problems of Indians here characterized as "marginality", "anomie" and prejudice. The study is, then, directed to three primary questions relating to: (1) planning foster placement for the Indian child; (2) the adequacy of the service offered to the Indian children, their parents and foster parents; and (3) the equipment of the social worker who handles Indian cases. The research also throws light upon eight other related queries, which were formulated in the course of the enquiry. On the basis of the evidence from the aggregate material, a number of procedures are proposed, both for improved service in planning for the Indian foster child, and for helping the agency and its workers who are responsible for his care. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This study makes an analysis of those situations in which children of mentally ill parents were taken into non-ward care by the Children's Aid Society of Vancouver, B.C., in the years 1957 to 1959. The purpose of the study is to determine the characteristics of the families to whom this service was given, what factors influenced planning, the significance of the factor of mental illness, and whether the plan achieved its stated purpose. In the twenty-four family cases studied, there was a combined total of fifty-six children. Only thirty-six of these children were taken into non-ward care. The majority of families included two parents in the home, and in these instances the parents made greater use of their own resources. The major factor necessitating the use of non-ward care was found to be the hospitalization of the mother for psychiatric treatment. Planning for the care of the children was significantly influenced by emergency referrals, which gave little time to caseworkers to assess the family situation prior to placement of the child. Twenty-nine children were returned to their parents. Twenty-two of these were returned within six months. Most of these families were unknown to the Children's Aid Society prior to the request for non-ward care and showed considerable parental capability. Seven children were either made wards or were placed for adoption. In these instances the parents revealed recurring social dysfunction and parental incapacity. Their children remained in non-ward care for longer periods of time than the first group before a future plan was made. The results of the study are discussed with reference to non-ward care policy of the Children's Aid Society and to basic child welfare concepts. Some reference is made to non-ward care and temporary ward care legislation of other provinces. Some assessment is made about non-ward care. Non-ward care was found to be an invaluable service to families, but this resource must be used judiciously or grave damage to the child and the child-parent relationship may result. Implications of the study are discussed with reference to (a) the caseworker and practice, (b) community planning, and (c) non-ward care theory. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate