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This study examined those employment-focused interventions (services, programming, mentorship, other supports) most effective in supporting an individual’s desistance from gang involvement. Utilizing a qualitative approach (interviews, document analysis and nonparticipant observation), this study engaged with individuals and organizations involved in the critical work of gang desistance to learn what makes their practices most effective. The criticality of gang desistance work lies in its efforts to address the thousands of lives continually lost each year as a result of gang-involvement and activity. Where gangs exist in cities, towns and communities across the country (and world, for that matter), the approaches of demonization, marginalization and suppression continue as the overwhelming response to gangs and gang activity. This study highlighted the individuals and organizations offering an alternative, employment-focused approach built on peer- and community-based efforts founded on inclusion and empowerment. Through the data collection, this study intended to identify and detail the practices of the research participants and why they are effective. Beginning with a review of available research within the field of gang desistance, an understanding of the evolving theories of the phenomenon of one desisting from gang involvement were explored, followed by an exploration of why individuals join gangs, the impacts of gang involvement, what prompts gang members to desist, and those interventions most supportive of this desistance. With an emphasis on service providers and leaders with the lived experience of gang desistance, as well as organizations dedicated to gang desistance work, the themes and evidence that emerged from the data collection provided deeper insights into how the process of desisting from gang involvement can be most effectively supported and realized. The outcome of this research pointed to several components of the work of gang desistance that make it most effective. These components focused on the desisting individual and the internal and external elements that both prompted and help maintained their desistance; the types of interventions most conducive to supporting a desisting individual––especially those focused on the individual’s identity desistance and self-efficacy; and, finally, those qualities of those service providers and organizations who provided these interventions and what made them impactful and effective. The findings of this study revealed that there are models, practices and other elements to support individuals toward effectively desisting from gang involvement. The findings also revealed the challenging and dynamic nature of the phenomenon of gang desistance––both for those desisting and those supporting them. Resulting from this nature of the work and the still developing field of gang desistance studies, these findings also offered areas of focus for future research toward a stronger understanding of the process of gang desistance, and, more importantly, the development and implementation of effective gang desistance concepts and practices.

Holmqvist, L & Niia, K. SOCIETY’S FORGOTTEN CHILDREN. A STUDY OF THE SOCIAL SERVICE’S WORK WITH YOUNG PEOPLE WHO AGE-OUT OF FOSTER CARE. Degree project in Social Work, 15 Credits. Malmö University: Faculty of Health and Society, Department of Social Work, 2017This is an essay dedicated to the young people who has been placed in out-of-home care, and because of their age has to leave their placements to stand on their own. International, as well as swedish research shows that this is a vulnerable group of young people who often both has a broken past and an uncertain future ahead of them, and that many of them has a hard time faring as independent adults. In many other countries, the transitional period these young care leavers goes through when they make their journey to independence is high on the agenda. In Sweden however, this group and their unique situation has gotten very little attention, neither in the legislation, from scientists or from social workers. In Sweden we put in a lot of resources and effort to support children in care, but very little to when it's time for these young people to leave the system. The purpose of this essay has been to find out why this group of young people seems to be invisible in the swedish context. To do that we’ve studied previous research, legislation and conducted interviews with social workers working with these youths. To help analyse our empiricism and find an explanation to the problem, we’ve used theories about the social workers room for manoeuvre, the individualisation of the swedish society and how New Public Management has come to effect the public sector. We’ve found that Sweden’s general and universal laws which puts a big responsibility on the individual, combined with the fact that these young people falls right in the crack between childhood and adulthood -both according to law and in the eyes of the population, are factors that plays a big part in the reasons as to why these young care leavers in Sweden seems to become a “hidden-population”.

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The aim of this study was to gain an increased knowledge of what it is that makes a woman who is or has been subjected to violence, by a man with whom she had a close relationship, leaves. With the study, we wanted to get an insight into what made the break-up possible and examine the importance of the people around her, to understand how we better can provide the support she needs both before, during and after the break-up. The empiric material consisted of eight semi-structured qualitative interviews based on an interview guide with eight women who had been subjected to violence by a male partner. The material has been analysed through the exit theory and the normalization process of violence, and related to previous research on the subject. The results and the conclusions shows that the man after some time began to show new sides, and a period of mental degradation through isolation and psychological violence followed, which made many of the women start thinking about leaving. Breaking up proved to be difficult and often consisted of several attempts before the final leave. A specific event with particularly severe violence or that he became a danger for her or the children’s lives proved to be common reasons for her to leave, because it gave her the strength she needed or because she simply had to. We found that the women often were exposed to the man's violence even after the break-up and that violence could be perceived as worse than the relationship itself. After leaving, the understanding comes, and a long period of depression, therapy and sick leave follows. The need for support and help from the woman's network turned out to be the greatest after the break-up. Several women withdrew to report to the police due to fear of not being believed. We found that police reporting, interrogations and the legal process that followed could have a healing effect if the woman felt believed and confirmed, but an opposite effect if she was met with incomprehension. The women seemed to find it easier to absorb information about intimate partner violence from social media than from information leaflets from authorities and organizations. Sharing their own story on social media contributed to both healing and processing. It was also easier to talk to strangers on social media about what you have been exposed to, because of the anonymity.

While researchers have documented elite Indigenous hockey players' experiences when they leave home to play sports in the mainstream context, to date they have not examined how these experiences may vary based on sex and gender. By using Tribal Critical Race Theory, Indigenous feminisms, and reflexive thematic analysis, in this thesis, I examined the challenges and benefits that First Nations elite hockey players experienced when they left home to play in the mainstream context and how these challenges varied based on sex and gender. The 20 participants (10 female, 10 male) all had challenges with language and their new environments. Interestingly, while all the male participants reported experiencing racism, only two of the female participants reported such experiences, and they were of a less overt nature. The benefits that were experienced by both male and female athletes included athletic and personal growth, new experiences, and support from home. While both male and female athletes reported accruing benefits from leaving home, I found that the female athletes had to leave home to pursue hockey due to a lack of opportunities available to them, opportunities that were often available closer to home for male participants. I also found that both males and females reported receiving a great deal of support; this is particularly interesting given male hockey's higher profile. Taken together, these findings add nuance to the existing literature on Indigenous hockey players' experiences in the mainstream context.

No / Past research on care leavers has, understandably, tended to focus on those who are in their mid- to late-teens or early 20s. This reflects the profound impact of central and local government policy on those young people. It also reflects their prominence in contemporary analyses of most of the indicators of social exclusion among young people in the UK - unemployment, homelessness and lack of educational qualifications among them. However, some issues affecting adults who grew up in care apply across the life course. One such issue is the access that former care adults have to their child care files. Indeed, as we shall see, this issue has particular importance for many older adults (in their 30s and upwards). Policy and practice in this field has changed significantly during the past 20¿years and there is a growing awareness of the needs of former care adults in this area. Access to such files can be a significant element in the process of seeking to address identity concerns centring around family and childhood experiences. This paper explores some of these identity concerns and analyses how access to care files both reflects such concerns and attempts to address them.

The topic of this thesis are problematic types of test items in the listening sub test of the didactic test of common part of Maturita school - leaving exam in French language. Introductory chapter of the theoretical part of the thesis focuses on the description of Maturita school-leaving exam, its origin and contemporary model. The following chapters deal with characteristics of the didactic test, its parts and individual test items. These chapters also provide a description of the examined sample, concise characteristics of grammar schools (Gymnasiums) where the research was conducted, and introduces the analytical tools which were used when examining the listening subtest in French language. On the basis of students' answers the most difficult test items of the sub test were pinpointed. KEYWORDS: didactic test, listening sub test, French language, Maturita school-leaving exam, state high school leaving exam, test item