Text in Afrikaans / Globally divorce is an increasing phenomenon. If not handled correctly it may be significantly destructive for the people involved. The new Children’s Act, Act 38 of 2005 regards the best interests of the child paramount in all matters concerning the care, protection and well-being of a child. It underpins the importance of the full, or specific parental responsibilities of parents, the importance of a conciliatory and non-confrontational approach to the settlement of child-centred disputes. It also mandates that the child has the right to participate in an appropriate way in any matter concerning that child and that his views must be given due consideration. Further Act 38 of 2005, provides for parenting plans to be agreed upon determining the exercise of their respective responsibilities and rights. The goal of this research was to explore, develop and implement a process of family mediation with reference to Act 38 of 2005. Five families affected by divorce and their children were selected as case studies for qualitative research. Applied research was done within the context of intervention research and the first four phases of Rothman and Thomas’ Intervention Research model was used. Problems caused by divorce were identified and the goal was to address the best interests of the child by improving the co-parenting relationship, parent-child relationships and the quality of parenting. Information gathering and synthesis took place by using existing information sources, studying natural examples and identifying functional elements of successful models.An observational system was designed. It included the natural observing of the five case studies, specific procedural elements and intervention. The design criteria were applied to the preliminary intervention concept. / Social Work / D.Diac. (Spelterapie-Rigting)

Parental involvement in education is not a new concept; parents have always been involved in education in various ways and to various degrees. Perhaps nowr parents are more sensitive to the important role it plays in ensuring the full potential of the child is realised. Departing from the premise, that it is important, useful and necessary, the researcher has embarked upon an in depth literature study of parental involvement in education in various communities and has undertaken an empirical investigation of the involvement of parents of pupils in secondary schools in the Phoenix North area. The main thrust of this research was to explore the obstacles to parents being involved fully in the education of their children and to make appropriate recommendations to the principals, as the school managers. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Management)

This study examined the relationship of group cohesion among heterogeneous and homogeneous groups on individual treatment outcome of child-parent relationship therapy (CPRT). CPRT is a filial therapy model that targets the parent-child relationship as a means for preventing or improving child and/or family problems. This study included 30 parents or caregivers from 9 groups which met for 10 sessions. Participants qualified for this study if their groups ended with at least 3 group members and 2 leaders, all pretest and posttest data on their child between the ages of 2-11 was completed, and if they attended at least 6 of the 10 sessions. Correlation coefficients, t-tests, and effect sizes were calculated. Results demonstrated no statistically significant differences between pretests and posttests on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) for all 30 participants; however, differences in measured effect (η2) between children identified with borderline and clinical behavior problems and children with normal behavior problems suggest that CPRT is more effective among children who demonstrate significant behavior problems. Perceived and observed group cohesion measurements demonstrated no significant difference at the individual outcome level. This finding suggests that group cohesion may not be related to individual outcome. Although there was no significant relationship between group cohesion and individual outcome for this study, results of the group measurements regarding engagement and group cohesiveness, coupled with previous studies on CPRT effectiveness, suggest that CPRT should be utilized in homogeneous groups.

Teenage parenting is widely constructed in prevailing research and public discourse as a social problem, with poor outcomes for parent and child. Teenage parents are regarded as a drain on state funds, too young to parent well, and at high risk of social exclusion, both educationally and economically. This thesis proposes that teenage motherhood is a turning point in a young woman’s life and identity, which can be an opportunity, rather than a problem, if there is adequate support for the mother and her child. It considers the role of a New Zealand School for Teenage Parents in providing this support. Using qualitative narrative methodology, ten young women, six family members and nine other members of the School community were interviewed about their experiences of its culture and practices. Six of the young women were also interviewed to gather their life stories. Informed by the narrative understanding that we story our identities from the narrative possibilities available to us within the varied discursive contexts of our lives, this thesis draws on these life stories to explore how the young women storied the fashioning of their own identities as young women, as learners and as young parents. It presents their stories of childhood and family life, teenage-hood and schooling, pregnancy and parenthood, their experiences at the School for Teenage Parents, and their lives since leaving the School, in order to consider the role of the School in supporting the positive refashioning of their identities. This thesis draws on social constructionist and narrative theories to interpret the storied contexts of the young women’s lives, and the role these often constraining and difficult contexts played in the fashioning of their multiple identities. Māori culturally responsive pedagogical theories are also drawn on to interpret the culture of the School for Teenage Parents, and its attempts to provide a supportive and affirming family or whānau environment for its students, in order to offer them more positive narrative possibilities of self and identity as young women, as learners and as young parents.

Strengthening marriages is important to the well-being of individuals, families and communities. The transition to parenthood brings with it particular risks and opportunities for marriage relationships, yet no interventions have been successful in accessing a large number of couples during this critical time prepare and strengthen them for the challenges of becoming parents. The healthcare system has an established education infrastructure (childbirth education) that interacts with a significant number of couples during the transition to parenthood and has become increasingly open to incorporating relationship strengthening efforts into existing programs. The Marriage Moments program was designed to access couples through this system. This new approach to marriage education employs a program design unique in three ways: the context of childbirth education, a low-intensity content based on a model of marital virtues, and a simple, self-administered format of materials that gives the program great flexibility and transportability that can be implemented in a variety of existing systems. Initial formative program evaluation data show that the program is well received by participating couples. Marriage Moments is currently being pilot tested to evaluate its effectiveness in strengthening marriage through the transition, but it is expected the program will be disseminated widely and reach numerous couples as they transition to parenthood.

The political debate concerning parent education and parenting support between 1964 and 2009 has been scrutinized in this study in the light of the development of and changes in the welfare state. The investigation is based upon the analysis of official government inquiries and parliamentary papers dealing with parent education and parenting support. This study analyzes the different choices in the organization of welfare relevant to children and the family for which political actors have argued, and it examines the views on the relations between children, parents, family and the welfare state that were expressed in the argumentation. Parent education and parenting support aim at changing the living conditions of children by means of the parents. The study shows that the interest in this type of investment has been shared by both the political left and center-right, but from different arguments and political visions on how welfare for children and families with children should be organized, as well as from different views of the role of parent education and parenting support in the welfare. / I den här avhandlingen granskas den politiska debatten om föräldrautbildning och föräldrastöd mellan 1964 och 2009 i ljuset av välfärdssamhällets utveckling och förändring. Studien bygger på en analys av betänkanden från statliga utredningar och riksdagstryck i frågan om föräldrautbildning och föräldrastöd. I studien granskas vilka vägval i organiseringen av välfärden kring barn och familj som politiska aktörer har argumenterat för och vilken syn på relationerna mellan barn, föräldrar, familj och välfärdsstat som kommit till uttryck i argumentationen. Föräldrautbildning och föräldrastöd syftar till att förändra barns villkor genom att påverka föräldrarna. Analysen visar att intresset för denna typ av åtgärd har delats av såväl vänster som borgerliga, men utifrån skilda argument och politiska visioner för hur välfärden kring barn och barnfamiljen ska organiseras, såväl som utifrån olika sätt att se på föräldrautbildningens och föräldrastödets roll i välfärden.

Intensifying interventions to improve the quality of care that children receive from parents/ primary caregivers is mandated by several strategic objectives, such as the National Plan of Action for Children 2012-2017 (South Africa 2012), the White Paper on Families in South Africa (2013), and the Children’s Amendment Act 41 of 2007 (South Africa 2007). Parenting programmes remain popular parenting interventions (Daly, Bray, Bruckauf, Byrne, Margaria, Pecnik & Samms-Vaughan 2015:18; Richter & Naicker 2013:9) reporting outcomes of enhanced parent-child relationships, improved behaviour of children, and reduced parental stress. There is a concern that parenting programmes offered in South Africa lack evidence of their efficacy (Wessels 2012:9) and cultural and contextual relevance for the recipients (Begle, Lopez, Cappa, Dumas & de Arellano 2012:56; Richter & Naicker 2013:1). The study developed a locally specific parenting support intervention for parents/ primary caregivers living in the low-cost housing development of Welbedacht East using the Intervention Development Design model. Parents/ primary caregivers were involved throughout the study, contributing to the intervention’s applicability, as well as its contextual and cultural relevance. Bioecological and social inclusion theories framed the study. A qualitative research approach supported by an exploratory, descriptive and contextual design was used. Two purposive samples (parents/ primary caregivers and community champions) were recruited. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect the data. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke 2006) produced the findings that were presented at a consultation workshop attended by research participants and relevant stakeholders where the parameters of the intervention were determined. These were subsequently developed into the elements and intervention protocols by four indigenous community experts following the Delphi process. Lincoln and Guba’s (1985) approach to trustworthiness as presented by Porter (2007:85) and Thomas and Magilvy (2011:152) was used. Cultural competence was maintained throughout and ethical considerations were observed to circumvent harm to participants and uphold the integrity of the research process. The perceptions of the parents/ primary caregivers were consistent with scholarly indicators of ‘good enough’ parenting, but the contextual stressors they experienced challenges their ability to fulfil some of these indicators. An intervention was needed to increase parental capacity to improve parent-child relationships, cultivate life skills for improved psychological health, and advance the financial independence of parents. It was concluded that a parenting programme on its own would fail to address the most pressing needs of parents/ primary caregivers living in disadvantaged circumstances and custom-made parenting support interventions were needed to increase parental capacity to manage the structural challenges that compromised parenting, such as socioeconomic interventions of a social developmental nature. / Social Work / D. Phil. (Social Work)