Annual of social work, Vol. 14 No. 3, 2007.
Original scientific paper
EXPERIENCE OF LIFE IN THE CHILDREN’S HOME: A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE YOUNG PERSONS STATEMENTS
Branka Sladović Franz
Klaudija Kregar Orešković
Lucija Vejmelka
Abstract
This paper presents a qualitative research with the children on their experience of life in the children’s homes without adequate parental care, and the recommendations for its improvement from their specific perspective of the users. The research was conducted as a part of a more extensive research of the longitudinal monitoring of the children in public care. Sixteen young persons (ten girls and six boys) of the secondary school age who have been living in the children’s home from six to nine years took part in the semi-structured interview. The results have shown that the children and young persons perceive the life in the home through two inseparable aspects: residential accommodation and the relation with the child-care workers. Residential accommodation has been described by fulfilment of existential and developmental needs, rigid rules and discipline, psychological, social and material deprivation and childrens’ problems. Relation with the child-care workers relates to the communication between the child-care workers and the children, their approach towards the children and their reactions on the actions of other child-care workers. Some very concrete recommendations are also given for the improvement of the institutional accommodation and the relation with the child-care workers, and that shows that the opinions of the children are in accordance with the contemporary scientific and professional notions.
Keywords
children in public care; children’s homes; qualitative methodology
Hrčak ID:
18888
URI
Publication date:
30.12.2007.
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