Stručni rad
THE OPINION OF EXPERTS ON REMOVING CHILDREN FROM THE FAMILY: INTERVIEW RESULTS
Branka Sladović Franz
Sažetak
The paper presents the analysis of half-structured interviews regarding the procedure of removing children from the family, conducted with 22 experts, members of team for marriage and family at social welfare centres. The main criterion for removing children from the family is threat to the child's psychophysical development. Among threatening circumstances are most often listed poverty, unemployment and alcoholism, i.e. families with multiple problems. A critical decision-making moment for removing the child is usually a report on serious child abuse or the escalation of an unsatisfactory situation in the family that has been monitored for a longer period of time. In the procedures of assessing the family, psychological instruments of assessment are seldom used, and supervision is mostly based on experiential knowledge and legal determinants. The greatest doubts in the procedures of removing children are, according to experts, linked with (1) parents who want to look after their children properly (but are not doing so for a number of reasons) (2) parents with whom children are emotionally close and (3) real possibility of helping children placed in institutions in terms of a lack of sufficient treatment activities in such institutions or of proper foster parents. In cases when the child's life is at risk or its welfare seriously threatened, there is no doubt about the need to remove the child. The conclusion stresses the need (1) for improving measures of monitoring the realisation of parental care, (2) for creating instruments for universal assessment of ramily resources and risks, and (3) for supervision.
Ključne riječi
social welfare; removing children; opinion of experts
Hrčak ID:
3500
URI
Datum izdavanja:
1.11.2004.
Posjeta: 2.122 *