Orphans in post-conflict Liberia: Seeking care in fractured communities

Orphans in post-conflict settings have unique needs that have not been well-characterized. In post-conflict Liberia, maternal orphans are more likely to be without care than paternal orphans. This study examined the experiences of maternal orphans in Liberia, as they attempted to care for themselves and seek care from others, and the barriers they faced. In-depth interviews were conducted with 75 post-conflict Liberian orphans. We performed a secondary narrative analysis of interview transcripts from all maternal or double orphans (n = 17). We identified similar elements across narratives: traumatic loss, disconnection from family and community, and the desire for a savior. Female high-risk orphans were more likely to have formal substitute caregiving arrangements in which they were living with someone who was a relative or had been selected by a relative. Male orphans more commonly lacked arranged substitute care, but this allowed them to form relationships with substitute caregivers of their choosing. Sex also played a role in the provision of caregiving; substitute care was provided by women. Findings highlighted the syndemic relationship between poverty, violence, transactional sex, trauma, and substance use that traps high-risk Liberian orphans. Interventions are needed to improve access to mental health care, sober communities, housing, and education support. The need to integrate these services into indigenous institutions and address barriers related to stigma is explored.

FOSTERING BY CAREGIVERS WITH NO COMMON-LAW DUTY OF SUPPORT: AT LAST, SOME CLARITY IN THE LAW SS v Presiding Officer, Children’s Court, Krugersdorp 2012 (6) SA 45 (GSJ)

Some serious shortcomings in foster care law which adversely affected large numbers of children have been addressed recently in SS v Presiding Officer, Children’s Court, Krugersdorp (2012 (6) SA 45 (GSJ), hereinafter SS) and Manana v Presiding Officer, Children’s Court, Krugersdorp (SAFLI I (A3075/2011) [2013] ZAGPJHC 64 (12 April 2013), hereinafter Manana). For reasons of scope, and because the issues were somewhat different, the discussion below primarily offers an analysis of the former judgment. As will be seen, SS provided the first reported solutions to some severe problems affecting numerous children and is thus worthy of consideration in its own right. By way of background, one consequence of the AIDS pandemic in South Africa is that many children are left to be nurtured by extended family members or non-relatives, rather than by biological parents. Substitute caregivers often have limited financial means and apply to children’s courts to be designated as foster parents. Where they are successful they become eligible for monthly fostercare grants paid by the state. The best available legal ground for many foster-parent applications is contained in section 150(1)(a) of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 (the “Act”). Unfortunately, this provision has proved difficult for children’s courts to interpret. It sets as a ground for a child being “in need of care and protection” and thus eligible for foster care: “if, the child has been abandoned or orphaned and is without any visible means of support”. One uncertainty has been whether a child can be found to be abandoned in terms of this provision if currently receiving substitute care volunteered by a caregiver who has already replaced a parent. The phrase “without any visible means of support” has also been difficult tointerpret. It is unfortunate that in selecting this phrase the legislature relied on a vague, centuries-old description by English vagrancy law. Children’s court magistrates have understandably varied in their interpretations of section 150(1)(a). This has led to discrepancies in its application. A negative consequence has been that impoverished carers whose nurturing skills render them suitable parent substitutes sometimes fail in attempts to achieve foster-parent status. Vulnerable abandoned and orphaned children are then left with neither foster-care grants nor caregivers who can properly exercise parental responsibilities. This unfortunate situation, which is obviously not inthe best interests of children, has been a major concern for the department of social development. In SS, Saldulker J provided the first reported interpretation of section 150(1)(a). It will be shown that, although some issues were insufficiently dealt with, the judgment has brought much-needed clarity on several crucial aspects of foster-grant eligibility. It has also provided guidelines for eligibilityof foster-parent applicants who do not have a maintenance obligation in respect of the child. It has additionally provided directions for practitioners (particularly children's court magistrates and social workers) on evidence requirements and stages of proceedings in foster-care applications.

How can Simulation Coaching Improve Emotional Intelligence Skills and Situational Awareness in Child Protection Professionals?

Emotional intelligence (EI) and situational awareness (SA) are important attributes for child protection professionals. In this qualitative study conducted in Finland, the aim was to explore how simulation-based learning could improve EI and SA of child protection professionals. Based on a learning needs assessment, a simulation-based educational intervention was provided for 36 professionals in 5 private providers of substitute care services for under 18-year-old children. Directly after the intervention, the participants were asked to recount in a short essay how the educational intervention had affected their EI and SA and other professional competence. Inductive content analysis was used to analyze the essays. The analysis revealed that the simulation coaching had been meaningful to the participants from four perspectives, increasing their awareness of their own and others’ emotions; making them better prepared to project themselves into another person’s position; increasing team intelligence, and as a form of work supervision. The results indicate that simulation coaching can be considered a useful tool for the development of EI, SA and related competencies in child protection professionals. Other professionals, whose work essentially involves close interaction with clients, may also consider the transferability of the findings to their work. Keywords: child protection, emotional intelligence, situational awareness

Blood substitute family as a socio-cultural environment for a child left without care, conditions and features of its professional support

The article discusses the features of the blood substitute family as a socio-cultural environment of the child and the importance of professional support for its effective and successful functioning. The blood substitute family is the most common form of family placement of orphaned children, children left without parental care, throughout the historical period and currently accounts for more than 60% of all existing substitute families. The blood substitute family is a specific category within the substitute care. The peculiarities of its creation and functioning determine the topicality of specific professional support for the family. Psychological and pedagogic support is most often expressed in the official legally approved training of potential foster parents and support for families of this category. At the same time, while there is an objectively urgent need for support and assistance, problems still exist which are associated with the optionality of these services to close relatives who adopted children for family placement, their implementation in the framework of leisure activities, low motivation, fears and distrust of the official professional service. The socio-pedagogic conditions given in the article, which determine the forms and content of professional support for all members of the blood substitute family, determine the effectiveness of the service's specialists in terms of preventing second orphanhood and assistance of providing the prosperity for all its members.

Effects of factors of informal care on the utilization of social care insurance benefits: A cross-sectional study

Background: Presently in Germany, as there is a shortage of nursing staff, informal caregivers have become highly relevant. Because they often deal with care related burden, legislation was passed to improve caregivers’ situations by offering more supports. Nonetheless, a considerable percentage of caregivers do not utilize it. Methods: Data was collected in Saxony (Germany) from November 2019 to December 2019 by using an online survey and a postal survey (cross-sectional study design; n= 1,716). For analysis bivariate logistic regression (forward method LR, α≤0.05) was performed. Results: The average age of the sample was 61.9 years, 52.9% were female and 45.7% male. Results indicate a medium utilization of care insurance services. Considerable associations were time spent on care and utilization of care allowance (OR: 1.77), such as duration of care degree and utilization of residential care services (OR: 1.88) and substitute care (OR: 1.81). Conclusions: Informal caregivers putting intensive effort into care do tend to utilize services. The resulting questions of why newer informal caregivers do not tend to utilize services and why there is a medium utilization among all caregivers implies that people need to gain better access to services independently of care factors.

Leaving Care and the Transition to Adulthood

Leaving Care and the Transition to Adulthood: International Contributions to Theory, Research, and Practice advances the current literature on the situation of young people growing up in substitute care who age out at the age of majority. In most parts of the world, these emerging adults are left to navigate the transition to adulthood with minimal support. This volume seeks to advance the literature in order to support better policies and services by providing an overview of relevant theoretical frameworks, the newest international research, and contributions to promising practices. Major themes are the elaboration of developmentally appropriate approaches to intervention and advocacy for the optimal conditions for the provision of extended services well into emerging adulthood and beyond.