| dc.description.abstract | The overall objective of this study is to develop and evaluate a social group work
intervention programme which is aimed at kinship foster carers' needs. The thesis
consists of five sections:
Section A refers to the problem statement, research objectives and procedures which
were followed. Furthermore the limitations of this study, the definition of key words as
well as the composition of the research report are discussed. The problem statement
can be condensed as follows:
Some welfare agencies use social group work programmes to train kinship foster
carers. Limited research exists on the specific needs of foster carers and their
opinions on topics that should be included in such a programme.
The problem statement leads to five research aims. Developmental and Utilization
Research (DR&U-model) was used as the overall research model. This model was
implemented within a mixed methodological design model. Interviews and the single
systems design were used to gather quantitative and qualitative data. Literature studies
were conducted on the themes of foster care, kinship care, foster carers, foster children
and social group work.
Section B consists of the four articles that form the report about the research outcomes.
Each article is handled as a self-contained unit, which focuses on specific research results
and methods. The unit of the main research project is maintained. The four articles are:
Article 1: The role of social work in regards to kinship foster care
The aim of this article is to determine the nature and extent of kinship foster care in the
North-West Province. The task of the social \\orker in respect to the kinship foster
carer is studied. A self-structured questionnaire was used for data collecting purposes.
50 questionnaires \\ere sent to social workers in the North-West province, working with
kinship foster carers. The results (N=2J) show the state of existing programmes and the
opinions of social workers on topics that could be discussed during a social group work
programme to train kinship foster carers.
Article 2: The needs of kinship foster carers
The aim of this article is to provide a profile of the needs of kinship foster carers.
Attention is given to the role of kinship foster carers and their perception of foster care.
Key relationships in kinship foster care placements are studied, for example the
relationship between the foster parent and the foster child. Ten (N=IO) kinship foster
carers were identified through the application of accidental sampling. A self-structured
schedule was used for data collecting purposes. The results show the needs of kinship
foster carers and topics were identified that could be discussed during a social group
work programme to train kinship foster carers.
Article 3: A social group work intervention programme for kinship foster
carers
The purpose of this article is to develop an extensive social group work intervention
programme for kinship carers. through which their social functioning can be enhanced.
Interview schedules were completed with ten (N=IO) kinship carers and 24 (N=24) social
workers in the North-West province. These findings, together with consultations and
literature studies, resulted in the development of the mentioned programme. This
programme was presented to nine (N-9) kinship carers. Social group work as a method
was used to present this programme to kinship carers.
Article 4: The evaluation of a social group work intervention programme for
kinship foster carers
The aim of this article is to determine the effect of a social group work intervention
program on the social functioning of kinship foster carers. Two standardized
measurement instruments, The Generalized Contentment Scale and the Index of Parental
Attitudes from Perspective Training College were used in this study. Nine (N=9) kinship
foster carers formed the group and the program was administered to them. These
instruments were used three times, once before intervention, once during intervention and
once after intervention. A self-developed questionnaire was also used and the latter was
only completed once after the intervention. The same was true for the interview schedule
that was self-developed. Findings and interpretations for these measuring instruments are
provided.
In section C a summary of the findings and conclusions of the full research project is
provided. Furthermore some recommendations are provided, followed by a discussion on
the contribution of the study.
Section D consists of various appendixes, such as measuring instruments used for data
collecting purposes.
Section E is concluded with a compound list of sources | |
