SPECIJALIZIRANO UDOMITELJSTVO DJECE S TEŠKOĆAMA U RAZVOJU - ISKUSTVA UDOMITELJA
SPECIALIZED FOSTER CARE FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES - EXPERIENCE OF FOSTER PARENTS

Summary/Abstract: The Convention on the Rights of the Child stipulates that children with a mentally or physically disabled have the right to live in a family environment in conditions that ensure dignity, self-reliance that facilitate their participation in the community. That form of care is specialized foster care. In order to get insight into the experiences of foster parents who provide care for children with disabilities (N=6) is designed qualitative research. The study was designed as a pilot phase of a wider research on the population of foster parents for children with disabilities in order to generate specificity of this foster care type and adapt existing standardized instruments that are in large part focused on the traditional foster care. Data were collected using focus group methodology. The results show that the motives of foster parents to involve in foster care include: altruism, previous experience of contact with a child in need, a sense of “empty nest" and the economic motives. The difficulties in providing care to children with disabilities are associated with the process of adjustment of the child and foster parents, inadequate professional assistance and support, relations with the family of the child, child's specific difficulties and distrustful attitude of the environment. Foster parents ’recommendations for improving the welfare state is to ensure the availability of social workers at Social welfare centers, placing the child in the focus of intervention and better preparatory phase of foster care children. In conclusion, the research results indicate the need to improve foster care for children with disabilities through targeted measures of supporting foster parents, developing of individual plan for the child based on multidisciplinary team approach. It is necessary to improve the model of foster family’s selection, to make additional efforts to inform foster parents about the child and to the quality preparation and ongoing training of foster parents.

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