THE DESIGN OF A PROTOCOL FOR ASSESSING PROSPECTIVE FOSTER PARENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15270/52-2-501Abstract
This paper reports on the development of a contextually appropriate protocol in social work for the assessment of prospective foster parents in South Africa. The protocol was designed in two stages using Thomas’s developmental research process and participatory action research methodologies. First, we designed a model of the competencies of effective foster families (determining “what” constitutes a good foster parent and developing a model of the “ideal” foster parents). Second, we designed and developed an assessment protocol with which to assess prospective foster families (specifying “how” one determines if foster parents meet the model’s criteria of the ideal foster parents).
Downloads
References
AFRICAN UNION. 1999. African charter on the rights and welfare of the child. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: African Union.
BOOYSEN, S. 2006. Exploring causal factors in foster placement breakdowns. Pretoria: University of South Africa. (Masters dissertation)
CARTER, J. 2004. South Coast Hospice memory box project. AIDS Bulletin, 13(2):32-35.
CARTER, J. 2012. A contextually appropriate protocol in social work for the assessment of potential foster parents in South Africa. Johannesburg: University of Johannesburg. (Masters dissertation)
CENTRE FOR CHILD LAW. 2013. Over one million orphans desperately need the Foster Child Grant: Can the Department of Social Development deliver! Media release,17 April.
DELBECQ, A.L., VAN DE VEN, A.H. & GUSTAFSEN, D.H. 1975. Group techniques for program planning. Glenville, IL: Scott, Freeman & Co.
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. n.d.a. Guidelines for the effective management of foster care in South Africa. Pretoria, RSA: Government Printers.
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. n.d.b. National guidelines for social services to children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Pretoria, RSA: Government Printers.
DESMOND, C. & KVALSVIG, J. 2005. Evaluating replacement childcare arrangements: Methods for combining economic and child development outcome analyses. Pretoria, South Africa: Human Sciences Research Council.
DE VOS, A.S., STRYDOM, H., FOUCHÉ, C.B. & DELPORT, C.S. 2008. Research at grass roots: For the social sciences and human service professionals (3rd ed). Pretoria, South Africa: Van Schaik Publishers.
DICKERSON, J.L. & ALLEN, M. 2007. Adoptive and foster parent screening: a professional guide for evaluations. New York, NY: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
DURAND, B.K. 2007. The support and training of foster parents. Stellenbosch: University of Stellenbosch. (Masters dissertation)
FOUCHÉ, C.B. & DE VOS, A.S. 2008. Introduction to the research process. In: DE VOS, A.S., STRYDOM, H., FOUCHÉ, C.B. & DELPORT, C.S. Research at grass roots: For the social sciences and human service professionals (3rd ed). Pretoria, South Africa: Van Schaik Publishers.
FREEMAN, M. & NKOMO, N. 2006. Guardianship of orphans and vulnerable children: a survey of current and prospective South African caregivers. AIDS Care, 18(4):302-310.
GIVE A CHILD A FAMILY. 2012. The assessment of prospective foster parents. Margate, RSA: Give a Child a Family.
HARLOW, E. 2011. Foster care matters. Forest Hill, London: Whining & Birch Ltd.
HARTMAN, A. 1995. Diagrammatic assessment of family relationships. Families in Society, 76:111-222.
HUNTER, S. & WILLIAMSON, J. 2000. Children on the brink: executive summary: updated estimates and recommendations for intervention. Washington, DC: USAID.
HUNTER, S. & WILLIAMSON, J. 2002. Children on the brink: strategies to support children isolated by HIV/AIDS. Washington, DC: USAID.
INTERNATIONAL FOSTER CARE ORGANISATION. 2010. Guidelines for foster care: Addenda. [Online] Available: http://www.crin.org/docs/Guidelines%20for%20 Foster%20Care%20Addenda.doc.
JOINT UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME ON HIV/AIDS. 2014. The gap report. Geneva: UNAIDS.
KGANYAGO, L.N. 2006. Description of risk factors in foster care failure. Johannesburg: University of Johannesburg. (Masters dissertation)
LOUW, L. & JOUBERT, J.M.C. 2007. The experiences of adolescents orphaned by HIV/AIDS-related conditions. Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk, 43(4):376-391.
MKHIZE, Z.M. 2006. Social functioning of a child-headed household and the role of social work. Pretoria: University of South Africa. (Doctoral thesis)
ORME, J.G., COX, M.E., RHODES, K.W., COAKLEY, T.M., CUDDEBACK, G.S. & BUEHLER, C. 2004. Casey home assessment protocol (CHAP): technical manual. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee, Children’s Mental Health Services Research Center.
ORME, J.G., CUDDEBACK, G.S., BUEHLER, C., COX, M.E. & LE PROHN, N. 2003. Casey foster applicant inventory (CFAI): technical manual. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee, Children’s Mental Health Services Research Center.
POULIN, J. 2005. Strengths-based generalist practice: a collaborative approach (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/ Cole.
QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT OF CHILD SAFETY. 2005. Practice paper: Assessment of foster carer applicants. Queensland, Australia: Queensland Government.
SALEEBEY, D. 2002. The strengths perspective in social work practice (3rd ed). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
SINCLAIR, I. & WILSON, K. 2003. Matches and mismatches: the contribution of carers and children to the success of foster placements. British Journal of Social Work, 33:871-884.
SOANES, C. & BRANFORD, W. 2002. South African pocket Oxford dictionary (3rd ed). Cape Town, South Africa: Oxford University Press Southern Africa.
SOUTH AFRICAN SOCIAL SECURITY AGENCY. 2014. Fact sheet: Issue No 5 of 2014 – 31 May 2014: A statistical summary of social grants in South Africa. Pretoria, South Africa: South African Social Security Agency.
STOCKBURGER, D.W. 1996. Introductory statistics: Concepts, models and applications. [Online] Available: http://www.psychstat.missouristate.edu/introbook/ sbk04m.htm.
The Children’s Act, Act No. 38 of 2005. 2005. Pretoria: Government Printers.
The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act No. 108 of 1996. 1996. Pretoria: Government Printers.
THIELE, S. 2005. Exploring the feasibility of foster care as a primary permanency option for orphans. Pretoria: University of South Africa. (Masters dissertation)
THOMAS, E.J. 1984. Designing interventions for the helping professions. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
THOMAS, E.J. 1992. The Design and Development Model of practice research. In: GRASSO, A.J. & EPSTEIN I. Research utilization in the social services: innovations for practice and administration. New York: Haworth Press.
UNITED NATIONS. 1989. United Nations convention on the rights of the child. [Online] Available: http://www.unicef.org/crc/index_30160.html.
UNITED NATIONS. 2009. Guidelines for the alternative care of children. Innsbruck: SOS Children’s Villages International.
UNITED NATIONS. 2014. The Gap Report. Geneva: UNAIDS.
VAN DER RIET, K.E. 2009. Foster care: the experiences of birth children. Pretoria: University of South Africa. (MA dissertation)
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This journal is an open access journal, and the authors and journal should be properly acknowledged when works are cited.
Authors may use the publishers version for teaching purposes, in books, and with conferences.
The following license applies:
Attribution CC BY-4.0
This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation.
Articles as a whole may not be re-published with another journal.
