The specific population of children in educational institutions is addressed by various terms, the most recent and also the most appropriate implies understanding of the characteristics of children/youth as children with problems in social integration (Poljšak-Škraban, 2011). When working in an educational institution, it is necessary to have a lot of theoretical knowledge and practical experience for appropriate help and support for children/young people. The job of an educator is demanding, stressful and very dynamic, it is about working through the entire personality of the employee. For these and many other reasons such work often leads to burnout and of feelings of helplessness, and thus employee turnover (Kirhn, 1997). In this way, children/young people with social integration problems do not receive the appropriate help and support they need. They often fall victim to the syndrome of revolving doors, i.e. multiple hospitalizations and returns to the institution, which is a system that is not designed for appropriate, comprehensive treatment of children and young people with combined, multifaceted and complex problems. At this point the current situation in the world, the war in Ukraine and the recurring refugee crises should be emphasized. Children and young people who fled the war are coming to Slovenia. They have experienced various forms of threatening experiences, and they are coming in despair and fear. These are traumatized children, young people and adults, with whom our kindergartens, schools, professional services and, last but not least, educational institutions will work. Therefore, it is crucial that professionals in various jobs, and especially in education, acquire basic knowledge in the fields of trauma and relevant methods of work. An important model in working with this population is the socio-therapeutic model LSCI, which emphasizes the importance of understanding the complex situation of the child and his/her conception of his/her own position and experiences. It highlights the importance of the situation here and now and shifts responsibility to adults. The LSCI socio-therapeutic model is based on the trauma informed care approach (an approach based on understanding trauma). Responsibility for help and proper regulation is thus transferred to an adult and no longer to the child who would be characterized by a disorder or problem (Long et al., 1998).
In my master's thesis I theoretically describe the concept of children and young people throughout history and their position and needs in our society. More specifically, I focus on the specific needs of children with social integration problems, their social status and the role of the educator. Gradually, I move to an approach based on understanding trauma in education context, and in the second half of the theoretical part, I describe in detail the social therapeutic model LSCI (social therapeutic model, called life space crisis intervention), and indications for the use of this model in Slovenian educational institutions.
In the second part of the master's thesis, I research the extent to which educators in Slovenian educational institutions know the LSCI socio-therapeutic model and the importance they attach to its use. More specifically, I was interested in how educators value the LSCI sociotherapy model, which work methods they find most important, what are the benefits and where to identify places for improvement, and how knowing and using the LSCI sociotherapy model affects their work. To verify the above research questions, I used semi-structured interviews with ten educators from Slovenian educational institutions. Based on the collected data, my research contributes to shedding light on the current situation in educational institutions in Slovenia and is an important basis for further research in this area and the place of the socio-therapeutic model LSCI in it. Namely, it is a newer and unexplored model in working with children/young people with problems in social integration in Slovenia.
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