In the graduation thesis, I researched how professionals, who work at social work centres, assess the best interests of the child; when and how children (under the age of 10) can participate in procedures concerning them; how supervised visitations are conducted and how the best interests of the child are taken into account when conducting supervised visitations.
In the theoretical part, I first define the concept of family and parental care, I followed by a brief definition of domestic violence, the types of domestic violence and the consequences of domestic violence for the child. I present Slovenian legislation, and the role of social work centres and judicial authorities in the field of domestic violence. I then define the principle of the best interests of the child and the importance of the child's voice and opinion in the proceedings. At the end, I describe supervised visitations, their purpose and how they are performed.
The research is qualitative, and the sample includes ten professionals working in various social work centres in Slovenia who have experience in implementing supervised visitations. The results show that professionals assess the child's best interests in many different ways, both individually and as a team. Professional assessment of the child's participation and a clearly defined purpose and goal of participation are key to the child's participation in the procedures. Supervised visitations should be first and foremost a child's right to contact, which means that they should be implemented according to the child's developmental needs, interests and habits.
As part of my research, I also contacted the Association of Centres for Social Work of Slovenia, where they put me in touch with Anita Bregar, who is also a trainer for professionals at the Social Chamber of Slovenia and the Association of Centres for Social Work, on the topic of supervised visitations. She shared with me some of her materials and tools for practitioners, aimed at making supervised visitations more effective and child-centred. The materials are attached in the Annex 4.
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