In research, I focused on the role of professional workers at social work centers in the process of reintegration of a child into primary family after removal. In the theoretical review, I presented the importance of the family for the child development, as well as the role of social work centers in child protection. I then continued with legal framework for removal procedures and presented alternative forms of care for children. I also discussed the impact and consequences of removal on both children and parents. Particular attention was given to the process of reintegration, where I described the stages of reintegration and presented successful and unsuccessful reintegration cases, as well as the role of social workers throughout the process, including theirs tasks, challenges and dilemmas. Finally, I adressed the collaboration between social work centers and other institutions.
Research is qualitative, exploratory and empirical. I used interview guidelines for semi-structured interview as the research instrument and conducted six interviews with professional workers employed at various social work centers across Slovenia. The study population included professional workers with at least two years of experiences, involving experiences of child removal and reintegration. The sample was non-probability convenience sample, including two social workers from the Social Work Center Koper, three from the Social Work Center Ljubljana and one from Social Work Center Celje.
The results show that processes of child removal are very frequent, while reintegration processes are less frequent due to their long term duration. Professional workers play a central role in managing the entire process, monitoring the family and providing support – especially to the child – through regular meetings, guidance and encouragment. The success of reintegration primarly depends on the willingness of parents and children, as well as the support provided by professional worker, and is associated with the removal of risk factors, parental motivation and insight. Key challenges identified by interviewed professional workers include lack of personnel, inter-institutional cooperation and emotion strain.
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