This master's thesis deals with the issues of aftercare support for young people, who are completing their stay in out-of-family care, but the return to the biological family is not possible for them or their care givers estimate, that the return is not constructive. The situation in their biological families during the time, when adolescent is living outside the family, hardly changes or even improves to the extent, that it is suitable for the stay and the further development of the adolescent.
In the theoretical introduction, the work focuses on the characteristics of the developmental stages of teenage and early adulthood in post-modern societies and, therefore, highlights the reasons for the creation of a new period, called the transition to adulthood. Master's thesis then explores the importance of a secure and peaceful home environment for the development of the individual, hereinafter focusing on children and young people, who are growing up in family surroundings, that threaten their development. Next are listed the reasons and legal basis for the placement of a child in one of three forms of out-of-family care: educational institutions, group homes and foster care. The main focus of the theoretical introduction is highlighting the risk of the transition of young people from out-of-family care to independence in Slovenia and the overview of foreign practices in the field of aftercare support for these young people. Qualitative research approach was used in the empirical part through semi-structured interviews. The sample covers eleven adolescents (four from educational institutions, five from group homes and two from foster care) and nine professional staff (three from the field of educational institutions, two from the field of group homes, two from the field of foster care and two from non-governmental sector).
The results of the study show views and aspects of adolescents of the out-of-family care in which they reside; their fears and plans for independent living and the needs on their path of transition to independence. Further findings indicate the need for establishing aftercare support in this field and features, on which should the aftercare support be based. The need to link the governmental and non-governmental sector, although some cooperation already exists.
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