This diploma thesis focuses on foster care within the scope of the Centre for Social Work in the South Primorska region. The Centre for Social Work in question has four units: the Sežana unit, the Izola unit, the Piran unit, and the Koper unit. The primary focus of this research is to explore how social workers who work in the field of foster care experience their work, their role in the fostering process, and the role of other stakeholders in the process. This thesis also examines the communication and cooperation between the social workers, the child, the foster family, and the biological family. All this data was collected through interviews and subjected to qualitative analysis. Statistical and demographic data was also obtained on the number, gender, and age of children in foster families, as well as about foster parents and birth parents in the South Primorska region. The theoretical part of this diploma thesis extensively reviews relevant literature on the topic of fostering, presenting it partly through a legislative framework, and subsequently focusing on the various roles in the fostering process. The findings of this research indicate that social workers who work in foster care at the Centre for Social Work in the South Primorska region face many challenges, especially in finding a suitable foster family for the child due to a shortage problem, but also in involving foster parents in cooperation, and in motivating them for changes. The interviewed social workers perceive the field of foster care as very demanding, responsible, and complex, mainly because of the constant interactions between all participants. They try to ensure that the best interests of the child are protected throughout the process and that the child's voice is heard.
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