Preparedness for emancipation of youth leaving alternative care in Serbia

The process of preparing young people for leaving alternative care is not sufficiently researched in Serbia. In order to define what support is necessary for their successful emancipation, this study of 150 young people in care aims to analyse both their preparedness for leaving alternative care, and whether the type of placement (kinship, foster, or residential) makes a difference to the level of preparedness. A mixed method approach was applied. Quantitatively, questionnaires assessing factors contributing to successful emancipation were administered. Qualitatively, transcripts of discussions from 5 focus groups, consisting of a total of 26 participants from all 3 types of placement, were analysed. Most of the youth in the sample indicated they have self-care and housekeeping skills, social skills to make friendships and connections, good grades in school, and aspirations for further schooling and starting a family. However, negative feelings such as disturbance, fear, and sorrow, and a sense of missing support and feeling insufficiently prepared for leaving care were also evident in their answers. Both the focus groups and surveys suggest that the biggest concern with the independence of young people leaving alternative care is financial stability. Several recommendations for ways to influence the system in order to improve outcomes for young people are made

Emancipacija mladih sa alternativnog staranja - izazovi i šanse

Young people who are preparing to leave alternative care to independence face numerous challenges. However, a number of youth were able to overcome difficulties and these young people achieve a stable environment arragements. The research is part of a larger study and findings from the focus groups will be presented. There were five focus groups which involved 26 young people in care (kinship, foster and residential). Data collection is in a function of a closer consideration of the ways in which young people participate in planning how to understand their part in this process, what are their fears and challenges, but also sources of support that are available to them during the process of preparation for emancipation. Despite the fact that most young people in the sample estimated to possess the skills of taking care of themselfs, the youth still experience lack of support and lack of readiness for leaving care. These findings suggest the need for a timely preparation for independence, which focuses work on the life story to strengthen the faith in their own abilities.Mladi koji se spremaju da napuste alternativno staranje radi osamostaljivanja suočavaju se sa brojnim izazovima. Ipak, kod jednog broja mladih uspevaju da prevladaju snage i ovi mladi ostvaruju stabilne životne aranžmane. Istraživanje je deo veće studije, a biće prikazani nalazi dobijeni u fokus grupama. Obavljeno je pet fokus grupa u kojima je učestvovalo 26 mladih koji se nalaze na smeštaju (srodnički, hraniteljski i rezidencijalni). Prikupljanje podataka je u funkciji bližeg sagledavanja načina na koje mladi učestvuju u planiranju, kako razumeju svoje učešće u tom procesu, kakvi su im strahovi i izazovi, ali i izvori podrške koji su im na raspolaganju u toku procesa pripreme za emancipaciju. Uprkos tome što većina mladih iz uzorka procenjuje da raspolaže veštinama staranja o sebi, mladi ipak doživljavaju izostanak podrške i nedovoljne spremnosti za napuštanje staranja. Ovi nalazi upućuju da je potrebna pravovremena priprema za osamostaljivanje, koja je fokusirana na rad na životnoj priči kako bi se ojačala vera u sopstvene sposobnosti

PROMIŠLJANJA STUDENATA SOCIJALNE POLITIKE I SOCIJALNOG RADA O UVEDENIM MJERAMA I MEDIJSKOM IZVJEŠTAVANJU TIJEKOM PANDEMIJE COVID-19

Introduced measures to deal with COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia affected everyday life of people. Media coverage during the pandemic played a significant role in providing verified information, protecting human health and well-being. In order to gain insight into the reactions of social work students on introduced measures and media coverage about these measures during the state of emergency in Republic of Serbia, an analysis of reflective journals is presented. Eighty reflective journals were analyzed, where students\u27 reactions on introduced measures and media coverage related to these measures are monitored and linked to the electronic archive of the public media service Radio Television of Serbia news. Students\u27 thoughts on several identified measures are presented and analyzed together with their reactions on media coverage about these measures. Findings indicate the important role of the content and ways of media reporting in creation of reflections, as well as the importance of using reflective journals in both education and preservation of mental health. Possible directions of mental health improvement through media coverage in crisis situations and recommendations for education of social workers are presented.Mjere koje su uvedene zbog pandemije COVID-19 u Srbiji utjecali su na svakodnevni život ljudi. Medijsko izvještavanju tijekom pandemije odigralo je značajnu ulogu u pružanju provjerenih informacija i zaštiti ljudskih prava i dobrobiti. Kako bi se stekao uvid u reakcije studenata socijalnog rada na uvedene mjere i medijsko izvješćivanje o tim mjerama tijekom izvanrednog stanja u Republici Srbiji, u radu se predstavlja analiza refleksivnih dnevnika. Analizirano je osamdeset refleksivnih dnevnika putem kojih su se reakcije studenata na uvedene mjere i na medijsko izvješćivanje povezano s tim mjerama pratile i povezivale s elektronskom arhivom javne medijske usluge novosti Radio Televizije Srbije. Studentska mišljenja o nekoliko uvedenih mjera se prikazuju i analiziraju zajedno s njihovim reakcijama na medijsko izvještavanje o tim mjerama. Rezultati ukazuju na važnu ulogu sadržaja i načina medijskog izvještavanja u stvaranju mišljenja, kao i na važnost korištenja refleksivnih dnevnika u obrazovanju i u očuvanju duševnog zdravlja. Predstavljaju se moguće smjernice za poboljšanje duševnog zdravlja putem medijskog izvještavanja tijeom izvanrednog stanja kao i preporuke za obrazovanje socijalnih radnika

Consultation with Children on the Move : Lessons Learned in Creating a Child-friendly Research Process

In order to respond to the growing needs of migrant families with children, and especially unaccompanied children, who were traveling on the Western Balkan route, social workers and other field workers and child protection officers had to acquire new knowledge and develop specific competencies in a relatively short period of time. Although Serbia is mainly a country of transit, migrant children, who have been staying in Serbia for a longer period of time, have experienced challenges in access to services due to language barriers, overstretched capacities and insufficient coordination. The aim of the paper is to describe and reflect on the process used to develop a design, which ensures migrant children are consulted throughout the process and are the co-creators of a social work curriculum responding to their vulnerabilities. In order to gain insights on the views of children on the move regarding competencies of the workforce in both the government and NGO institutions, a consultation process was introduced with both unaccompanied and accompanied children in Serbia. The methodology of consultations was designed as interactive and safe for children to express their views and experiences. Results indicate that children should be key participants in the co-creation of knowledge in matters that concern them, and it is necessary to develop, test and evaluate the ways in which we can best understand their experiences, points of view and perspectives and incorporate them into knowledge for action

Experiences of children in migration with violence on the western Balkan route

Deca u migracijama na balkanskoj ruti su, pored drugih ugrožavajućih okolnosti, izložena svim osnovnim vrstama (fizičko, psihološko, seksualno) i mnogobrojnim drugim oblicima nasilja, u zemljama porekla i tokom putovanja. Ovaj rad razmatra iskustva dece u migracijama na balkanskoj ruti sa stanovišta prava deteta, gde je prikazan deo rezultata istraživanja koji su deo šireg projekta, „Nasilje nad decom na balkanskoj migracionoj ruti – rešenja kroz zagovaranje i istraživanje”. Projekat je razvijen u saradnji sa Save the Children NWB i Centrom za interdisciplinarne studije Univerziteta u Sarajevu, uz podršku Inicijativa za istraživanje seksualnog nasilja (SVRI). Istraživanje je sprovedeno na teritoriji Bosne i Hercegovine i Srbije, koje su tranzitna zona na putu prema Zapadnoj Evropi. Svrha studije je bliže razumevanje karakteristika nasilja nad decom u migracijama u Srbiji i BiH i faktora koji doprinose nasilju i/ili zaštiti dece migranata. Istraživanjem je obuhvaćeno 48 dece, od kojih je 10 devojčica, uzrasta od 13 do 19 godina. Nalazi upućuju da su deci u migracijama, u raznovrsnim situacijama i okolnostima, uskraćena brojna prava, iz sve tri velike grupe: na zaštitu od nasilja i eksploatacije, obezbeđenje uslova za rast i razvoj i participaciju. Neretko im je uskraćeno pravo na učešće u stvarima koje ih se tiču, a njihovo gledište se retko spoznaje i razmatra. Ovo ukazuje na nerazvijene mehanizme za primenu međunarodnih propisa u oblasti prava deteta u migracijama i nesaglasne, čak suprotstavljene, agende prava deteta i restriktivnog upravljanja migracijama u politikama Evropske unije.Children in migration on the Balkan route are, in addition to other threaten- ing circumstances, exposed to all basic types (physical, psychological, sexual) and numerous other forms of violence, in the countries of origin and during the journey. This paper discusses the experiences of children in migration on the Balkan route from the point of view of children’s rights. The research results presented are part of a wider project: “Violence against children on the Balkan migration route – solutions through advocacy and research”. The project was developed in cooperation with Save the Children NWB and the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of the University of Sarajevo, with the support of the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI)

Uticaj medija na decu iz perspektive nacionalne dečje linije

Information technologies at the threshold of the third decade of the 21st century represent a significant factor in the psychosocial development of children and youth. The content presented by the media (using contemporary audio-visual effects) ranges from informative, through educational, entertainment, to sensational and shocking. Media content draws attention and leaves a strong impression on children, and often, provokes reactions of agitation. Children are trying to find ways to overcome this anxiety using a variety of strategies, and one of them is the need to talk about it. On the national child's line, a modern telephone and counseling support service for children and young people, there is a tendency for an increased number of calls from children that are presumed to be related to certain media events. This paper will present findings of research on the impact of disturbing media content on children as well as observations by children's counselors on calls related to sensationalist media content. The findings will be interpreted in relation to children's reactions and strategies for overcoming feelings of distress with calls during discussions with telephone counselors on the child's line.Informacione tehnologije na pragu treće decenije XXI veka predstavljaju značajan činilac u psiho-socijalnom razvoju dece i mladih. Sadržaji koje mediji prezentuju (uz korišćenje savremenih audiovizuelnih efekata), su u rasponu od informativnih, preko edukativnih, raznovrsnih zabavnih, pa sve do senzacionalističkih i šokantnih. Medijski sadržaji privlače pažnju i na decu ostavljaju snažan utisak, a neretko, izazivaju reakcije uznemirenja. Deca pokušavajući da iznađu načine prevazilaženja tog uznemirenja koristeći razne strategije, a kao jedna od njih ističe se i potreba za razgovorom. Na dečijoj liniji, savremenoj usluzi savetodavne telefonske podrške deci i mladima zapažena je tendencija povećanog broja poziva dece za koje se pretpostavlja da mogu biti povezani sa određenim medijskim dešavanjima. U ovom radu biće prikazani nalazi istraživanja o uticaju uznemirujućih medijskih sadržaja na decu kao i zapažanja savetnika dečije linije o pozivima povezanim sa senzacionalističkim medisjkim sadržajima. Nalazi će biti tumačeni u odnosu na reakcije dece i strategije prevladavanja osećanja uznemirenosti pozivima tokom razgovora sa telefonskim savetnicima na dečijoj liniji

Reflections of social politics and social work students during emergency state caused by the Covid 19 pandemic in Serbia

Pandemija virusa Kovid 19 dovela je do promena u svakodnevnici ljudi i proizvela osećaje nesigurnosti i anksioznosti koji mogu imati negativne posledice na učenje i psihološko zdravlje studenata. Prelaskom na online nastavu na Fakultetu političkih nauka Univerziteta u Beogradu, za studente socijalne politike i socijalnog rada uvedena je predispitna obaveza pisanja refleksivnih dnevnika sa ciljem da se identifikuju, prepoznaju i osveste sopstvene reakcije i doživljaji vezani za pandemiju i podstakne introspekcija i kritičko mišljenje studenata. Cilj rada je analiza dobijenih podataka radi dobijanja informacija o doživljaju studenata i reakcijama na pandemiju virusa Kovid 19 kako bi se stekle informacije o suočavanju sa situacijom pandemije ali i kreirale intervencije radi očuvanja i unapređenja mentalnog zdravlja studentske populacije. Primenjena je tematska analiza dnevnika u kojima su indetifkovane teme: odnos prema pisanju dnevnika, sagledavanje dobrih aspekata vanrednog stanja, porodični odnosi, variranje raspoloženja, odnos prema jelu i pripremi hrane, stvaranje strukture, razvoj kreativnosti, anksioznost, depresivna stanja, bes i strah. Rezultati ukazuju na značaj negovanja i očuvanja mentalnog zdravlja za dobrobit ljudi i na moguće pravce unapređenja praksi obrazovnih ustanova u kriznim situacijama.The pandemic of the novel corona virus has led to changes in people’s daily lives and has produced feelings of insecurity and anxiety that can have neg- ative consequences for students’ learning and psychological health. Upon switching to online teaching at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade, a pre-examination task of writing reflective diaries was introduced for students of social politics and social work on two subjects: Counseling and Sociotherapy and Social Work with Children and Youth. The aim of the task was to identify, but also recognize and raise awareness of reactions and experiences related to the pandemic and encourage introspec- tion. The thematic analysis of 80 reflective diaries and selected topics were presented: attitude towards writing diaries, understanding the good aspects of the state of emergency, family relations, mood swings, attitude towards eating and food preparation, creating structure, developing creativity, anx- iety, depression, anger and fear. The results indicate the importance of nur- turing and preserving mental health for the well-being of people and the possible directions for improving the practice of educational institutions in crisis situations