THE POTENTIAL OF INSTITUTIONS FOR CHILDREN WITHOUT PARENTAL CARE: THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE INSTITUTIONAL CAREGIVERS

The best interest of the child should at all times be the primary guiding principle for the experts deciding matters of care. This ought to be implemented when the child is within the family, when the child is removed from the family, placed in institutional care, and when the child leaves the institutional care system. With the aim of contributing to the improvement of institutional care for children, and with the guiding principle of the child\u27s best interest, we have conducted a research project that included institutional caregivers (N=71) from all of Croatia\u27s 14 public institutions for children without parental care. The aim of the project was to determine the potential held by these institutions and the possibility of improving institutional care for children, with a view to preserve the best interest of the child, and from the point of view of the institutional caregiver. The data were collected by means of an open-ended questionnaire, and were processed using qualitative thematic analysis. The findings indicate that the institutional caregivers recognize certain positive aspects of the psychosocial climate - i.e. the state of interpersonal affairs, the institution\u27s space and activities, the institution\u27s surroundings and its community - as potential sources of improvement of care which could could be activated and could thus enhance the quality of provided care. Additionally, the institutional caregivers consider their working conditions as an area that requires improvement, as it would contribute to the provision of high-quality professional care and support to the children in their custody. Finally, there ought to be more work in the areas of transforming the institutions into the "family-like" type of accommodation, and in the general quality of the institutional psychosocial climate. All of this ought to be achieved keeping in mind the key aim of preserving the best interest of the child which is being placed into institutional care

THE POTENTIAL OF INSTITUTIONS FOR CHILDREN WITHOUT PARENTAL CARE: THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE INSTITUTIONAL CAREGIVERS

The best interest of the child should at all times be the primary guiding principle for the experts deciding matters of care. This ought to be implemented when the child is within the family, when the child is removed from the family, placed in institutional care, and when the child leaves the institutional care system. With the aim of contributing to the improvement of institutional care for children, and with the guiding principle of the child\u27s best interest, we have conducted a research project that included institutional caregivers (N=71) from all of Croatia\u27s 14 public institutions for children without parental care. The aim of the project was to determine the potential held by these institutions and the possibility of improving institutional care for children, with a view to preserve the best interest of the child, and from the point of view of the institutional caregiver. The data were collected by means of an open-ended questionnaire, and were processed using qualitative thematic analysis. The findings indicate that the institutional caregivers recognize certain positive aspects of the psychosocial climate - i.e. the state of interpersonal affairs, the institution\u27s space and activities, the institution\u27s surroundings and its community - as potential sources of improvement of care which could could be activated and could thus enhance the quality of provided care. Additionally, the institutional caregivers consider their working conditions as an area that requires improvement, as it would contribute to the provision of high-quality professional care and support to the children in their custody. Finally, there ought to be more work in the areas of transforming the institutions into the "family-like" type of accommodation, and in the general quality of the institutional psychosocial climate. All of this ought to be achieved keeping in mind the key aim of preserving the best interest of the child which is being placed into institutional care

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PARTNERS IN A DIGITAL AGE: FAMILY MEDIATION POSSIBILITIES7

Digitalni alati omogućuju brojne koristi u svakodnevnom životu, a korištenje interneta u porastu je u svim dobnim skupinama. Komunikacija posredstvom modernih tehnologija odvija se u svakodnevnim privatnim i profesionalnim odnosima pa digitalno okruženje donosi brojne promjene na području interpersonalnih odnosa. Utjecaj online okruženja na partnerske odnose u fokusu je istraživača kao i stručnjaka praktičara. Svrha ovog rada je prikazati suvremene trendove u području partnerske komunikacije u digitalnom okruženju te prikazati mogućnosti i izazove za obiteljske medijatore u današnje digitalno doba što je posebice značajno u doba aktualne krize s COVID 19 pandemijom. Prvi dio rada fokusira se na partnerske odnose u današnje, digitalno doba te prikazuje nalaze istraživanja na području partnerske komunikacije u online okruženju kao i implikacije za praktičare na području partnerskih odnosa. U drugom dijelu rada prikazane su mogućnosti obiteljske medijacije u online okruženju. Digitalni alati i mogućnosti online komunikacije višestruko su korisni u profesionalnoj praksi pomažućih stručnjaka koji zbog dodatnih zahtjeva online okruženja imaju odgovornost usavršavati svoje digitalne kompetencije te implementirati moderne tehnologije u svoju svakodnevnu praksu. S obzirom da online okruženje pred stručnjake donosi specifične etičke izazove u ovom radu će biti prezentirani etički standardi značajni za područje obiteljske medijacije na daljinu. U radu su ukratko prezentirani digitalni alati i aplikacije koji mogu biti od koristi partnerima kao i obiteljskim medijatorima tijekom procesa obiteljske medijacije.Digital tools enable numerous advantages in everyday life, and the usage of the Internet is increasing in all age groups. Communication through modern technologies is conducted in everyday private and professional relationships, and therefore digital environment brings numerous changes in the area of interpersonal relationships. The influence of the online environment on partner relationships is in the focus of researchers and practitioners alike. The aim of this paper is to present modern trends in the area of partner communication in the digital environment and to present the possibilities and challenges for family mediators in the contemporary digital age particularly significant in actual crisis of COVID 19 pandemic. The first part of the paper is focused on partner relationships in the modern, digital age and it presents the results of the research in the area of partner communication in the online environment, as well as the implications for the practitioners in the area of partner relationships. The second part of the paper presents the possibilities of family mediation in the online environment. Digital tools and possibilities of online communication have many benefits in the professional practice of helping professionals who, due to the additional demands of the online environment, have the responsibility to improve their digital competencies and to implement modern technologies in their daily practice. Since the online environment brings specific ethical challenges to professionals, this paper will present the ethical standards needed for the area of online family mediation. The paper briefly presents the digital tools and applications which can be useful to the partners and family mediators during the family mediation process