Children’s Children’s satisfaction with satisfaction with institutional and institutional and

foster care quality in foster care quality in LithuaniaLithuania

Dalija Snieškienė,Ilona TamutienėDalija Snieškienė,Ilona TamutienėJadvyga Mikalauskaitė, VMU Jadvyga Mikalauskaitė, VMU

World Social Work Day - CardiffWorld Social Work Day - Cardiffevent - Dignity and Worth of Peoples, 2015 03 18event - Dignity and Worth of Peoples, 2015 03 18

Greeting on World Social Greeting on World Social Work Day from LithuaniaWork Day from Lithuania

• ‘Promoting the Dignity and Worth of Peoples’:– Upholding Human rights;– Respecting voices. Valuing diversity;– Respectful Communities. Sustainable future;– Freeing silent voices;– Social workers for human dignity;

Problem and goalProblem and goal• Research showed that child care in a

large institution negatively affects child development. Recognising this all progressive countries try to change the structure of substitute child care in the best interests of the child.

• The voices of children are a good instrument in evaluating their care quality in different forms of care in the developing country Lithuania.

Methodology of researchMethodology of research

• 765 children participated: 342 from institutions and 424 from foster families.

• SPSS systematic sampling from all regions of Lithuania age from 7 – 18 from 25 municipalities of Lithuania in both rural areas and cities.

• Ethics: tripartite written agreements: child, family or institution and researcher.

• Measurement: questionnaire as requested by the administrator of the project, based on “Scottish child care standard and satisfaction” form.

• Specific to Lithuanian context questions about sneering and stigmatization were added.

• Data collected: January – April 2014

Structure of substitute child Structure of substitute child care in Lithuaniacare in Lithuania (2013) (2013)

• In family care – 5906 (58.21%)children in care; in 4628 families, of which 1400 – foster care; (10 – 17 year)

• In social families – 419 (4.13 %)of children in care;

• In institutions –3821 (37.66%) of children in care.

Place of children care in the Place of children care in the researchresearch

Non related family care

NGO residential home

Social family

Related family care

State/municipality residential home

Child care meanings by index in Child care meanings by index in accordance with care formaccordance with care form

Name of index Form of care

Mean Standard deviation

Min Max p Chronbach alpha

General child care quality index

Institution 85,44 12,607 44 104 0,000 0,916

Family 93,37 8,999

Carers’ ethics and empathy index

Institution 49,90 7,685 25 60 0,000 0,878

Family 54,40 5,745

Children’s privacy security index

Institution 11,48 3,028 4 16 0,000 0,713

Family 12,78 2,49

Count of administration to child attitude index*

InstitutionFamily

8,188,37

2,6102,753

3 12 0,342 0,828

Children’s wishes, if they Children’s wishes, if they could choosecould choose

other

to live in foster family

to be adopted

to live in institution

family

institution

to live with parents

otherto live in institutio

n

to be adopted

to live in foster family

to live with

parents

Child’s experience of sneering Child’s experience of sneering by place of careby place of care

never always

oftenseldom

family

institution

If another child needed a substitute If another child needed a substitute care place, I would suggest the place care place, I would suggest the place

were I stay:were I stay:

never always

oftenseldom

family

institution

Why do you not recommend your place of Why do you not recommend your place of care to others?care to others?

• Institutional care:

– Educators are not kind, defame, earwig children;

– Other children drunk and smoking;

– There is dangerous place;– They do not let see parents;– They are punishing us and

sending to psychiatric hospitals;

– Elders abuse us;– We do not get food in the

schools;– There you can get emotional

humiliation;– Situation is getting worse;– There is very bad to live,

children sneering and nobody pays attention

• Family care• I do not like that live to my

grandmother not my family member;• I would like to live only with my

brothers and sisters;• They are only my grandparents;• My parents have a child now and they

do not need any more;• I would be envious if there would be a

stranger child;• I do not like another child to know,

that I lived in a children’s home and start sneering;

• I am afraid that another child will abuse me and take my toys;

• I do not have a separate room and my brother abuses me;

• My carers sometimes are very angry;• There is very little space, there are

many of us• My grandmother is very old

Different rooms in Different rooms in institutionsinstitutions

Thank you very much for your Thank you very much for your attention : )attention : )

You are welcome to ask questions or comment.