ŠEIMINIUOSE NAMUOSE GYVENANČIŲ VAIKŲ ĮGALINIMO PROCESĄ LEMIANTYS VEIKSNIAI

Abstract

The aim of the article is to reveal factors determining the empowerment process of children living in family-based homes, based on the experience of social workers working in familybased homes. Over the last few years, many changes have taken place in Lithuania, which have contributed to the emergence of new forms of assistance for children. In 2014, significant changes started in Lithuania with the deinstitutionalisation of care institutions, following the adoption of the “Action Plan on the Transition from Institutional Care to Family and Community Services for Disabled Persons and Children Without Parental Care for 2014–2020”. The changes in the field of foster care aim to create “family-centred orphanages”, so that what is natural for a child growing up in a family is easily accessible to a child growing up in a foster home. This is emphasised in the Order of the Minister of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania approved on 8 December 2020 (2020, p. 2) and in the Law on the Description of the Operation of Community Children’s Homes of the Minister of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania (2021, p. 1). As of 2024, the Community orphanages have been renamed to Family-Based Homes (Order No. A1-375 of the Minister of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania of 30 May 2024 “On the Amendment of the Order of the Minister of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania of 5 April 2006 No. A1-93 “On the Approval of the Catalogue of Social Services” (TAR, 30 May 2024, No. 2024-09754, 2024). Family-based home is a social service institution providing short-term or long-term social care in the community, where up to 8 children live in separate premises (house, flat) in the community, in a family-like environment, and are provided with the necessary services. Children living in nursing homes are one of the most vulnerable and often marginalised groups. One of the most important tasks for social workers in family-based homes is to empower children. For social workers, empowering children living in family-based homes is about having the skills to establish and maintain better relationships with children, to understand their emotions, behaviour, needs, differences and to earn their trust and respect. By empowering children living in family-based homes, the social worker helps them to accept and even improve the changes, and to move forward. Empowerment is thus defined as the abilityof individuals, groups and communities to take control of their life circumstances, to exercise power, to achieve their goals, to help themselves and others to maximise their quality of life. Empowerment builds a person’s self-confidence, abilities, potential, and understanding of the importance of actions and decisions that have a positive impact on one’s lives. In other words, empowerment is a purposeful and deliberate action that anticipates and evaluates the whole social system. Therefore, the aim of the family-based homes is to bring about positive changes in the lives of the children living there, which takes place through a process of empowerment that seeks to increase knowledge, build skills, strengthen individual life management, increase self-esteem, and the awareness of oneself and of the factors that act as obstacles to personal development and life management. The object of the study is the factors determining the empowerment process of children living in family-based homes. The aim of the study is to reveal the factors determining the process of empowerment of children living in family-based homes, based on the experience of social workers working in family-based homes. Research question: What are the factors that determine the empowerment of children living in family-based homes? A content analysis research method was applied for the qualitative content data analysis. A criterion sample was used for the participants of the study. They were selected according to the following criteria: 1) social workers working in family-based homes; 2) social workers working in family-based homes with at least two years of experience. The survey was organised in July–October of 2023. The study involved 7 social workers working in family-based homes in different regions of Lithuania. A total of seven interview texts (of social workers working in family-based homes) were analysed. The qualitative content analysis followed an inductive logic of creating categories and subcategories based on the research data. The results obtained were interpreted and analysed, and associated with the scientific insights of other authors in the discussion part. The study revealed the factors of the empowerment process in relation to children living in family-based homes and social workers working there. The study identified that one of the empowerment factors associated with children living in family-based homes is the motivation of children to set and achieve goals. The study showed that social workers motivate children living in family-based homes by spending a lot of time talking to them and explaining the importance of having a future goal. Social workers said that motivating children is a process of empowerment, where the most important thing is to be patient and give children time to discover their goals. The study also showed that social workers recognise that encouraging children living in family-based homes to discover their interests, goals and to develop is an important empowerment factor. Social workers make efforts to encourage and empower children to engage in a wide range of activities. Encouragement is another empowerment factor that helps to enable children to achieve new skills and change. That is why social workers talk to children, encouraging them by examples of how to do certain activities. Before carrying out various activities with children, social workers set goals, discuss them and weigh up the possible risks, and even the possible consequences and failures, so that children do not give up if they fail to achieve a goal. Participants of the study said that a lot of effort is required heir goals. Another important factor related to empowerment of children living in the family-based homes is raising their self-esteem. The results of the study revealed that social workers make efforts to build children’s self-confidence and self-esteem, which they see as a very important prerequisite for empowerment, since children with unreasonably low self-esteem easily succumb to the negative influence of other children. Children in family-based homes are also afraid of being ridiculed, they shy away from trying new things, are more likely to lose heart, and often start to doubt themselves: “what if I fail?”. Children with low self-esteem are very afraid of criticism, they tend to shrink into themselves, they do not express their thoughts. That is why social workers talk to children living in family-based homes about their self-esteem, allow them to express their thoughts, and strengthen their self-confidence. The study identified a factor of empowerment that is related to the social workers in the family-based homes, i.e., the social workers’ sharing of their good practices with children in the family-based homes. Social workers give children in family-based homes the opportunity to see the variety and benefits of meaningful, enjoyable leisure activities, and to acquire skills that are important to them, such as planning and organising activities. The study identified another important aspect related to social workers – gaining the trust of children in family-based homes. Only by trusting the social worker and feeling cooperative will children living in family-based homes be able to build a solid foundation for the future. It is important for social workers to gain the trust of children living in family-based homes, to help them to develop a sense of self-esteem, appropriate social skills, the ability to communicate and cooperate, to maintain interpersonal relationships and to solve common problems. It is this kind of behaviour that helps children to trust not only the social worker, but also themselves. In  addition, establishing a close relationship with the child, creating opportunities for the child to make choices, talking about the possible consequences of one’s choices, being with the child, communicating with the child, and solving problems in a constructive way are all important empowerment factors in the family-based home. The results of the study showed that social workers in family-based homes are successful in empowering children by building close relationships with them and fostering the well-being of relationships. It is very important for children to know what social workers expect of them, so it is necessary to be clear about their feelings, goals and expectations. Each of them wants to be significant, not to be excluded, and it is important to notice their positive qualities. The study found that social workers are like a “signpost” and a positive role model for the children to look up to. Children in the family-based homes need to learn from their own experience if they want to change, achieve their goals and improve. It can be argued that the most effective factors in the empowerment of children in the family-based homes are related to the social workers’ efforts to empower the children, when they share their good practices, when they empower the children to be confident, when they build close relationships with the children and when they foster the well-being of those relationship.
Keywords: empowerment process, empowerment factors, family-based homes, children, social worker.