Youngsters and their parents experiencing out of home care

The thesis deals with how youth and their parents experience out-of-home care. The theoretical part outlines the discussion about emotional and behavioural problems or difficulties in social integration. There are also a few words about out-of-home care and about youth entering such a placement. The theoretical part continues with a discussion of how youth and their parents experience out-of-home care. The concept of experience includes expectations, wishes and fears of youth and their parents respectively. Furthermore, it also incorporates an overall emotional and behavioural experience of the process of entry into out-of-home care, as well as the reactions of the youth and their parents associated with the process. Finally, the theoretical part discusses the cooperation between the family (youth and their parents) and the out-of-home care facility in the process of youth entry into out-of-home care, and the impact this cooperation has on the experience of inclusion of youth and their parents. In the empirical part, the qualitative analysis is used. Interviews with one of the youth from an out-of-home-care facility in Slovenia and one of his parents reveals their experience with the process of placement into out-of home care. The results show that experiences are difficult and turbulent for both, the youth and their parents. The interviewed youth and his mother used a variety of different coping strategies; they had different expectations, wishes and fears and also a different experience of cooperation with the out-of-home care facility