Psychological aspects of short-term foster care: professionalism and commitment

This diploma thesis deals with the definition of the role of a short-term foster carer from the perspective of the persons who perform this role. The aim of the thesis is to map the level of commitment and professionalism in short-term fostering and the factors that influence these phenomena. The empirical part is based on qualitative research. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. The collected data was processed using the grounded theory method. The results of this work showed that short-term foster carers define their role as "emotionally commited transitional foster carer". This term reflects the ability of foster carers to use both emotionally engaged and professional elements. Findings also showed that foster carers are flexible in their role and change it over time. The thesis also offers an understanding of the concept of professionalism through the eyes of short-term foster carers that does not rely on emotional detachment. The findings of this thesis have offered a relatively rich insight into the perceived self-role of short-term foster carers, which has potential for use in practice, particularly in adjusting officially stated role descriptions, process setting and collaboration