Quality of life of children in foster families

Abstract

The family is the natural environment for the growth and development of each child that enables security and sense of belonging. Unfortunately, there are situations when the children lack the opportunity to grow in their biological family with their parents, and they need care in an institution or foster family. Generally accepted UNICEF slogan “every child needs a family” justifies the alternative care of children without parents or parental care in foster families. In the Republic of Macedonia there is not sufficient research on the quality of life of children fostered in institutions and families. This was the main reason for setting up our research. Subject of research is the quality of life of children in foster care. The aim of the research is to assess the quality of lives of children in foster families and to recommend the directions for further improvement. We used descriptive method and scales as research techniques with appropriate indicators for measuring the objective and subjective well-being of the lives of children in foster families. The sample contains 30 children in families. Collected data were treated with quantitative and qualitative analyses. The results point out the critical areas for further intervention in order to improve life of children in the foster families.