PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Malínková, Veronika
AU  - Dolejš, Martin
TI  - Caregivers or wardens? What adolescents in children's homes truly need in their relationship with a caregiver
DP  - 2025 Oct 21
TA  - Diskuze v psychologii
PG  - 26--36
VI  - 6
IP  - 1
AID - 10.5507/dvp.2025.004
IS  - 26948338
AB  - In this article, we present selected findings from a qualitative study focused on adolescents in children's homes and their perception of psychological and social support provided by their environment. Specifically, we examine caregivers, who were most frequently mentioned as providers of practical support, less often emotional support, and who overall emerged as key figures influencing the overall well-being of adolescents in this setting. We identify the traits and abilities of both favored and unfavored caregivers from the perspective of these adolescents. Additionally, we outline experts' views on the dynamics of the adolescent-caregiver relationship. These conclusions are based on a total of ten semi-structured interviews conducted with adolescents aged 15-20 from six children's homes in the Czech Republic, as well as two semi-structured interviews with mental health professionals-a psychologist and a therapist. The collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis. We found that practical social support is generally well provided for adolescents, whereas emotional support is less so, and professional psychological support is offered only rarely, often accompanied by prejudices or negative experiences of adolescents.