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ABSTRACT Kinship fostering in Igbo indigenous communities is an enduring alternative child care practice that promotes collective responsibility for child care in a family environment. The practice is believed to be fundamental for family and community continuity. Weakening extended family ties and a lack of social work support services in this care arrangement have cast doubt on the continual viability of this alternative child care practice This is an exploratory study using grounded theory. In‐depth interviews with six community leaders and six senior public social welfare officers provided insight on belief systems promoting kinship fostering in Igbo indigenous communities. Findings were thematically analysed to show continuity of lineage, preservation of family name and challenges associated with kinship fostering. Belief systems on kinship fostering provides insights on how children are viewed in Igbo culture, which can help policymakers design intervention programme that are culturally relevant in child‐care formation in Nigeria given challenges in kinship fostering. The study promotes indigenous knowledge that is vital for social work education and practice in Nigeria. Further study suggests exploring the belief of foster children and their experiences in kinship fostering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internal displacement remains the worst humanitarian crisis facing Nigeria, with an estimated 2.7 million persons displaced in the North-East at the end of 2020 as a result of conflicts. Many of these internally displaced persons (IDPs) migrated to Abuja where they live in dilapidated homes and are at constant risk of becoming homeless because the government has no existing plan for IDPs' resettlement. This study aimed to explore the housing challenges of IDPs in Abuja and how they can lead to secondary displacement. Data was collected from 38 IDPs using qualitative interviews and the collected data were analysed thematically with the aid of NVivo 12. Results revealed that the current housing conditions of the IDPs expose them to many diseases; the IDPs are at risk of secondary displacement which may endanger all the progress, development, and resilience build over the years. This points to a need for proper resettlement of the IDPs and highlights the need and roles of social workers in Nigeria. The study reveals how social workers can advocate for access to culture-sensitive and self-sustaining targeted resources, contribute to proper IDPs' resettlement and reintegration, and influence the amendment and adoption of the 2003 National Policy on Internal Displacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, there is an immense increase in the number of older adults. This can be attributed to an increase in life expectancy brought about by advances in general living standards as well as medicine and healthcare. However, exclusion which is linked to discrimination and access restrictions in areas such as education, employment, housing, and medical care has been identified as one of the challenges facing this increasing demographic. This study explored the exclusion of older rural women in southeast Nigeria and its impact on their life satisfaction. The study used a qualitative method of research to obtain data from a sample of 32 older adults aged 65 years and above through focus group discussions in Nru community in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State. The obtained data were thematically analyzed and the findings showed that many older rural women in the study area are socially excluded at home, churches, and the larger society, with poverty and stereotyping of older rural women as less intelligent identified as the leading factor predisposing them to social exclusion in Nigeria. Results also showed that social exclusion brings about sadness and depression which have severe negative implications on their life satisfaction. Finally, implications of the findings for gerontological social workers through advocacy geared toward changes in social policy and structures that promote ageism were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study reported in this paper attempted to determine what secondary school students in Nigeria know about the elderly. One hundred twenty students completed a questionnaire about aging. The mean age of the respondents was 15 years. The questionnaire was a modification of Palmore's (1977) Facts on Aging Quiz. The results revealed that the youths possess aging stereotypes. The implications of the findings are discussed and further areas of research suggested.

The present study sought complex, comprehensive understanding and insight on challenges of care-giving to older adults by using qualitative approach. Forty care-givers aged 23 and above living in Nnewi, south-east Nigeria participated in the study. Focus Group Discussion was used to collect data from the participants. The collected data were analysed in themes and the results revealed that family care-givers undergo stress, lack of finance, insufficient time for themselves and negative attitudes of older adults towards them. Social work professionals are required to teach family care-givers essential social skills in providing care and support for older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined perceptions of end of life planning by 80 adults selected using a multistage sampling technique. Eight focus group discussions (FGDs) of 10 discussants each were used to collect data, while analysis was done thematically. Participants are not ready to engage in end of life planning because doing so seems like beckoning death. When participants saw the need to plan for end of life it was because of the negative consequences that occur after the death of a principal family member. Therefore, social workers are encouraged to utilize various measures to address the consequences linked to lack of end of life planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]