Content analysis of the religious questions of children in need of protection

This study was conducted to identify religious questions that children in need of protection ask religious officials and to examine these questions within the framework of themes using the content analysis method. The research was conducted within the scope of the qualitative method. During the data collection process, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 people selected from the personnel of the Presidency of Religious Affairs, which provides spiritual counseling and guidance services to children in need of protection in Çorum province. The data obtained were evaluated by the researcher using the content analysis method. The questions in the interview form were prepared to determine the religious questions asked by children during the process and the activities carried out by religious officials in the institution; and also to determine the effect of children's demographic and psychological characteristics on the content of these questions. In line with the data obtained, it was determined that children in need of protection asked religious questions around four main themes, namely faith and metaphysics, religious life and practices, transactions, and the concept of sin. These themes were divided into subheadings in order to conduct more in-depth analysis. It was determined that the questions showed significant differences according to the demographic and especially psychological states of the children. Questions asked about topics such as God, fate, and family provide striking clues about the children's spiritual and social states. In addition, the adequacy of the spiritual counseling and guidance services provided at the institution was evaluated in line with the opinions of the spiritual counselors who provide services to children in need of protection. It is understood that the cooperation between the Presidency of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Family and Social Services has provided significant developments in the spiritual counseling and guidance services provided to children in the institution and that existing opportunities have been strengthened thanks to this cooperation. However, since this process is still quite new, it has also been determined that there are some deficiencies. Improvement suggestions have been presented to eliminate these deficiencies; various suggestions have been developed to make the spiritual counseling and guidance service more effective and to restructure it. It has been concluded that if future studies proceed in line with these suggestions, significant developments can be experienced in religious services for children in need of protection and thus contribute to the reduction of inequalities of opportunity faced by these children.