Homeless children, social adjustment, preliminary model, external resources, internal resources.

Social adjustment is one of the areas which play an important role in the process of socialization of not only minor children. Deficits or disorders in the area of social adjustment can be the cause of many life difficulties which may adversely affect the development of children or they can be the cause of their unhealthy development. The aim of the present study is to understand and describe the mechanisms of social adjustment of homeless children (in shelters and hostels) in the city of Ostrava. This region has the highest number of people excluded from housing, including children, in the whole of the Czech Republic. Based on the findings of the current research and the researchers´ understanding of the social reality a preliminary situational map was created which is to serve as a reference point for other researchers (according to Clarke, 2015). Social adaptation disorders cause plenty of disruptions to the children's development. They are a response to negative living conditions or a specific stress factor, being a manifestation of impaired ability to maintain balance. Factors that lead to a disruption of social adaptation include, among others, disrupted parenting, physical violence, frequent childhood migrations, or growing up in a disadvantaged environment. There are two typical resources which influence social adjustment, namely the (1) external and (2) internal ones. The external and internal resources function in a certain social context (situation) which can increase or reduce their effects.