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A THEMATIC ANALYSIS ON PERCEPTIONS OF FOSTER CARE THROUGH THE LENS OF ETHNIC BELONGINGNESS IN MULTICULTURAL MAURITIUS
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The development of a comprehensive foster care system as an alternative to the institutionalisation of children in out-of-home care remains underdeveloped in Mauritius. With no prior studies on the perceptions of foster care in this multiethnic island state and the relatively low number of registered foster parents, this qualitative study sought to explore the perceptions of the Afro-Mauritians and Indo-Mauritians on the reality of foster care. Also, this study sought to identify factors perceived to prevent or encourage members of particular ethnic groups in fostering a child. Similarly, it aimed to understand demographic factors perceived as significant for effective foster care. Using semi-structured interviews alongside purposive sampling, 10 parents were interviewed from which 5 were of African descent and 5 of Indian descent. From the thematic analysis, national silence on foster care alongside the urgency to make foster care a working reality was advanced. Unconditional acceptance of the foster child and support to foster parents were also reported as vital. While more similarities between the two ethnic groups were uncovered, some unique reasons to start foster care and barriers to do so were also revealed by members of particular ethnic groups. Family structure, age, educational level and socioeconomic status were revealed as important demographic indicators for effective foster care. It was recommended for social workers and policy makers to fully commit towards implementing more family-oriented care provisions. Also significant is the relevance of considering ethnic belongingness as an important and equally relevant demographic marker in the multicultural Mauritian context.
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Foster care is a determining resource for the child protection system. The scientific evidence shows that the psychosocial benefits of foster care for minors within the protection system are superior to those that can be provided by residential resource centres. Hence, during the last decade in Spain, work has been done to establish foster care as a priority resource. The objective of our work is focused on describing what type of families make up the Family Foster Care resource of the Province of Alicante and their parenting styles. A total of 207 people (72 minors and 132 foster parents) were evaluated, applying the following: 1) an ad hoc questionnaire composed of 12 questions; and 2) The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire consisting of 42 items (Spanish adaptation from Servera, 2007). More than 50% of the families are nuclear families and do not have biological children, with the duration of the foster care exceeding two years. The reconstituted families stand out due to its parental involvement and positive upbringing, while the nuclear and single-parent families show higher scores in consistent discipline. It is essential to know the profile of the foster families in order to achieve an adequate foster care process for minors. Keywords: protection of minors; parental style; APQ; non-relative foster family. [es] Acogimiento familiar en familia educadora en la provincia de Alicante, España: características de los recursos disponibles Resumen ampliado. Ante la situación de desamparo de un menor, la Administración Pública interviene a través de dos recursos: el acogimiento familiar y el acogimiento residencial. Las evidencias científicas constatan que los beneficios psicosociales para los menores dentro del sistema de protección son superiores en un contexto familiar que los que se pueden proporcionar en recursos residenciales. Es por ello por lo que, en Julio de 2015, se emitió la Ley Orgánica 1/1996 de 15 de Enero, de Protección Jurídica del menor, de Modificación parcial del Código Civil y de la Ley de Enjuiciamiento Civil, que prioriza el interés superior del menor, su derecho a ser escuchado y antepone el acceso a una familia acogedora como medida de primera opción, frente al acogimiento residencial, en menores con edades comprendidas entre 0 y 6 años. De este modo, el acogimiento familiar ha pasado a ser un recurso determinante para el sistema de protección de menores. Con el fin de apoyar este cambio, durante los últimos años se han publicado varios trabajos que ponen de manifiesto la importancia de la influencia de la familia educadora sobre el desarrollo del menor. Variables, como la relación establecida con el entorno, la red de apoyo, el perfil de los acogedores, el estrés parental, la existencia de hijos biológicos, la estructura familiar, la capacidad para establecer vínculos afectivos; el estilo educativo o el apoyo técnico, son de gran relevancia y pueden determinar el éxito del acogimiento. Por ello, el proceso de selección de la familia para un menor, goza de gran importancia. Se pretende que esta cubra sus necesidades, las del menor, permitiendo una normalización en el nuevo entorno y oportunidades de futuro, a la vez que se respetan sus orígenes. Se trata de diferentes piezas de un puzzle que hay que encajar. Debido a este hecho, el objetivo del presente trabajo se centra en describir qué tipo de familias conforman el recurso de Acogimiento familiar en familia ajena de la Provincia de Alicante y sus perfiles de crianza. Para ello, se evaluaron 207 personas (72 menores y 132 acogedores), a las que se le aplicaron: 1) un cuestionario ad hoc de 12 preguntas; y 2) el Alabama Parenting Questionnaire compuesto por 42 ítems, en la adaptación española de Servera (2007). 1 Universidad de Alicante, España ignasi.navarro@ua.es 2 marta.real@goumh.umh.es 3 borja.costa@goumh.umh.es 340 Navarro Soria, I.; Real Fernández, M.; Costa López, B.; Cuadernos de Trabajo Social 33(2) 2020: 339-348 Los resultados encontrados fueron, que más del 50% de las familias son nucleares y no tienen hijos biológicos, siendo la duración del acogimiento superior a dos años. La familia reconstituida destaca por su implicación parental y crianza positiva, mientras que la familia nuclear y monoparental obtiene mejores puntuaciones en disciplina consistente. Es esencial conocer el perfil de las familias acogedoras que conforman el recurso en cuestión, ya que nos permite determinar fortalezas/carencias de estos programas y, de esta manera, diseñar una estrategia con objetivos específicos para conseguir perfiles concretos de familia acogedora, atendiendo a la necesidad de los menores que acceden al recurso. Palabras clave: protección de menores, estilo parental, APQ, familia ajena.
Qualitative researchers face unique opportunities and challenges as a result of the disruption of COVID-19. Although the pandemic represents a unique opportunity to study the crisis itself, social distancing mandates are restricting traditional face-to-face investigations of all kinds. In this article, we describe options and resources for researchers who find themselves needing to alter their study designs from face-to-face qualitative data collection to a “socially distant” method. Although technologies are constantly changing, we review the latest videoconferencing services available to researchers and provide guidance on what services might best suit a project’s needs. We describe options for various platforms and applications including information about enhanced security applications for researchers collecting sensitive patient health information. Concerns about these technologies including security of the platform and logistical needs such as computer equipment are also discussed. Special attention is given to ethical issues when transitioning research efforts to online venues.
In this article, our intention is to provide an in-depth framework to inform the management of the inevitable complexity of day-today practice and supervision in child protection and welfare. It is based on what is now well evidenced about child protection and welfare literature in relation to risk, relationships, family support, supervision, and professional development. Using Ireland as a case example for illustration and application, we introduce an emerging framework based on a dualism of 'protective support and supportive protection' developed in previous work. We avail of Bronfenbrenner's bio-ecological framework and network theories to progress this ongoing 'work in progress' to inform social work and social care practice and supervision in a global context as and where appropriate. We emphasize the importance of context specific approaches, the relevance of range of actors, practitioner and supervisor expertise through experience, and proactive partnership based engagement with children, families, and relevant communities in all aspects of service delivery, including evaluation. We reflect on the challenges and possible obstacles to how such a framework can inform practice and supervision. We argue that practitioners can best activate and apply the framework using a practice research approach.
Semistructured in-depth interviews are commonly used in qualitative research and are the most frequent qualitative data source in health services research. This method typically consists of a dialogue between researcher and participant, guided by a flexible interview protocol and supplemented by follow-up questions, probes and comments. The method allows the researcher to collect open-ended data, to explore participant thoughts, feelings and beliefs about a particular topic and to delve deeply into personal and sometimes sensitive issues. The purpose of this article was to identify and describe the essential skills to designing and conducting semistructured interviews in family medicine and primary care research settings. We reviewed the literature on semistructured interviewing to identify key skills and components for using this method in family medicine and primary care research settings. Overall, semistructured interviewing requires both a relational focus and practice in the skills of facilitation. Skills include: (1) determining the purpose and scope of the study; (2) identifying participants; (3) considering ethical issues; (4) planning logistical aspects; (5) developing the interview guide; (6) establishing trust and rapport; (7) conducting the interview; (8) memoing and reflection; (9) analysing the data; (10) demonstrating the trustworthiness of the research; and (11) presenting findings in a paper or report. Semistructured interviews provide an effective and feasible research method for family physicians to conduct in primary care research settings. Researchers using semistructured interviews for data collection should take on a relational focus and consider the skills of interviewing to ensure quality. Semistructured interviewing can be a powerful tool for family physicians, primary care providers and other health services researchers to use to understand the thoughts, beliefs and experiences of individuals. Despite the utility, semistructured interviews can be intimidating and challenging for researchers not familiar with qualitative approaches. In order to elucidate this method, we provide practical guidance for researchers, including novice researchers and those with few resources, to use semistructured interviewing as a data collection strategy. We provide recommendations for the essential steps to follow in order to best implement semistructured interviews in family medicine and primary care research settings.
A step-by-step guide to conducting a thematic analysis within the context of learning and teaching.
Foster parents are a critical resource and make a significant difference in the lives of children. This article examines the quantitative feedback on the Foster Parent Perception and Satisfaction Scale (FPPSS) from a statewide sample of public and private foster parents (n = 255) in a southern state. Results indicate that perceptions of accomplishment and personal impact were the primary predictors of overall role satisfaction. However, the foster parents’ willingness to accept the placement of a child that is a) LGBTQ or b) different than themselves (e.g. religion, race/ethnicity, and other requested preferences such as age, special need, sibling group) also significantly predicted their overall satisfaction though inversely with respect to LQBTQ foster children. Significant differences were found between the public and private foster parents with respect to their satisfaction with their state caseworker, preparedness, foster agency, overall level of satisfaction, and their willingness to accept the placement of a teenager and of a child with a difference. Implications for training further research with public and private foster agencies are provided.
This study explored what contributes to successful family foster care from the perspective of young people by asking them about their most positive memory of family foster care. Forty-four Dutch adolescents and young adults (aged 16–28) participated in this study and shared their most positive memory in a short interview. Their answers were qualitatively analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, supplemented with an analysis of the structure of their memories. The thematic analysis resulted in the themes Belongingness, Receiving support, Normal family life, It is better than before, and Seeing yourself grow. The structural analysis showed that young people both shared memories related to specific events, as well as memories that portrayed how they felt for a prolonged period of time. In addition, young people were inclined to share negative memories alongside the positive memories. These results highlight that, in order to build a sense of belonging, it is important that of foster parents create a normal family environment for foster children and provide continuous support. Moreover, the negative memories shared by participants are discussed in light of a bias resulting from earlier traumatic experiences.
Despite research that shows growing up in a foster family is one of the best options for children who cannot live safely with their biological parents, the finding and recruitment of new foster families has globally become more difficult. It could be assumed that recruitment is even more difficult in countries like Estonia, where the tradition of foster care is short compared to the long history of institutional child care. This assumption raises the question of the kind of factors, which influence families to open up their homes to children, in Estonia? The results of this quantitative research shows that attitudes like a positive stance towards foster families and perceived support from close relatives are two strong predictors as well as demographic variables like age, ethnicity and the presence of children in the family. The data also shows a gap between generations which means recruiting new families and normalizing the concept of being a foster family could take time in Estonia.
Foster care provides round‐the‐clock substitute care for nearly 700,000 U.S. children who are temporarily or permanently separated from their family of origin each year. Each state manages its own foster care system according to federal regulations. Despite numerous large‐scale federal policy reforms over the past several decades, substantial concerns remain about the experiences and outcomes of children in the foster care system. The most recent effort to reform foster care, the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018, attempts to both reduce the use of foster care and increase the quality of care. In this report, we review how policy has shaped the experiences and outcomes of children in foster care, where policy has succeeded, and where it falls short of achieving its goals. We then identify opportunities for federal and state policy to better support the safety, health, and well‐being of children in foster care.