Social and emotional issues of children in kinship foster care and stressors on kinship carers: A review of the Australian and international literature

2006 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 22-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emer G. Dunne ◽  
Lisa J. Kettler
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Kinship Care ◽  
Best Interests ◽  
Alternative Form ◽  
International Literature ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Kinship Foster Care ◽  
Care And Support ◽  
Emotional Issues ◽  
Outcomes For Children

The aim of this paper is to review the Australian and international literature on social and emotional issues affecting children in kinship foster care and to examine stresses experienced by kinship foster carers.There is a growing trend of kinship foster care as an alternative form of care for children in Australia and overseas which is attributed to factors such as child abuse, parental incapacity, parental incarceration, and parental substance misuse. The ideology supporting the use of kinship care is that it is in the child’s best interests because it helps them to maintain ties with their family of origin.A comprehensive search of the literature on kinship care was undertaken and articles addressing social and emotional issues of children in kinship care or their carers were selected for critical review.The literature suggests that children placed with kinship foster carers suffer from a range of social and emotional issues and these may impact on outcomes in adulthood. The existing literature does not, however, adequately differentiate the impacts of kinship care itself from the children’s pre-existing difficulties and there is a paucity of literature comparing kinship care outcomes with outcomes for children who have experienced other forms of out-of-home care. Common factors experienced by kinship foster carers that can make it challenging for them to deal with children’s issues are economic disadvantage, stress, health issues and lack of resources.In conclusion, this review supports the arguments for assessment and interventions for children in kinship foster care; and support, parent training and interventions for kinship carers. Longitudinal studies are needed in this area.

scholarly journals The Meaning of Quality in Kinship Foster Care: Caregiver, Child, and Worker Perspectives

2002 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 508-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Chipman ◽  
Susan J. Wells ◽  
Michelle A. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Quality Care ◽  
Kinship Care ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Kinship Caregivers ◽  
Kinship Foster Care ◽  
Care Assessment ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
Insight Into

Though principles, guidelines, and procedures for assessing the quality of foster care in kinship settings have been introduced, research on the factors that mediate the quality and outcome of kinship care has been minimal. To provide insight into these factors from the perspectives of kinship stakeholders, this article presents findings from a qualitative study conducted with kinship caregivers, children living with relatives, and caseworkers of children in kinship placements. Their views on quality care in kinship homes, including factors to consider in the selection and evaluation of kinship placements and opinions of how kinship and nonkinship foster care differ, make unique contributions to the development of standards and measures for kinship foster care assessment. Findings confirm the salience of specific factors present in existing guidelines, build on existing recommendations for the selection and evaluation of kinship homes, and highlight important policy and practice issues for consideration with kinship families.

In ‘The Best Interests of the Child’: Critical Reflections on an Overused Construct

2011 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Hansen ◽  
Frank Ainsworth
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Child Abuse ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Kinship Care ◽  
Best Interests ◽  
Best Interest ◽  
Abuse And Neglect ◽  
Protection Legislation

The construct ‘the best interest of the child’ is embedded in child protection legislation in all Australian states and territories. This phrase or construct in its modern iteration that dates from 1973 is constantly evoked when decisions are being made about a child's future following the substantiation of a case of child abuse and neglect. The use of the best interests of the child as a standard for decision-making, even though there is no consensus in law or social science as to what the construct means, needs to be questioned. What often follows from reliance on the best interests of the child is the placement of a child in foster care or kinship care in the hope that this will produce a better outcome for the child than if they remained in parental care. No doubt this is true for some children. Recent outcomes studies of foster care point to less than promising results for many children. As a result it can be argued that placing a child in foster care is a gamble with the child's future life.

Theoretical Perspectives for Child Welfare Practice on Kinship Foster Care Families

2007 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 575-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyunah Kang
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Kinship Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Kinship Foster Care ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
The Status ◽  
Research Studies

To provide deepened and expanded discussions of the advantages of kinship foster care, this paper attempts to understand the theoretical backgrounds of kinship care. The paper also analyzes research studies regarding caregiving environments and well-being outcomes of children in kinship foster care to examine whether empirical evidence supports theoretical conjectures. In addition, the paper discusses the status of knowledge concerning kinship foster care and the rigorousness of research methods. The paper's analysis and discussion are intended to provide theoretical perspectives for suppositions in practice and, eventually, guide child welfare practice.

scholarly journals Norm Localization and Contestation: The Politics of Foster Children in Turkey

Genealogy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Burcu Akan Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Family System ◽  
Economic Incentives ◽  
Best Interests ◽  
Foster Parenting ◽  
Turkish Children ◽  
Biological Parents ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
National Campaigns ◽  
The Cost

International norms do not diffuse linearly; they are localized, adapted and contested at every turn. Foster care systems have been enthusiastically promoted by international organizations to serve the best interests of children. This study explores the recent adaptation of foster care (Koruyucu Aile) in Turkey. This elite-driven norm change was institutionalized through comprehensive legislation, economic incentives and national campaigns, situated in the “politics of responsibility” arising from moral duty and national and religious ethics. These efforts faced early resistance, leading to slow cultivation of foster families, while over time, the foster system found unlikely allies among urban middle-class women. Using Zimmermann’s typologies of reinterpretation of norms through an analysis of narratives about foster parenting in 50 local and national TV productions, this article shows how the foster family system has evolved as a panacea for women’s empowerment in contemporary Turkish society. In parallel, Turkey has embarked on an intense criticism of the care of ethnic Turkish children in European foster care systems. However, this creative utilization of the foster system has come at the cost of the rights of biological parents and a permanency that has decoupled the Turkish foster care system from its counterparts around the world.

scholarly journals Evaluation of a Brief Intervention to Improve the Nursing Care of Young Children in a High HIV and AIDS Setting

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda M. Richter ◽  
Tamsen J. Rochat ◽  
Celia Hsiao ◽  
Thembelihle H. Zuma
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
Child Interaction ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Care And Support ◽  
Nurse Burnout ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Infant Pain ◽  
Outcomes For Children

The HIV epidemic in South Africa is putting great strain on health services, including the inpatient care of young children. Caregivers and young children (107 pairs) and 17 nurses participated in an intervention to improve the care of young children in hospital in a high HIV and AIDS setting. The intervention addressed caregiver expectations about admission and treatment, responsive feeding, coping with infant pain and distress, assistance with medical procedures, and preparation for discharge and home care. Following a preparatory and piloting phase, measures of nurse burnout, caregiver physical and emotional well-being, and caregiver-child interaction were made before and after intervention. No changes were found between before and after intervention on assessments of caregiver wellbeing. However, mothers in the postintervention phase rated nurses as more supportive; mother-child interaction during feeding was more relaxed and engaged, and babies were less socially withdrawn. While the intervention proved useful in improving certain outcomes for children and their caregivers, it did not address challenging hospital and ward administration or support needed by caregivers at home following discharge. To address the latter need, the intervention has been extended into the community through home-based palliative care and support.

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