scholarly journals CREATING NORMALCY: FOSTER CARE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES AND MEDICAL FRAGILITY IN GERMANY

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 132-151
Author(s):  
Friedegard Föltz

In the area of foster care concerning children and youth with special needs due to disability or medical fragility, there is a paucity of knowledge and research. In Germany, these groups in foster care who have high special needs are an invisible and neglected population at risk. These children and youth are mostly cared for in residential homes; however, some are living in foster families and benefit from a familial setting. The purpose of the study was to understand how foster parents manage their lives with a child or youth who has special needs, and how they meet the challenges that arise. The qualitative research design used the method of narrative inquiry through in-depth interviews, which were conducted in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt with 19 foster parents from 15 families. Within the framework of grounded theory, the author developed a theoretical structure of the strategies foster parents use for coping. Results showed that foster parents dealt with this new and often unpredictable situation by applying one of three patterns of strategies — action-, resource-, or reflection-oriented — based on their personal experiences and worldview. Understanding these behavioral patterns gives administrative and supportive entities like child welfare systems and agencies a unique and tailored approach to recruit, retain, train, and counsel foster families adequately, and to strengthen their well-being and their ability to perform well for themselves and their children and youth.

Author(s):  
Sabrina Chodura ◽  
Arnold Lohaus ◽  
Tabea Symanzik ◽  
Nina Heinrichs ◽  
Kerstin Konrad

AbstractChildren in foster care (CFC) are at increased risk for negative developmental outcomes. Given the potential influence of foster parents’ parenting on the development of CFC, this literature review and meta-analysis provide an initial overview of how parenting factors in foster families relate to CFC’s developmental outcomes. We aimed to explore (1) whether foster parents’ parenting conceptualizations are related differently to various CFC developmental outcome variables and (2) how characteristics of foster parents and CFC moderate these associations. Following the recommendations of the PRISMA statement, we searched four databases in 2017 (with an update in May 2020). Forty-three primary studies were coded manually. The interrater agreement was 92.1%. Parenting variables were specified as parenting behavior, style, and goals and were distinguished further into functional and dysfunctional parenting. CFC development was divided into adaptive (including cognitive) development and maladaptive development. Meta-analyses could be performed for foster parenting behavior and developmental outcomes, as well as for functional parenting goals and maladaptive socioemotional outcomes in CFC. Associations between functional parenting behavior and adaptive child development were positive and negative for maladaptive child development, respectively. For dysfunctional, parenting effects were in the opposite direction. All effects were small to moderate. Similar results were found descriptively in the associations of parenting style and child developmental outcomes. We found similar effect sizes and directions of the associations between parenting behavior in foster families and the child’s developmental outcomes as those previously reported for biological families. These findings provide strong support for the significant role of parenting in foster families regarding children’s development in foster care.


1996 ◽  
Vol 77 (9) ◽  
pp. 545-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Jean McFadden

Foster parents face many stresses in their family life, whether they provide kinship care, general foster care, specialized foster care, or treatment family care. Critical issues include maintaining open boundaries while sustaining cohesion and integrity of the core family structure. Pressures from the agency, the community, the foster child, and his or her parents affect the way in which this family style functions. Focusing on the work done by family-centered practitioners with foster parents facing various types of developmental and situational crises, the author examines the responses of foster families to the multiple and chronic experiences of loss that they face. Guidelines for practitioners include placement issues, therapeutic issues, and knowledge of systems that clinicians need to work effectively with foster-parent families. Case materials illustrate the crises of dismemberment and demoralization as well as the crisis of accession.


2016 ◽  
pp. 397-414
Author(s):  
Magda Urbańska

A family is the basic envi­ronment of education and childcare. However, when parents are not able to fulfil care and educational functions, tasks of a natural family are performed by foster care, carried out among by fos­ter families. Admitting of the child to the own family is preceded by a process of qualifications and specialized training, organized for foster families by the or­ganizer of family foster care. But even the best theoretical training cannot pro­tect against a variety of behavioral prob­lems and care which foster parents en­counter, hence it becomes necessary to support and assistance the families who take the trouble to care for abandoned and orphaned children. The article pres­ents the measures implemented to sup­port foster families in the local commu­nity for the actions taken in 2012–2013 in the city of Rzeszów by the organizer of family foster care.


2021 ◽  
pp. 183693912110501
Author(s):  
Gloria Quinones ◽  
Melissa Barnes ◽  
Emily Berger

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) educators’ well-being and emotional demands during COVID require careful attention. This article explores the emotional demands experienced by ECEC educators in Australia during ongoing periods of lockdown. A survey was designed to gather quantitative and qualitative data and participants were asked to participate in in-depth interviews. Thirty participants were interviewed to explore personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic; of these, a selected sample of six participants is presented, drawing on Honneth’s (1995) as an analytical framework. The findings show ECEC educators’ struggle for recognition and how solidarity amongst educators emerged as a key response. Implications provide impetus for the active recognition of the early childhood profession. Solidarity as a new concept in ECEC includes the recognition of the early childhood profession at a societal level, recognising the significant professional work early childhood educators accomplish, and their struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.


2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052090919
Author(s):  
Ann-Katrin Job ◽  
Daniela Ehrenberg ◽  
Peter Hilpert ◽  
Vanessa Reindl ◽  
Arnold Lohaus ◽  
...  

Young children with a history of maltreatment or neglect in foster families often confront their caregivers with particularly challenging behaviors. This may lead to more parenting stress, an increased risk for the child in foster care to experience further maltreatment, and placement disruptions. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of a parent group training tailored to the special needs of foster families. We hypothesized significant short- and long-term improvements regarding foster parents’ parenting competencies, child mental health problems, and related outcomes. Eighty-one families with 87 children in foster care aged 2 to 7 years participated in the trial. For the intervention study, 44 randomly selected families (54%) were offered to participate in the parent group training. Intervention and control group families were reassessed three times over a period of 1 year. Contrary to our expectations, we found no advantages of the intervention group compared with the usual care control group on any outcome measure. Instead, we found some significant changes in both groups across time. Placement into foster care is associated with some favorable outcomes for children in foster care. Additional support for foster families beyond the services delivered in the youth welfare system to foster parents was not associated with more favorable outcomes. The present intervention is likely associated with a low risk of harm but also with a high likelihood of a lack of significant benefits for foster parents and their young children going beyond feeling satisfied about the delivered services. Participating foster families showed favorable baseline results on parenting measures which may have impeded intervention effects to unfold on these proximal variables.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ah Yusuf ◽  
Joel Rey U. Acob ◽  
Roro Dian Tristiana ◽  
Intan Faizatun Nafisa ◽  
Verantika Setya Putri ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction: Caregivers provide support for mental disorders in the form of care such as assistance in daily life activities, but during a pandemic it is a challenge in itself. Objective: To explore the caregiver's experience in caring for clients with mental disorders in remote areas during a pandemic. Methods: Using a phenomenological qualitative research design with 25 participants. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling with data collection techniques using in-depth interviews and field notes then analyzed using IPA (Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis). Results: This study found 6 themes, namely: Caregiver Workload and Tension, Threats to Caregivers' Physical and Psychological Well-Being, The Need for a Continuing Family Role, Holistic Care, Coping Strategy, Communication is getting harder.Conclusion: our research provides unique findings about the experience of treating mental disorders needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Caregivers of mental disorders struggle with parenting difficulties during the pandemic, which poses a threat to their well-being and potential harm to the mental disorder survivor-caregiver relationship.


2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 334-351
Author(s):  
Kristen Linton ◽  
Andrea Birmingham ◽  
Loren Case ◽  
Laura Ezzy ◽  
Jandee Ferguson ◽  
...  

Children with special needs disproportionately receive child welfare services in out-of-home placements, such as foster and adoptive homes. This theoretical model has been developed to describe or explain exigencies of adoptive and foster families of children with special needs (n = 82). A web content analysis, including theme, feature, link, exchange, and language analyses, of online discussion forums of adoptive and foster parents of children with special needs using a phenomenological framework was conducted. Inductive and quantitative web content analyses were conducted on themes. Parenting concerns were clustered into two main themes, disability and placement issues, and focused on children’s pre and post placement needs. A phenomenological analysis resulted in the development of the Special Needs Adoption and Foster Exigencies (SAFE), which outlines exigencies of adoptive and foster parents of children with special needs during engagement, assessment, and intervention phases of case management.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 25-41
Author(s):  
G.V. Semya

The article looks into the results of the comparative analysis of post-orphanage adaptation among the orphanages graduates of years 2001 (N=968) and 2021 (N=1792). Due to the active development of family-oriented forms of adoption of orphaned children, the year 2021 sample also included children graduates from foster families (N=1413). The study was conducted using the questionnaire from 2001 containing questions about major aspects of graduates' lives: life values and plans for the future, education, employment, family life, recreational activities, asocial behavior (with adjustments for the realities of today's legal system). Changes have been shown that occurred over 20 years in governmental policies toward orphan children and orphan graduates. Significant changes are observed in the graduates' subjective assessments of their own preparedness for independent living and of their psychological well-being. The comparative analysis revealed that only quantitative changes occurred in different aspects of their lives, while the list of the graduates' problems remained the same. Quite unexpectedly, it turned out that there are no significant differences for a number of adaptation parameters between graduates of organizations for orphaned children and those from substitute families of 2021. This can be explained by the fact that foster parents generally don't prepare their fostered children for independent living, whereas professionals of orphanage institutions support their ex-wards children until the latter turn 23.


2020 ◽  
pp. 146-156
Author(s):  
Анжелика Николаевна Пронина ◽  
Светлана Витальевна Маркова ◽  
Любовь Николаевна Мартынова

Представлен обзор основных исследований, посвященных изучению городских и сельских приемных семей, приводится статистика устройства детей в приемные семьи в крупных городах и сельской местности. Цель исследования заключается в выявлении видов и взаимосвязи жизненных ценностей родителей и подростков в приемных семьях мегаполисов и сельской местности. Экспериментальное исследование направлено на выявление специфики жизненных ценностей, направленности личности приемных родителей мегаполиса и сельской местности. Исследованием было охвачено 156 приемных родителей мегаполиса и 148 приемных родителей сельской местности, 112 подростков, проживающих с приемными родителями мегаполиса, и 98 подростков, проживающих с приемными родителями в сельской местности, в возрасте 14–15 лет. Исследование жизненных ценностей, жизнестойкости приемных родителей и подростков осуществлялось посредством методики М. Рокича. Для изучения взаимосвязей между жизненными ценностями приемных родителей и подростков применялся критерий Спирмена (p). Выявлены предпочитаемые терминальные ценности и инструментальные ценности приемных родителей и подростков мегаполиса и сельской местности. Показаны равнозначные ранги, имеющие значение для приемных родителей и подростков мегаполиса по терминальным ценностям: здоровье, материально обеспеченная жизнь; расхождения обнаружены по таким ценностям, как жизненная мудрость, свобода, наличие хороших и верных друзей, познание. Получено совпадение по инструментальным ценностям – честность и образованность. Отмечено наличие совпадений у приемных родителей и подростков сельской местности по шкалам терминальных ценностей – здоровье, интересная работа, красота природы, счастливая семейная жизнь, счастье других, творчество, уверенность. Обнаружено совпадение по инструментальным ценностям – терпимость, смелость, эффективность, твердая воля, образованность, широта взглядов. Установлены взаимосвязи между инструментальными ценностями приемных родителей и подростков в приемных семьях мегаполиса и сельской местности, терминальными ценностями родителей и подростков в приемных семьях сельской местности и отсутствие таких связей в приемных семьях мегаполиса. Сделаны выводы о наиболее значимых факторах, влияющих на наличие и отсутствие взаимосвязей между родителями и подростками из приемных семей мегаполиса и сельской местности, таких как образ жизни, семейные традиции. Полученные результаты могут быть применены при отборе, подготовке и сопровождении приемных родителей в Центрах комплексного сопровождения замещающих семей. The authors present a review of the main studies devoted to the study of urban and rural foster families. Also they provide statistics on the placement of children in foster families in large cities and rural areas. The aim of the study was to identify the types and relationship of life values of parents and teenagers in foster families of metropolis and the countryside. The aim of experimental study is to identify the specifics of life values, the personality orientation of the adoptive parents of the metropolis and the countryside. The study covered 156 foster parents of the metropolis and 148 foster parents of the countryside, 112 teenagers living with foster parents of the metropolis, and 98 adolescents living with foster parents in the countryside, aged 14–15 years. The study of life values, resilience of foster parents and teenagers was carried out through the methodology of M. Rokich. To study the relationship between the life values of foster parents and adolescents, the Spearman criterion (p) was used. The authors of the real study have revealed the preferred terminal values and instrumental values of adoptive parents and teenagers of the metropolis and the countryside. They have also identified the equivalent ranks which are important for adoptive parents and teenagers of a metropolis according to terminal values: health, material well-being. The ones have found the discrepancies in such values as life wisdom, freedom, the presence of good and faithful friends, knowledge. The coincidence of instrumental values is honesty, education. The authors noted that there were coincidences between adoptive parents and teenagers of the countryside on the scales of terminal values – health, interesting work, the beauty of nature, a happy family life, the happiness of others, creativity, confidence. There was a coincidence in instrumental values – tolerance, courage, efficiency, firm will, education, breadth of views. The researches have established the interconnections between instrumental values of foster parents and teenagers in foster families of the metropolis and the countryside, the terminal values of parents and teenagers in foster families of the countryside and the absence of such connections in foster families of the metropolis. The researches have concluded the most significant factors affecting the presence and absence of relationships between parents and teenagers from foster families of the metropolis and the countryside are lifestyle, family traditions. The results can be applied in the selection, training and support of foster parents in the centers of comprehensive support of foster families.


Author(s):  
Angelica N. Pronina

The article presents a theoretical analysis of scientific literature on the problems of foster families raising children with disabilities, identifies the difficulties of parents in effectively solving the health problems of a child with disabilities caused by weak motivation, stress, and lack of experience, competencies, and relevant knowledge. This work investigated and identified the grounds for developing a typology of foster families raising children with disabilities and proposed a typology according to them. To achieve the research objective, the methods of interviews, expert assessments, and classification were used. The conclusion is that the developed typology can serve as the basis for representatives of the guardianship and wardship authorities when selecting an appropriate foster family for a child, and foster parents will be able to provide an appropriate training and education model for effective rehabilitation, correction, and health recovery of this category of children.


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