The meaning of biology in the foster family narratives of young adults

While biological relatedness has been an issue among anthropologists for some time, the topic has gained little interest in family sociology. Recent contributions exploring how genetic thinking – the process through which biological relationships are rendered meaningful in everyday family living – shapes family life, suggest that this is about to change. This article seeks to contribute to this area of research. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 26 young adults who grew up in kinship foster care, it examines when and how genetic thinking is made relevant in the young adults’ family narratives. Particular attention is paid to how ideas about biological relatedness has shaped their relationships with foster parents and biological parents. The paper gives insight into the more challenging aspects of genetic thinking. It also shows the importance of taking into account the variation in understandings of and emphasis on biological relationships and heritage for children, youth and young adults

Children’s relationships with birth parents in childhood and adulthood: A qualitative longitudinal study of kinship care

Accepted manuscript version. Published version available at https://doi.org/10.1177/1473325018784646.The topic of interest in this paper is the relationship between children who live in kinship care and their birth parents – through childhood and adulthood. The focus is on what meaning and content children themselves ascribe to such relationships and how this changes over time. To explore this question, we draw on a qualitative longitudinal data set, in which children who grew up in kinship foster care in Norway were interviewed over a 15-year period. We have selected three cases, where we follow two girls and one boy through their three interviews as children (T1: 11–12 years old), emerging adults (T2: 20–21 years old) and young adults (T3: 28–29 years old). Through the adoption of a methodological approach with similarities to biographical approaches, our analysis gives unique insight into the interviewees’ relationships with their birth parents – how they are expressed in each interview as their lives unfold and as circumstances change. More specifically, the analysis gives insight into different types of parent–child relationships and how they may change over time. However, it also shows that the interviewees have different resources available in managing such relationships. This is an issue rarely recognised in child welfare research or practice, yet it is essential if we want to understand the relationship between children who grow/grew up in foster care arrangements and their birth parents

Childhood in Kinship Care

Kinship foster care involves placing children who cannot live at home in foster care with other members of their family or close network. This book sheds light on different aspects of kinship care development and practice. Using a 20-year longitudinal research study from Norway, this book shows the historical development of kinship care in Norway, research on kinship care, and how family life and relations are negotiated and lived in the span between private and public sphere. It includes the perspectives of the children, their parents and their relatives who have functioned as foster parents. Recognising that kinship care is complex, and needs to be understood and studied from different perspectives, the book describes, analyses and discusses a number of subjects: kinship care in a child welfare historical context, families who are part of kinship care and their perspectives, the formal frameworks around kinship care, and research approaches which have dominated research into kinship care. This book will be of interest to all scholars, students and professionals working in social work and child welfare more broadly, both in the Nordic countries and in a wider international context

Childhood in Kinship Care

Kinship foster care involves placing children who cannot live at home in foster care with other members of their family or close network. This book sheds light on different aspects of kinship care development and practice. Using a 20-year longitudinal research study from Norway, this book shows the historical development of kinship care in Norway, research on kinship care, and how family life and relations are negotiated and lived in the span between private and public sphere. It includes the perspectives of the children, their parents and their relatives who have functioned as foster parents. Recognising that kinship care is complex, and needs to be understood and studied from different perspectives, the book describes, analyses and discusses a number of subjects: kinship care in a child welfare historical context, families who are part of kinship care and their perspectives, the formal frameworks around kinship care, and research approaches which have dominated research into kinship care. This book will be of interest to all scholars, students and professionals working in social work and child welfare more broadly, both in the Nordic countries and in a wider international context

Placement stability and satisfaction with foster home as predictors of life satisfaction for young adults raised in foster care

This study examines how history of care, on one hand, and social support, on the other hand, predict satisfaction with life after leaving care by focusing on a sample of young adults raised in foster care in Norway. When aged between 19 and 29, youths answered questionnaires that mapped their past history of care, living conditions, social relationships and life satisfaction. Results show that the 70 respondents had experienced a relatively stable history of care (mean number of placements ± SD: 1.7 ± 0.9) and reported life satisfaction scores similar to those measured in the general population (23.3 ± 7.0, mean ± SD). Placement stability (P = 0.001) and a high satisfaction with foster home (P = 0.030) were related to a higher life satisfaction. Moreover, having good social support, that is, persons that you can count on in case of major personal problems (P < 0.001) and a good contact with the foster family (P = 0.005), was associated with a higher satisfaction with life. Several health-related variables and the working status were also linked to life satisfaction. Our work highlights the need to focus on promoting placement stability and a good relationship to the foster family in order to enhance well-being after leaving care

Placement disruption in long-term kinship and nonkinship foster care

The purpose of this study was to explore factors related to placement disruption in long-term kinship and nonkinship foster care in a Nordic country. The study included 136 children aged 4–13 years in kinship and nonkinship foster care in Norway in the year 2000, with updates for the year 2008. Placement and demographic information and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) were collected from foster parents and youths. Generalized linear mixed model analysis was undertaken. A thorough literature review was done in order to study association between disruption and relevant variables. None of the predominant variables from previous literature were significantly associated with disruption for this sample of children in long-term foster care. Since long-term stable foster care (rather than adoption) is the preferred option in Nordic as well as some other European countries, there is a need to explore the processes of inclusion that give children a lifelong commitment to their foster familie

Welfare and labour-force participation of kinship foster mothers

Objective: Kinship foster care has become the placement of choice in the Western world. This article explores the welfare, labour-force participation, and caregiving role of kinship foster mothers in Norway. Method: The study supplements a quantitative study of Norwegian long-term kinship and nonkinship foster care with a qualitative study of parenting in formal kinship foster care. A total of 123 kinship and 88 nonkinship foster mothers participated in the quantitative study. The qualitative data is based on interviews with 22 kinship foster mothers about their caregiving experience. Findings: Kinship foster care in Norway can be described as gendered, in that it is usually women who assume the responsibility for relatives’ children. The economic activity of most kinship foster mothers in Norway is comparable with that of the country’s female population in general. The prevalence of single providers among kinship foster mothers is no higher than for the country as a whole. The education level of kinship foster mothers is lower than the female population average. Conclusion: Social welfare authorities should pave the way for more men to become caregivers, and for development of the system to strengthen the position of women in relation to the their services

Oppvekst i slektsfosterhjem: unge voksne fosterbarns familieforståelser

Artikkelen omhandler hvordan langtidsplasserte fosterbarn i slektsfosterhjem i alderen 18–22 år forstår sine familierelasjoner. Problemstillingen er hvordan det offentliges involvering har influert på deres forståelse av familie – og hvorvidt dette har endret seg over tid. Materialet artikkelen bygger på, inngår i en oppfølgingsstudie hvor fosterbarn ble intervjuet i 2000 og 2008. De intervjuedes syn på fosterfamilie og relasjoner til foreldre er mer preget av stabilitet enn endring. Hovedtendensen er at det er de ulike personlige relasjonene som betones – ikke kontraktsmessige forhold. De intervjuede legger vekt på normalitet i familiesituasjonen, og klientstatuser er lite framtredende