9 results
Search Results
2. From 'the New Man' to care‐leaver activists—Communist and contemporary discourses shaping 50 years of leaving care in Romania.
- Author
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Anghel, Roxana
- Subjects
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TEACHER-student relationships , *CHILD care , *SOCIAL support , *PRACTICAL politics , *CHILD welfare , *DISCOURSE analysis , *CHILDREN'S health , *GOVERNMENT policy , *THEMATIC analysis , *STATISTICAL sampling , *FOSTER home care , *SOCIAL case work - Abstract
This paper explores discourses that have informed debates concerning care leavers in Romania over the last 50 years to understand why rights‐based reforms introduced in the mid‐2000s have been difficult to implement. The discussion is based on the analysis of a maximum variation sample of 40 documents published between 1951 and 2018. Across two historical periods during and after communism, framed by three political events which changed significantly the context of public childcare and leaving care, this paper explores how dominant discourses on 'public childcare', 'care leavers' and 'children's rights' have evolved, what mechanisms established them and with what consequences. The analysis revealed the stealthy presence of a 'dinosaur discourse' of deficit and 'undeserving', unsuccessfully challenged by the rights discourse, which alongside a neglectful attitude to social protection, informs the practice and ultimately the experience of public childcare and leaving care. However, the growing and increasingly clear voice of care‐leaver activists counterbalances this through a new narrative of strengths, value and capability aiming towards concrete change from below. The paper proposes a number of 'absent discourses' that could offer a powerful context for this new voice and avenues for meaningful action, with implications for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
3. The quality and developmental pathways in sibling relationships: A qualitative study of Norwegian children admitted to child welfare service care.
- Author
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Hovland, Wenche and Hean, Sarah
- Subjects
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SIBLINGS , *WELL-being , *RESEARCH , *CHILD care , *SOCIAL support , *ATTITUDE (Psychology) , *SOCIAL networks , *RESEARCH methodology , *INTERVIEWING , *QUALITATIVE research , *CONFLICT (Psychology) , *CHILD welfare , *THEMATIC analysis , *DATA analysis software , *FOSTER home care - Abstract
Siblings are key actors in the social network of young people in care. This paper explores young people's perceptions of changes in the quality of sibling relationships and the pathways relationships follow during the transition from the biological family into care. A thematic analysis of interviews with young Norwegian people (n = 25) in care showed that, in the biological family, sibling relationships are characterized by alliances, parentification, conflicts or nonexistence. After admission to child welfare services care, sibling relationships developed along multiple pathways. Their sibling relationships reshaped into either close and supportive, conflictual or completely broken relationships. Sibling relationships were dynamic, complex, with the pathway, and its impact on well‐being, being unique to each young person. Sibling relationship quality in the biological home did not predict relationship quality after admission to child welfare services. The implications for social worker practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
4. Work and resilience: Care leavers' experiences of navigating towards employment and independence.
- Author
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Furey, Rosemary and Harris-Evans, Jean
- Subjects
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FOSTER children , *WORK environment , *SOCIAL support , *FOCUS groups , *ATTITUDE (Psychology) , *TRANSITIONAL programs (Education) , *MEDICAL personnel , *INTERVIEWING , *QUALITATIVE research , *INTERNSHIP programs , *EMPLOYMENT , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *RESEARCH funding , *THEMATIC analysis , *PSYCHOLOGICAL resilience , *FOSTER home care - Abstract
Poor education and employment outcomes have long been associated with care experienced young people transitioning into independence, even after adjusting for prior disadvantage. In the United Kingdom, such young people are generally referred to as care leavers. Policies that aim to reduce the gap between care leavers and noncare experienced young people's success transitioning to employment and independence have had limited success. This paper draws on a qualitative methodology that utilized theories of resilience, to glean a range of perspectives from both care leavers and their employers. All the participants were engaged in a U.K. local authority's initiative to support care leavers into employment. Drawing on resilience theory, resilience was found to be located in a complex interaction between a resilience enabling environment and, crucially, emotionally supportive networks. Uniquely, we argue that emotional support, drawn from such networks, is the key factor that facilitates young people navigating towards such resources, leading to successful outcomes. Previous studies have underplayed this aspect in favour of more tangible resources. Attention to strengthening emotional support networks is thus identified as a significant factor that supports transition to employment and successful independence for care leavers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
5. Supporting care‐experienced adults' educational journeys: "Linked lives" over the life course.
- Author
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Brady, Eavan and Gilligan, Robbie
- Subjects
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FOSTER home care , *INTERGENERATIONAL relations , *INTERPERSONAL relations , *INTERVIEWING , *RESEARCH , *QUALITATIVE research , *FAMILY relations , *SOCIAL support , *EDUCATIONAL attainment , *THEMATIC analysis , *RESIDENTIAL care , *DATA analysis software , *ADULTS - Abstract
Research highlights the role of key actors and relationships in supporting the educational attainment and progress of children in care and care leavers. We know less about how relationships influence the educational journeys of people with care experience over time and how to support the educational progress and engagement of adults with care experience. The principle of "linked lives" is central to the life course perspective referring to the interdependence of human lives throughout the life course. This paper explores how the principle of linked lives can illuminate our understanding of how relationships positively influence the educational journeys of adults with care experience over time. Educational life history interviews were conducted with 18 care‐experienced adults (aged 24–36) in Ireland. Findings suggest that the principle of linked lives is a valuable conceptual tool for providing new insights on this issue. Four key themes were identified: (a) opportunities for educational support are present across the life course; (b) "family" is a central source of educational support; (c) there is intergenerational capacity for educational support; and (d) relationships beyond the "family" are supportive of education. Implications for practice, policy, and research are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
6. Getting behind the closed door of care leavers: understanding the role of emotional support for young people leaving care.
- Author
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Adley, Natasha and Jupp Kina, Victoria
- Subjects
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ATTITUDE (Psychology) , *EMOTIONS , *FOSTER home care , *INTERVIEWING , *PHENOMENOLOGY , *RESEARCH methodology , *SOCIAL case work , *SOCIAL networks , *SOCIAL support , *WELL-being , *THEMATIC analysis , *RESIDENTIAL care , *INDEPENDENT living - Abstract
There have been significant changes in the legislative frameworks and guidance that surround social work practice with young people leaving the care system over the recent years. However, care leavers continue to face a range of challenges, achieve poor outcomes and research has consistently highlighted the insufficient attention paid to sources of emotional support. This paper provides empirical data from a small number of care leavers reflecting on their experiences of transitioning to independence. The findings provide further evidence of the lack of attention paid to emotional support by professionals and highlight the impact that this had on the young people's experiences. The young people identify their changing perceptions and needs as their experiences post‐care change, the complex reasons for why they may have rejected offers of support and make key recommendations for practice. This paper provides valuable insight into the process of leaving the care system from the perspective of care leavers themselves and raises key questions that challenge the structure of the current support systems, the nature of the professional relationship with young people in care and the priorities of current policy initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
7. Grief, loss, and separation: Experiences of birth children of foster carers.
- Author
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Williams, Dave
- Subjects
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PSYCHOLOGICAL adaptation , *ADULT children , *SIBLINGS , *CARING , *FOSTER home care , *GRIEF , *GUILT (Psychology) , *LOSS (Psychology) , *QUALITATIVE research , *COMPASSION , *JUDGMENT sampling , *SOCIAL support , *THEMATIC analysis , *RETROSPECTIVE studies , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *CHILDREN , *PSYCHOLOGY - Abstract
Previous research identifies the increased exposure of birth children of foster carers to experiences of separation, grief, and loss due to the transient nature of foster care, but little is known about how birth children manage this loss. This paper reports findings from a qualitative study that examined the retrospective experiences of 15 adult birth children of foster carers (aged between 18 and 28 years) in Ireland. Findings suggest that birth children experience grief and loss when foster children leave their families. They report experiencing a range of emotional responses such as guilt, blame, and sadness. A reluctance to discuss their emotional responses with either their parents or foster care professionals was also reported. Instead, birth children developed strategies to manage the loss, such as distancing themselves from the foster care process. The study highlights the importance of social workers and foster carers explaining to birth children why foster children are leaving and, where possible, maintaining contact between birth children and foster children. Additionally, findings indicate the need for birth children to have safe nonjudgmental spaces to discuss their emotional reactions to loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
8. The social support in kinship foster care: a way to enhance resilience.
- Author
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Fuentes‐Peláez, Nuria, Balsells, Mª Àngels, Fernández, Josefina, Vaquero, Eduard, and Amorós, Pere
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PSYCHOLOGICAL adaptation , *CHILD welfare , *CONTENT analysis , *EXPERIENCE , *FAMILIES , *FOCUS groups , *FOSTER home care , *FOSTER parents , *HEALTH education , *INTERVIEWING , *RESEARCH methodology , *PARENTING , *RESEARCH funding , *PSYCHOLOGICAL resilience , *SOCIAL support , *WELL-being , *THEMATIC analysis , *PRE-tests & post-tests - Abstract
This paper analyses how social support enhances family resilience in kinship foster families by involving the families in an educational group programme. Sixty‐two kinship foster families from Spain participated in the research. The data were collected before the programme (interviews) and after the programme (interviews and focus groups), and these were analysed by content analysis with the programme Atlas.ti. The results show that the factors that contribute most to the development of family resilience are as follows: (i) feeling able to look for solutions when facing problems; (ii) an increase of their network of formal support; (iii) being able to offer support to other foster families; and (iv) feeling that the support they give to parents' foster children is socially recognized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
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9. A Life Less Ordinary: Foster Carers' Views and Experiences of Negative Peer Interactions in Fostering Households.
- Author
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Barter, Christine and Lutman, Eleanor
- Subjects
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AGGRESSION (Psychology) , *ATTITUDE (Psychology) , *BEHAVIOR disorders in children , *EXPERIENCE , *FOCUS groups , *FOSTER children , *FOSTER home care , *FOSTER parents , *INTERPERSONAL relations , *INTERVIEWING , *RESEARCH methodology , *RESEARCH , *RESEARCH funding , *SOCIAL services , *VIOLENCE , *AFFINITY groups , *SOCIAL support , *THEMATIC analysis - Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to explore negative peer interactions in foster care. Looked after children and young people have highlighted the impact of negative peer interactions, and especially peer violence and intimidation, on their care experiences. However, to date, no specific fostering research has addressed this important issue. In response to this gap, we undertook focus groups with 32 foster carers in the South West of England. Group discussions were semi-structured based around the issue of negative peer interactions in foster care. The analysis revealed five main associated themes: the impact on the carers' birth children; a lack of placement planning; inadequate referral information; a negative view of social work support; and insufficient external interventions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Messages Negative peer interactions, particularly violence, were a major concern for foster carers, especially if they negatively impacted on the welfare of carers' birth children., An absence of pre-placement referral information on negative peer interactions was commonly reported and placed all children in the fostering household at risk., Associated social work support and external interventions were often perceived as lacking and inadequate., Fostering procedures, review and decisions need to recognise the impact of peer violence on all members of the fostering household. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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