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Caring for vulnerable children: Challenges of mothering in the Australian foster care system.
- Source :
-
Contemporary Nurse: A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession . Apr2013, Vol. 44 Issue 1, p87-98. 12p. - Publication Year :
- 2013
-
Abstract
- Foster carers have a significant responsibility in caring for vulnerable children. In order to support and facilitate foster carers it is important to understand how they perceive and fulfil this responsibility. A qualitative story-telling study, informed by feminist perspectives, was used to conduct in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 20 women providing long-term foster care in Australia. Thematic analysis revealed these women characterised themselves as mothers, rather than paid carers, to the long-term foster children in their care. Using this maternal self-perception as the starting point, this paper reveals some of the challenges and difficulties participants encountered when mothering within the confines of the child protection system. Implications for nursing practice are discussed. These implications focus on ways that nurses can effectively support foster carers, thus optimising the health and well-being of the vulnerable children in their care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *ANXIETY
*AUTONOMY (Psychology)
*CAREGIVERS
*FEMINIST criticism
*FOSTER children
*FOSTER home care
*FOSTER parents
*INTERVIEWING
*MARITAL status
*RESEARCH methodology
*MOTHER-child relationship
*MOTHERHOOD
*MOTHERS
*PARENTING
*SELF-perception
*SOCIAL services
*SOCIAL stigma
*PSYCHOLOGICAL stress
*QUALITATIVE research
*JUDGMENT sampling
*CLIENT relations
*SOCIAL support
*NARRATIVES
*THEMATIC analysis
*DATA analysis software
*DESCRIPTIVE statistics
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 10376178
- Volume :
- 44
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Contemporary Nurse: A Journal for the Australian Nursing Profession
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 104172909
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.5172/conu.2013.44.1.87