The lockdown imposed as a result of the COVID‐19 pandemic has placed unprecedented stress on families. The family is a key system in relation to child development, and when birth families are unable to meet their child's needs, foster carers become an important source of support in their development. The Double ABC‐X Model of family stress and adaptation considers that a family's capacity to cope with stressful situations is influenced by pile‐up of stressors, family resources and perception of the situation. Following this model, the study aimed to determine the impact of the COVID‐19 lockdown on family stress and functioning. The sample comprised 347 Spanish adults (100 with foster families and 247 with non‐foster families) who completed a survey during lockdown. The results showed that certain sociodemographic variables (gender, income, working from home, characteristics of the home and children with special educational needs) were associated with stressors during lockdown, perception of the lockdown, and family adaptation to stress during lockdown. Associations were also found between stressors, family resources, perception of lockdown, and family adaptation in foster and non‐foster families, with the former having a more positive perception of the lockdown experience. The relevance of the results and their implications are discussed.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown have had a far-reaching impact across all levels of society. In Spain, severe restrictions were placed on people’s mobility, and leaving the home was only possible under special circumstances. This study analyzes the impact of lockdown on the family context of foster and non-foster families, focusing particularly on their levels of cohesion, adaptability, and perceived stress. It also examines a series of variables that may have influenced foster families’ perceptions of their family context during lockdown. Data were gathered through an online survey that was completed by 347 individuals corresponding to 100 foster families and 247 non-foster families from different regions of Spain. Analyses were descriptive and exploratory in nature. The results appear to suggest that lockdown has had a greater impact on the family context of non-foster families. With respect to foster families’ experiences of lockdown, variables such as loss of employment and having a child with special educational needs would seem to be important. For both types of families, lockdown has provided an opportunity to improve certain aspects of their family context. Given that further lockdowns of some degree may be necessary in the future, it is important to ensure that families have access to the psychoeducational resources they need to maintain, as far as possible, a positive family context.
Las investigaciones muestran mayor presencia de dificultades académicas en niños y niñas en acogimiento familiar que en la población general. No obstante, son escasos los protocolos oficiales de detección y las propuestas de intervención específicas. Este estudio identificó las necesidades específicas de apoyo educativo (NEAE) en menores acogidos/as, empleando el protocolo de detección e identificación del alumnado con NEAE y organización de la respuesta educativa de la Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Andalucía. Participaron 212 menores (89 niñas y 123 niños) en acogimiento con familia ajena de Málaga, Granada y Jaén. Se recogió información de los expedientes sobre la historia de los menores y sus NEAE. Se realizaron análisis descriptivos y se utilizaron tablas de contingencia para conocer la distribución de los casos con NEAE en función de las variables analizadas. Los resultados muestran que casi la mitad de la muestra presenta NEAE, siendo las más frecuentes las acciones de carácter compensatorio (ACC) y necesidades educativas específicas (NEE). Existen diferencias en la distribución de los casos en función de las variables estudiadas. La atención adecuada de estos menores requiere que los y las profesionales de atención a la infancia empleen el protocolo de la Consejería, para la correcta identificación y detección de las NEAE de las niñas, niños y adolescentes acogidos. Además, se recomienda una comunicación fluida entre los centros educativos, los servicios de protección y las familias acogedoras.
Following changes to our country's child protection legislation in 2015, adoptees in Spain have the possibility of post-adoption contact with their birth families. This review aims to provide social workers with a resource to guide their decision-making by evaluating both the benefits and risks associated with open adoption. Of the 26 studies reviewed, 22 reported benefits and 8 discussed risks. Overall, contact with birth families is more commonly associated with positive than with negative outcomes for the adoptee, especially when the adoptive family is capable of communicative openness. The results support current policy on open adoptions, but in line with previous research, we emphasize the need for contact arrangements to be decided on a case-by-case basis and to be monitored.
The positive parenting approach has highlighted the importance of supporting families to perform the functions associated with their parental role and to improve children's well-being. The aims of this study were to identify and describe the characteristics of family support programmes in Spain, and to examine the extent to which they meet evidence-based standards for programme formulation. The sample includes 57 programmes identified by the Spanish Family Support Network, which belongs to the pan-European Family Support Network(EurofamNet) . Frequency analyses and contingency tables were carried out. The results show that the Spanish programmes meet several evidence-based standards for programme formulation (i.e., manualization). However, further efforts are required in some areas, such as universality and interdisciplinarity of family support programmes. The findings provide a platform from which to design new initiatives in accordance with standards for prevention programmes, and inform stakeholders and politicians in drawing up evidencebased public policies. Estándares basados en la evidencia en el diseño de programas de apoyo familiar en España R E S U M E NEl enfoque de parentalidad positiva ha puesto de manifiesto la importancia de apoyar a las familias en el ejercicio de las funciones asociadas a su rol parental y para que aumenten el bienestar de los niños. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron identificar y describir las características de los programas de apoyo a la familia en España y examinar en qué medida cumplen con los estándares basados en la evidencia para la formulación de programas. La muestra incluye 57 programas identificados por la Red Española de Apoyo a la Familia, que pertenece a la Red Paneuropea de Apoyo a la Familia (EurofamNet). Se realizaron análisis de frecuencia y tablas de contingencia. Los resultados muestran que los programas españoles cumplen varios estándares basados en la evidencia para la formulación de programas (por ejemplo, que están manualizados). Sin embargo, es necesario realizar más esfuerzos en algunas áreas, como la universalidad y la interdisciplinariedad de los programas de apoyo familiar. Los resultados proporcionan una plataforma desde la que diseñar nuevas iniciativas de acuerdo con los estándares de los programas de prevención, y orientan a las partes interesadas y a los políticos en la elaboración de políticas públicas basadas en la evidencia.
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