Being a Foster Family in Portugal—Motivations and Experiences

Diogo, Elisete; Branco, Francisco

doi:10.3390/soc7040037

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 14 publications

(23 reference statements)

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“…In order to address the Strategy and the Guarantee in the Portuguese alternative care, opening the door to de-institutionalisation appears to be the course of action [ 37 , 55 ], supported by scientific evidence on the benefits of growing up in a family environment [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 56 ]. Quality family and community-based care, highlighted by the Strategy and the Guarantee, must be accomplished towards a progressive, but remarkable and accelerated national strategy of de-institutionalisation.…”

Section: Addressing the Eu Strategy And The Guarantee Into The Portuguese Alternative Carementioning

confidence: 99%

“…A different trend is observed around the world. When compared to residential care, foster care is recorded to be the most applied resource within alternative care in Europe and abroad [ 37 ], towards a de-institutionalised path [ 16 ]. For example, fostered children represent nearly 75%, about 56,500, of all children in care in England [ 38 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the European Child Guarantee—Evidence-Based Recommendations for Alternative Care

Sacur

Diogo

2021

Children

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Protection and promotion of child rights are referred to as a central purpose of the European Union (EU). Therefore in 2021, the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the European Child Guarantee were published to enable children to have the best possible life in the EU and worldwide. Member states were invited to implement the directions of both documents into practice. The present study analyses and showcases the evidence on how to progress implementation of the Strategy and the Guarantee regarding alternative care in Portugal. A literature review was conducted based on international literature. Evidence-based recommendations for the Portuguese transition process towards quality, family and community-based care are stated. De-institutionalisation and strengthening specific services—kinship care, special guardianship, and foster care—are advocated, namely specialising the workforce, and promoting training for kinship carers and prospective special guardians. To conclude, the revision and monitoring of the measures for children in need of alternative care are suggested as well as integrating and publishing data from the diverse services of the alternative care system.

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Section: Addressing the Eu Strategy And The Guarantee Into The Portuguese Alternative Carementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the European Child Guarantee—Evidence-Based Recommendations for Alternative Care

Sacur

Diogo

2021

Children

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“…Only by having a deeper understanding of foster carers' experiences will it be possible to tailor the support given and the social, clinical, and financial benefits. In Portugal, studies on foster care are still limited [1,2]. The lack of investment in this child welfare measure is extremely significant.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Portugal, foster care professionalisation is not possible. Fostering is not conceived as a profession but instead it is considered as a voluntary and solidary activity [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Foster Family Process to Maintain the Will to Remain in Foster Care—Implications for a Sustainable Programme

Diogo

Branco

2020

Sustainability

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There were 7032 children in out-of-home care in 2018 in Portugal. Of these, only 2.8% were in foster care, despite this being the recommended response according to legal regulations. It is critical that more families be encouraged to become foster carers and also that experienced carers stay in the system to create a sustainable programme. How is the will to foster a child maintained? What can we learn from foster families’ experiences to improve childcare and the child protection system? The methodology of this study was based on interviews with foster carers. The analysis was inspired by grounded theory. We found three types of foster families, classified according to their will to leave or remain in foster care—unconditional, hesitant, or retired. The results suggest that the key elements for foster carers to remain in the foster care system are (i) their level of satisfaction with how the previous placement concluded, (ii) keeping in touch with the ex-foster child, (iii) the feeling of acknowledgement by all the stakeholders, and (iv) the quality of social services as well as the support of the professional teams.

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Foster Families: A Systematic Review of Intention and Retention Factors

2021

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Background: Compared to residential care, family foster care is the preferable type of alternative care for neglected or abused children as it provides a familiar context that supports children's developmental needs.New foster families are needed to care for these children. Objective: This systematic review aims to provide a critical analysis of the literature, identifying factors that explain the intention to become and to continue as a foster family. This review was performed following the PRISMA checklist and guidelines, through a search conducted in the following databases (no restrictions were made): PsycArticles, PsycInfo, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, Academic Search Complete, ERIC, Scopus, and Web of Science. Study eligibility: The review includes empirical quantitative and/or qualitative studies in English, Portuguese and Spanish, with community and/or foster parents' samples and explores the factors for becoming and/or retention foster parents. Results: Forty-nine studies were included. The results revealed that the intention to become a foster parent is largely influenced by motivational factors, personal and family characteristics, individual values and beliefs, social context influences, and perceived familiarity with the child protection system. The retention of foster families is closely related to factors within the child protection system, personal or family characteristics, foster child characteristics, and placement challenges. The relationship with agencies and professional support stands out as the most important factors. Limitations and Implications: This review did not include studies focused on children with specific needs, and future research should consider the particular challenges of fostering this group. Practice implications of these findings for the recruitment, selection, and retention of foster families will be discussed.

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Being a Foster Family in Portugal—Motivations and Experiences

Cited by 9 publications

References 14 publications

The EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the European Child Guarantee—Evidence-Based Recommendations for Alternative Care

The EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the European Child Guarantee—Evidence-Based Recommendations for Alternative Care

The Foster Family Process to Maintain the Will to Remain in Foster Care—Implications for a Sustainable Programme

Foster Families: A Systematic Review of Intention and Retention Factors

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