Birth parents' perception of sharing the care of their child with foster parents

Höjer, Ingrid

doi:10.1080/17450120903012941

Cited by 36 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The results from the one educational intervention study indicate that specialized resources focusing on issues that affect the quality of contact visits have the potential to influence attitudes of foster carers and parents about each other and about contact. This supports the findings from qualitative research with carers and parents who have reported a need for specialized training or information that could assist them at contact visits (Sanchirico & Jablonka ; Höjer ; Nesmith et al . ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Interventions to improve supervised contact visits between children in out of home care and their parents: a systematic review

Bullen

Taplin

McArthur

et al. 2016

Child & Family Social Work

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Although the importance of contact between children in care and their parents, when safe, is accepted, there is limited research about supervised face‐to‐face contact. There is no literature that has systematically critiqued how supervised contact can be best delivered. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the evidence for interventions aimed at improving the quality of contact visits between parents and their children who are in out‐of‐home care. Twelve studies were included in this review. Each study was graded and assigned scores according to the presence or absence of each of seven criteria. The studies demonstrated key similarities in the types of interventions provided, although delivery varied across group, individual and educational interventions. Parents reported improved capacity to manage their emotions and parents' satisfaction with the programmes was high. Although there was a lack of large scale, methodologically rigorous studies with long‐term follow‐up, some promising findings were identified: the literature indicates individual family support and group programmes have the potential to improve parent–child relationships and the quality of contact visits. This review suggests that future studies build on current evidence by addressing their methodological limitations and evaluating interventions that can be tailored to meet the needs of individual families.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…). Parents also report challenges engaging with their children when there are restrictions placed upon conversation topics (Höjer ). High frequency contact may affect parents' consistent attendance, when they may be experiencing the issues that led to their children being placed into care (Kenrick ; Humphreys & Kiraly ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interventions to improve supervised contact visits between children in out of home care and their parents: a systematic review

Bullen

Taplin

McArthur

et al. 2016

Child & Family Social Work

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Therefore, ongoing contact between children in care and their birth parents, where safe, should be maintained over time. A collaborative relationship between parents, child protection services and foster carers, based on the best interests of the child, is essential (Höjer, ; Kenrick et al., ). Hinton () highlighted the negative impacts experienced by parents in the child protection system: ‘a sense of grief, loss and stigma, dealing with the financial implications, coping with the impact on family relationships and attachments in the longer term can all turn lives upside down’ (p. 13).…”

Section: Families Whose Children Have Been Removed: the Australian Comentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Goffman () believes that when a person is categorised as deviant they are seen as morally inferior and thus forgo the right to be treated equally or with respect. Foucalt (1971, 1993 as cited in Höjer, ) also described the individual categorised as different and deviant by professionals and wider society. These parents are acutely aware of this stigma or ‘mark of disgrace’.…”

Section: Recurring Themes Of the Kids In Care Groupmentioning

confidence: 99%

Groupwork for Parents whose Children are in Care: Challenges and Opportunities

Battle¹,

Bendit²,

Gray³

2014

Aust N Z J Fam Ther

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Until recently, the focus for child protection in NSW has been on risk assessment, supportive measures for parents, and 'the best interests of the child'. The needs of the birth families, once their children have been removed have not received the same attention. An emerging body of research indicates a growing awareness of the importance of the link between good outcomes for children in care and positive ongoing links with their birth parents. Biological parents of children who have been removed invariably continue to have parenting relationships, if not with the removed child, then with subsequent birth children, step children and children in their extended family. Service provision for this group of parents is critical given the complexity and scale of their emotional needs, and the implications for the children they will care for. In this paper, we describe one such intervention: Kids in Care, a group program offered at Relationships Australia NSW, and consider the arising issues and dilemmas for both parents and group workers. Developed to address the particular needs of parents whose children have been taken into care, the group creates an environment of acceptance and support. This opens up possibilities for parents to consider issues of grief, stigma and trauma, as well as to develop skills in communication, assertiveness and emotional regulation.

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“…Birth parents often feel stigmatised, poorly informed and unheard in decisions concerning their child in out‐of‐home care (Höjer, ). Child protection workers often employ a ‘practitioner as expert’ approach in which they maintain a dominant position (Healy et al, ) or even decide for the family instead of with the family (Arbeiter and Toros, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Participation of Children, Birth Parents and Foster Carers in the Matching Decision. Paternalism or Partnership?

et al. 2019

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Participation of children, birth parents and foster carers in matching decision‐making has the potential to improve the outcomes of a foster care placement. When practitioners choose which foster family is the best fit for a foster child, those affected by the foster care placement should be involved in decision‐making when possible. This research paper examines the influence of children, birth parents and foster carers on the matching decision from a practitioner's perspective. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 22 practitioners from 17 of the 28 foster care organisations in the Netherlands responsible for matching children with foster families. The analysis identified three themes that diminished the influence of children, birth parents and foster carers on the matching decision: assumptions, timing and feasibility. The findings emphasise that the influence of stakeholders on the matching decision is highly contextual. In the matching process, practitioners can be seen as key figures in facilitating the influence of stakeholders, yet they are also confronted with the difficulty of dealing with more than one stakeholder, who can have opposing interests, in an often compromised setting with limited choices. Key Practitioner Messages Despite policy to stimulate the involvement of children, birth parents and foster carers in decisions, their influence on the matching decision is sometimes futile. Assumptions made by practitioners, timing in the matching process and a compromised setting diminish the stakeholders' influence on the matching decision. Practitioners are key figures in improving participatory practice to make sure that stakeholders feel understood, valued and taken seriously.

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Birth parents' perception of sharing the care of their child with foster parents

Cited by 36 publications

References 6 publications

Interventions to improve supervised contact visits between children in out of home care and their parents: a systematic review

Interventions to improve supervised contact visits between children in out of home care and their parents: a systematic review

Groupwork for Parents whose Children are in Care: Challenges and Opportunities

Participation of Children, Birth Parents and Foster Carers in the Matching Decision. Paternalism or Partnership?

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