This is a pilot study on the sensitive issue of how children and young people experience family contact in foster care, and the views of key adults in their lives on the same issue. There is a special focus on the children's experiences, opinions, and feelings. The study is a response to the relative scarcity of literature on family contact based on the experiences of children and adults in caring roles. This is a qualitative and exploratory study, with a sample of 10 children and young people in care in the district of Porto, aiming to identify key issues and areas for further examination.The results allow us to conclude that the possibility of maintaining contact is positively evaluated. However, perspectives on the relationships involved, and on the reactions to and difficulties associated with visits, revealed considerable disagreement among the actors. A possible set of implications drawn from the findings pointed out to the importance of developing a monitored cooperation that improves communication processes in order to take into account the children's and young people's views in the decision-making process; and to develop more attentive and open working relationships with parents throughout the foster care placement. KEYWORDS child care, children's and young people's views, family contact, foster care 1 | CONTACT IMPORTANCE AND CHALLENGES Recent literature suggests that when contact is positive, it produces beneficial effects on the child or young person, such as the strengthening of physical and genealogical identity; a feeling of greater tranquillity, because the child or young person feels that the parents are well and that they care for them; a decrease in anxiety and feelings of guilt; the demonstration of love and affection; the reduction of feelings of loss and rejection; and the promotion of self-esteem (Delgado et al., 2016; Triseliotis, 2010).However, such family contact may not be an easy process. Some of the difficulties associated with the contact in foster or residential care are due to the fact that there are several actors involved, as well as a mixture of different feelings, such as hostility, affection, loyalty, ambivalence, conflict, disqualification, or nostalgia, which might lead to cooperative behaviours or rivalries and misunderstandings (Carvalho & Delgado, 2014).Although there is a growing literature on family contact issues for children in care, research based on cases drawing on the actual experiences of children and adults in caring roles is still relatively scarce.Maintaining contact with parents, other family members, or reference people is crucial for children and young people in care for several reasons. First, from an ethical point of view, contact is an essential right of people that are separated, in accordance with the current legal framework, namely, the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Second, contact can lessen the impact of change that occurs in children and young people's life when they are placed in care, maintaining a connection with their past and identity...