Virtually nothing is known about the characteristics used to select foster families. This study examined if and how psychosocial problems, income, education, race and the supply of and demand for foster families are related to the approval of families to foster and the placement of children. Families who were approved and who had a child placed had fewer problems and higher incomes than families who were not approved and who did not have a child placed. Income moderated the effect of problems on placement. Race, education, and supply/demand were not related to approval or placement. In many respects results support the efficacy of the selection process.

The following research proposal was meant to identify concerns and desired resources for transracial foster families based on the perspective of social workers. This study utilized a qualitative design and included face-to-face interviews with social workers currently working at Ark Homes Foster Family Agency. Interviews included nine social workers who had clients who were transracial foster families. Data analysis included audio recordings and written documentation. Transcription of all interviews followed after data collection was received. Findings from this study showed that social workers working with transracial foster families felt culturally competent to provide information to their clients. This study also found that the majority of social workers did not feel a need for their agency to provide additional trainings in cultural competence and that bringing the topic up to their supervisor on a need-be basis was suitable. Policy implementation surrounding social workers and transracial foster families could include foster care placement stability. If policy was implemented that required foster parents to support their foster child’s racial identity on a weekly basis, then that could increase the bond between foster child and foster parent. Policy implementation in this way could minimize the disagreements between the foster child and foster parent and have an increased likelihood of placement stability.

Various levels of research over the past three decades have concluded that children are harmed by constant changes to where they reside when they are removed from the care of their parents. Regardless of that, minimal research has been conducted to investigate this problem from the perspective of the social worker. This study explores the problem of placement instability among adolescent populations from the perspective of foster family agency social workers in Riverside County, California. Interviews with foster family agency social workers were conducted using a digital voice-recording device. The audio files were transcribed to text and thematically analyzed for relevant commonalities among participants. The data provided more detailed information regarding what the social workers believed to be the factors involved in placement instability. Four main categories were observed and explored in detail; trauma, inter-agency communication, mental health access and foster parent education were consistent themes of the data set. This research provides the groundwork for further research from people who work in a central role that is pivotal to lessening the instances of placement instability.

Objective: The Casey Foster Applicant Inventory-Applicant Version (CFAI-A) is a new standardized self-report measure designed to assess the potential to foster parent successfully. The CFAI-A is described, and results concerning its psychometric properties are presented. Method: Data from a sample of 304 foster mothers from 35 states are analyzed. Results: Six CFAI-A subscales were identified, and internal consistency reliability for these subscales ranged from.64 to.95. The construct validity of all but one of these subscales is promising. Conclusions: The CFAI-A shows promise for use in research and practice, where it might be used to improve decisions about how to support, monitor, and retain foster families and to match, place, and maintain foster children with foster families.

No description available.

The aim of the study was to gain knowledge about what role the foster carers’ biological children play in foster family care and also gain a deeper understanding of the biological children´s significance in a foster family care arrangement. The aim of the study has been conducted through the perspective of the Social services. The data collection consists of eight individual qualitative and semi-structured interviews with social workers who are currently working with foster families there biological children are living at home. The new childhood sociology and the concept of participation serve as the base of the theoretical framework and have been applied to the analysis of this study. The study shows that the respondents have a positive attitude towards the biological children´s presence in the foster families. They value the biological children´s function in the families as important and should thus not be forgotten. At the same time, there are no clear guidelines for how the social worker should work with foster carers’ biological children. The contact between the social worker and the biological children mostly goes through the children’s parents. The role of the biological children is not always clearly defined in the foster family care arrangement and their involvement can be perceived as insignificant. Furthermore the respondents terminates that no special support designed for biological children in foster families exists. Several respondents also reflect upon that they want to avoid burdening the biological children with responsibility that is not theirs to bear. The role of the biological children in the foster family care and their significance in the foster family care arrangement concludes therefore acknowledged by the social worker but not always recognized.

The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of possible foster families’ views on fostering a child and what they consider to be important factors for deciding whether or not to become a foster family. The studys result is based on five semi-structured interviews with persons whom have an interest for becoming foster families and the findings were analyzed by using a norm theory. The way that the interviewed people described their views on fostering a child could in the analysis be seen as a result of different norms and they often described the ideal foster family based on either their own family or the nuclear family.

Doctor of Philosophy / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Karen S. Myers-Bowman / The focus of this qualitative case study was to examine the qualities and characteristics present in a successful resource family who parents high-risk teenagers. Perspectives were gathered from the resource parents, their birth children, a foster teen living in their home, and professionals that work with these resource parents. Utilizing Family Systems Theory and content analysis of the data, themes were identified as contributing to the success of this resource family. Themes identified were inclusion, communication, boundaries, humility, and a willingness to be hurt as well as positive attitude. Implications of these themes are discussed with the literature, theory, and the use of the pre-service training that resource parents are provided. A perspective was gained from both inside and outside the resource family for analysis. A discussion around implications of these findings as well as the need to explore additional areas is outlined.

Uppsatsen syftade till att förstå hur unga vuxna som tidigare varit samhällsplacerade retrospektivt beskriver sin skolgång. Fem unga vuxna i åldrarna 21-26 år intervjuades i en kvalitativ studie. Teorin KASAM hjälpte oss att identifiera de resurser och faktorer som bidrog till graden av informanternas känsla av sammanhang. Resultatet visade att samtliga intervjupersoner blev placerade i olika åldrar och hade skilda erfarenheter av sin skolgång under placeringstiden. Samtliga intervjupersoner fick stöd från vuxna med sina studier vilket hade en positiv inverkan på deras skolgång. Resultatet visade även att vissa informanter hade en negativ erfarenhet av skolgången under placeringstiden på grund av mobbning, psykisk ohälsa och ett flertal omplaceringar. Då vi endast intervjuade fem personer gick det inte att generalisera resultatet till en större kontext i förhållande till tidigare forskning. Gemensamt för samtliga informanter var att de hade läst på högskolenivå eller hade planer på att göra det. / The aim of this study was to understand how young adults whom previously had been in out-of-home care retrospectively described their schooling. Five young adults between the ages of 21-26 were interviewed in a qualitative study. The theory KASAM helped identify the resources and factors that influenced the informants’ sense of coherence. The results showed that the informants were put in out-of-home care at different ages and had different experiences with their studies while in care. They received help from adults in regards to their studies, which had a positive impact on their schooling. Some informants had negative experiences from their schooling while in care caused by bullying, mental health issues and having to move multiple times. Because of our small sample we could not generalize the results. What the informants had in common was the fact that they had college-level education or were planning to receive it.

Orientador: Débora Cristina Fonseca / Resumo: O acolhimento de crianças e adolescentes na residência de famílias acolhedoras é uma modalidade de atendimento destinada à crianças e adolescentes com direitos violados. Legitimado junto a política de assistência social foi, em 2006, organizado e normatizado, descritivamente, no Plano Nacional de Proteção, Promoção e Defesa dos Direitos da Criança e do Adolescente à Convivência Familiar e Comunitária. Considerando ser um serviço inovador no âmbito da proteção social este estudo teve por objetivo conhecer as diferenças relacionais, educacionais e culturais que surgem no processo de acolhimento e os impactos que produzem nas histórias de vida dos membros da família acolhedora. Especificamente, se propôs a compreender as concepções que as famílias acolhedoras constroem sobre a criança, a família de origem e a violação de direito que culminou na medida protetiva; conhecer como ocorrem os processos de vinculação e ruptura de vínculos, pressupostos na ação de acolher e verificar se as diferenças geram conflitos e quais recursos educacionais, psicológicos e sociais as famílias acolhedoras utilizam para enfrentar essas diferenças. Utilizou-se como instrumento de coleta de dados dois grupos focais: um com os guardiões e cuidadores adultos; e outro com os filhos crianças e adolescentes das famílias acolhedoras. A análise dos dados se orientou a luz da metodologia dos núcleos de significação apreendidos a partir dos conteúdos produzidos pelos grupos focais, orientados pela psicologia só... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The sheltering of childerns and adolescents in foster families is a modality of foster care intended for children and adolescents who have their violated by neglet, abuse or violence. Legitimized with the social assistance policy, in 2006 it was organized and normalized, descriptively, in the National Plan of Protection, the Promotion and Defense of the Rights of Children and Adolescents in Family and Community Living. Considering that it is an innovative service in the area of social protection, this study aims to evaluate the relational, educational and cultural differences that arise in the reception process and the impacts they produce in the life stories of the members of the foster family. Specifically, this work intends to understand the conceptions that the foster families construct on the child, the biological family and the violation of right that culminated in the protective measure; to understand how the processes the of attachment and rupture of the relationships occur, assumptions in the action of welcoming. This research anchored in the contributions of socio-historical psychology that aims to find, in particular, the instance of social totality. With de adults, were identified 7 (seven) groups of significance, being: group 1 – The experience with de contradictions: the foster family feelings in the experience of attachment and detachment; Group 2 – The disconexion: dilemma as between farewell and the maintenance of bond; Group 3 –thebiological family valution ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre