Rethinking “the family” in foster care in Italy: The perspective of children in care and of foster parents’ children

Abstract

In Italy, family fostering is in most cases a voluntary service where foster parents are non-professional helpers. About half of the foster parents are couples with children of their own, which makes fostering a “family enterprise.” Within growing attention to children’s voices in research, the paper focuses on children living foster care (as children in care and as foster parents’ children) and the ways they engage in constructing their family landscape. So far, the point of view of the two groups has been considered separately. Although their life trajectories are highly specific, a cross-cutting perspective on family involving the two groups of children can offer new insights on their experiences of family construction and belonging. Starting from a conceptual framework that sees kinship and family as emerging from practices where family actors—including children—are actively engaged, the article presents the main results of interview research involving 69 children and youth who currently live in foster families in Italy, as children in care and as biological children of the foster parents. The results highlight the intense work children do in constructing and naming family ties, in displaying their family in social contexts, and in learning about themselves, the family, and their multiple belongings throughout foster care.

The concept of family: Perspectives of Spanish young people in foster care

“…Analysing how people 'do family' is at the heart of valorising the lived experiences of family (Finch, 2007;McCarthy & Edwards, 2010). Some research has used these sociological concepts as base for interpreting the multiple belongings experienced by children and young people who are in foster care (e.g., Biehal, 2014;Sità & Mortari, 2022;Wissö et al, 2019). Some scholars emphasise the continued significance of the collective views of what families should look like (McIntosh et al, 2011) and the idea of family as a pervasive cultural symbol (Jackson in McIntosh et al, 2011), particularly in 'familial' cultures.…”

“…Studies emphasise the fluidity and diversity of children and young people's experiences of family and their engagement with it. Several studies have explored how children understand and perceive ‘family’, and findings suggest that most children and young people's understanding of family is based on genetic ties (Ellingsen et al, 2011, 2012; Sità & Mortari, 2022; Van Holen et al, 2020; Wissö et al, 2019). Mahat‐Shamir et al (2018) also suggest that commitment to a biological family is not necessarily based on the quality of the relationship but to biological ties.…”

Beyond blood ties: Constructing the meaning of ‘family’ among Spanish children in foster care

“…However, this study also extends this framework to explore the concept of 'family' in foster care, building on previous research conducted in the UK (Biehal, 2014); Italy (Sità & Mortari, 2022); and Sweden (Wissö et al, 2019). Applying the concepts of family sociology to this topic has the potential to provide new insights into how family is conceptualised in foster care.…”