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

Abstract

This article employs concepts from family sociology to explore how 'family' is conceptualised in 14 life narratives of young people in foster care in Spain. The article draws on a multi-method approach with young people who are in long-term nonkinship foster care. Seven girls and seven boys aged 10 to 22 took part in the study.The empirical material reveals an interplay between biological preference and foster family affective practices in young people's narratives, illuminating a struggle to make sense of the concept of family in foster care. Most of the participants understand family as shared affective practices sustained through love, commitment, consistent care and reciprocity rather than blood ties. Some show a preference for biological connectivity, while others describe family as determined by rituals and family displays. The key practice implications highlight the importance helping young people positioning themselves in birth family relationships, and supporting their sense of family belonging.

Relationally focused specialized foster care : Relational experiences and changes in mental health and adaptive functioning

“…Both the foster children and the foster parents in Study 3 relate to what a 'real' family is assumed to be, and they often try to build something that is similar to a 'real' family, or different, but still valuable. This is consistent with previous foster care research that has shown the importance of inclusion in the family and how both parties work with these issues (Christiansen et al, 2013;Ie, 2022;Schofield & Beek, 2005;Storer et al, 2014). Most of the children and foster parents like each other but struggle with concepts such as 'family' and with defining their relationship.…”

“…Qualitative studies have, for example, focused on children's and young people's experiences of foster care, parents' experiences of having their child in foster care or foster parents experiences of being foster parents (e. g. Andersson, 2016;Christiansen et al, 2013;Höjer, 2009;Ie, 2022;Join-Lambert & Reimer, 2022). Other qualitative studies aim to deepen the understanding of processes in foster families and in the context of foster care (e. g. Rostill-Brookes et al, 2011;Sprecher et al, 2022;Wissö et al, 2019).…”

‘You've got to love her’—Perceptions of birth mothers among children in long‐term foster care

“…Initially, this study set out to explore how family is perceived in long‐term non‐kinship foster care. However, many participants had very limited or no contact with their fathers, and their reflections concerning their mothers were more prominent in the data (see Ie, 2022). We thus chose to explore these perceptions in a more detailed manner by analysing patterns in the data addressing their relationship with their birth mothers.…”

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

“…As Landes and Settersten (2019) explain, linked lives can also bound human agency. In instances where individuals are dependent on support or care from othersa characteristic of the human condition that is universal but more obvious in familiarised welfare states and particularly in the lives of many foster children and young peoplethe ability to engage in agentic family relationships is directly related to the quality of these relationships (Ie, 2022;Ie & Ellingsen, 2023). Within the family context, researchers have explored the interdependence of individuals' agency and the contexts of shared meanings (Boden-Stuart et al, 2021;Lee, 2019;Finch & Mason, 1993).…”

“…Individual perceptions of family are shaped by experiences and cultural understandings. Therefore, drawings help to recognise that children and young people's construction of family in long-term foster care are socioculturally related (Ie, 2022).…”