“You are mum and then they are mum”: Negotiating roles, relationships, and contact in out‐of‐home care

Abstract

Objective Birth family contact can be undermined by relationship difficulties between adults from children's two families, especially in relation to role ambiguity for mother figures. Research to understand relationships between birth mothers and female caregivers across all placement types is needed. Background In Australia, children in long‐term care, guardianship, and open adoption have direct contact with members of their birth families. The extent to which maternal figures work together is critical to children's ability to enjoy ongoing birth family connections, particularly First Nations children, who are overrepresented in out‐of‐home care. Method Qualitative methods were used to understand the personal attributes that influence relationships between five dyads of birth mothers and their child's female caregivers in New South Wales. Four were foster or kinship carers, two had adoptions underway, and one was a legal guardian. Three birth mothers identified as Aboriginal, and no caregivers did so. Analysis mapped birth mothers' acceptance and carers' communicative openness and interpreted influences of interpersonal skills, contact, and power dynamics on relationship quality. Results Positive and natural interactions between children’ mother figures can exist irrespective of legal arrangement when both are able to demonstrate emotional competence and learn relationship‐building skills and overcome power imbalances. Conclusion The complexity of managing relationships in the context of permanent child removal is influenced by how well children's two mother figures renegotiate their roles. Implications Families need support to discuss the goals and purpose of contact and identify relational resources and challenges. Professionals could use visit coaching to support children's two families in navigating contact.

Being a parent, but not: A grounded theory of home‐based care

“…The children and young people themselves, birth parents, and various other stakeholders also need to be heard, and it is important to balance the needs and rights of all these people when looking toward making changes in home‐based care systems. For example, recent Australian research demonstrates that both birth mothers and long‐term foster female caregivers need to renegotiate their roles to support children in complex care arrangements (Collings & Wright, 2022). If the goal of home‐based care is to provide family‐like environments and stable connections with caregivers, then it is crucial for everyone involved with the process to be involved in research and policy reform.…”

Analysis of Incoterms and Relational Resources to Improve Competitive Advantage: A Study of Freight Forwarders Company in Indonesia

“…Due to the lengthy development process and significant ambiguity involved, such resources are expensive and difficult for a company's competitors to replicate (Morgan and Hunt, 1999). Study related to relational resources has been widely carried out in various fields and industries (Acharya et al, 2022;Beise-Zee, 2022;Chabowski and Samiee, 2023;Chen and Cooper-Thomas, 2022;Collings and Wright, 2022;Di Milia and Jiang, 2022;Fernandez et al, 2022;Helkkula and Arnould, 2022;Kang and González-Howard, 2022;Kassberg and Dornberger, 2022;Lavender-Stott and Allen, 2023;Lee and Yoo, 2022;Li et al, 2022;Lund and Wang, 2022;Maitlis, 2022;Mugwagwa et al, 2022;Oliver-Blackburn et al, 2022;Ozaslan et al, 2022;Parente et al, 2022;Schweikl and Obermaier, 2022;Seepana et al, 2022;Trygg and Wenander, 2022;Wu et al, 2022). However, the results of studies related to Freight forwarders are still few (Balci et al, 2019;Birkel et al, 2020;Carbone and Stone, 2005;Ferrer et al, 2010;Houé and Murphy, 2018;Shou et al, 2017;Wong and Karia, 2010).…”