Enduring relationships and commitment: Experiences of adolescent entrants to foster care and foster carers

持久的关系和承诺：青少年寄养者和寄养照顾者的经历

• 批准号: 2113028
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of East Anglia
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2018 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2113028
• 关键词: Enduring; relationships; commitment; Experiences; adolescent

Adolescent entrants are a significant and growing population within the English care system and their journeys within and out of care are a key area of social work and foster care policy and practice. Adolescent entrants are defined as young people who enter, or re-enter care through reasons of abuse, neglect and/or family breakdown aged ten or above. There remains a lack of sufficient research acknowledging the unique challenges of fostering adolescent entrants. There is particularly limited research relating to the experience of foster carer commitment to adolescent entrants. This proposed research builds on the researcher's MRes dissertation research which explored the experiences of foster carers caring for adolescent entrants. Key findings revealed the importance of relationship-building and suggested foster carers often experience a high level of commitment to the adolescents in their care. Being able to 'stick' with the young person was evident through a commitment which enabled an enduring relationship which transcended the initial foster placement, including in some cases continuing beyond a difficult disruption. The nature of enduring relationships and commitment have been researched with regards to foster carers' experiences of caring for young infants, or adolescents who have grown up in foster care (adolescent graduates). The differences in levels of commitment between foster carers and residential care providers who care for adolescents has also been examined in research. However, these concepts have not been examined specifically in relation to the experiences of adolescent entrants and foster carers. This research aims to develop conceptual and theoretical insights into how relationships and commitment are experienced by adolescent entrants and foster carers. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with 10-15 adolescent entrants and the same number of foster carers. Though the aim is not to corroborate experiences, some matched pairs may be interviewed. Grounded theory will be used for analysis and to yield new theory from the data generated. This exploration of an undervalued and under-researched area of foster care practice will challenge the current policy preoccupations with organisational and service outcomes for children and young people in care, which equate placement endings with the end of relationships. Instead this study will assist in broadening, reframing and reconceptualising the notion of foster care for adolescent entrants by positioning caregiving and outcomes through the lens of committed relationships.

青少年入学者是英国护理系统中的一个重要且不断增长的人口，他们在护理内外的旅程是社会工作和寄养政策和实践的一个关键领域。青少年新加入者的定义是，10岁或10岁以上因虐待、忽视和/或家庭破裂而进入或重新进入照料机构的青少年。仍然缺乏充分的研究，承认培养青少年入学者的独特挑战。有特别有限的研究有关的经验，寄养照顾者的承诺，以青少年入学。这项拟议的研究建立在研究人员的MRes论文研究，探讨了寄养照顾者照顾青少年入学者的经验。主要研究结果揭示了关系建设的重要性，并建议寄养照顾者往往经历了高层次的承诺，在他们的照顾青少年。能够“坚持”与年轻人是显而易见的，通过一个承诺，使一个持久的关系，超越了最初的寄养安置，包括在某些情况下继续超越一个困难的中断。关于寄养者照顾幼儿或在寄养中长大的青少年（青少年毕业生）的经历，对持久关系和承诺的性质进行了研究。研究还审查了寄养照料者和照料青少年的寄宿照料提供者之间承诺水平的差异。然而，这些概念没有被具体审查的青少年新来者和寄养者的经验。本研究旨在发展概念和理论的见解，如何关系和承诺的青少年入学者和寄养。将与10-15名青少年入学者和相同数量的寄养照料者进行半结构化面试。虽然目的不是为了证实经验，但可能会采访一些配对的人。扎根理论将用于分析，并从生成的数据中产生新的理论。寄养实践的一个被低估和研究不足的领域的探索，将挑战目前的政策关注的组织和服务成果的儿童和青少年的照顾，这等同于安置结束与结束的关系。相反，这项研究将有助于扩大，重新构建和重新概念化的概念，寄养青少年入学者的定位通过承诺的关系的透镜的benefit和结果。