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Publication
Carers and Professionals’ Perspectives on Foster Care Outcomes: The Role of Contact
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
This study investigates the association between the contact of children or young people in care with
their family, and the foster care placement evaluation (positive or negative) in Portugal. According
to the perspectives of foster carers and service professionals’ perceptions regarding children and
young people’s reactions, during and after the visits, are measured. Utilizing a quantitative
approach, two fostering services teams and 140 foster carers completed questionnaires, which had
212 children in common. Results indicated that despite the importance of continued contact,
especially for children and their parents, it was not determined to be essential to long-term
placement. On one hand, there was the perception that a high percentage of children expressed
positive reactions during and after the visit, while on the other hand, this didn’t influence the
perception of placement success. This study also showed significant differences between foster
carers’ and the professionals’ perceptions on several dimensions of foster care, especially the
children’s reactions during visits. These differences need to be further analyzed in future research
and the outcomes used to help improve contact management.
Description
Keywords
Contact with biological family Children's rights Children's well-being Foster care
Citation
Delgado, P., Carvalho, J. M. S., Pinto, V., & Oliveira, J. (2017). Carers and Professionals’ Perspectives on Foster Care Outcomes: The Role of Contact. Journal of Social Service Research, ?? (?), ???-???. First published online.