Social Work - Theses
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 1 of 1
-
ItemFamily links: kinship care and family contact( 2016)The yearning of children for their parents when separated is recognised in the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child that asserts the child’s right to maintain contact with their parents. However parental contact may be a complex issue when children’s separation is due to neglect or abuse; therefore the Convention declares that the child’s best interests must be the paramount consideration. Family contact thus may be a deeply sensitive area. This is particularly so for children in kinship care, where the family relationships between their parents, carers and other family members may generate particular challenges. Given the limited capacity of authorities to regulate the private world of the family, there may be risks to children’s wellbeing and at times, safety. On the other hand, kinship care also promotes opportunities for children to have supportive relationships with parents and members of the extended family. There has been considerable research about the impact of parental contact for children in out of home care in recent decades. However to date there has been no dedicated research about family contact in kinship care. This study sought to explore the nature of family contact in kinship care in Victoria, Australia, and to identify circumstances and interventions that may improve children’s experience of family contact, ensure their safety, and promote positive relationships. It started by exploring the literature about family contact in out of home care, together with existing studies on broader aspects of kinship care. Commitment to children’s rights to be heard on matters relating to them, and awareness of the marginalised status of parents in child protection, argued for inclusion of both children and parents in the research design. A mixed methods approach was adopted involving a survey of statutory kinship carers in Victoria, Australia, together with focus groups and interviews with children, parents, carers and support workers. In light of the over-representation of Aboriginal children in protective care, a nested study of Indigenous kinship care was included. Results showed that parental contact was a mixed experience for children in kinship care. Survey respondents reported that for half the children, contact with their mothers and fathers was going well. However, a range of difficulties were apparent for the other half. Safety concerns were noted for one-third of children in contact with their mother, and over one-quarter in contact with their father. By contrast, there were numerous reports of positive contact with children’s separated sisters and brothers, and with a wide range of other relatives. The maintenance of these relationships was overwhelmingly viewed by kinship carers as being of benefit to the children. Interviews with children fleshed out the survey results. Some children spoke of the trauma involved when they were pressured into contact with mothers and fathers who repeatedly disappointed them or threatened their wellbeing. Where their concerns had not been heard, a few had taken the law into their own hands to stop contact with a parent. However, many children described their enjoyment of relationships with siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. Interviews with parents highlighted their loss of service support when their children were removed, a time when they felt acutely vulnerable. Many mothers described fraught relationships with their children’s caregivers, especially when the caregiver was their own mother. Focus groups with kinship carers provided an overwhelming picture of the burden of care including stresses from multiple sources, parental contact being prominent amongst these. Kinship care support staff provided insights into the complexity of facilitating contact visits with families impacted by intergenerational trauma, and the need for new approaches to this unique area of protective care. Indigenous survey respondents reported a lack of cultural support planning for children in their care; non-Indigenous carers of Indigenous children were particularly concerned about loss of contact with family and culture for children in their care. Focus groups in Indigenous services stressed the imperative of family contact and cultural connection for Indigenous children, and described creative approaches to maintaining children’s safety. The study provided evidence to support the view that kinship families need individually tailored support to allow children to have the best chance of maintaining their family relationships. Specific support for family contact needs to be seen in the context of the early stage of development of kinship support services in Victoria, where ongoing monitoring and support is yet to be extended to all children in statutory kinship care. The results of this study were published in six refereed journal articles and have been the subject of numerous conference presentations. The study has provided input into four government Inquiries, three at Federal and one at State level. It has also paved the way for three more research initiatives in kinship care, each with opportunities for further knowledge dissemination.