Children in foster care have often experienced a history of trauma, loss and neglect. They often have complex emotional needs and require skilled and sensitive parenting. Foster care can be a valuable resource for these children. However caring for children who have experienced trauma is an emotionally demanding task.
This study, conducted in the UK, aimed to better understand the experiences of foster carers who are caring for children who have experienced trauma and loss. Ten local authority foster carers were interviewed. All 10 carers were caring for children between the ages of eight and 13 years old. The children were all placed with the foster carers on a long-term basis. The researcher used semi-structured interviews and analysed the data using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.
The research findings highlight the difficult emotional task that foster carers undertake. They show the emotional demands involved in caring for children who have experienced trauma and loss. They demonstrate the challenges involved in working with the child’s wider family. They show the difficulties foster carers experience in having to balance their role as carers with their role as professionals, and the challenges involved in working with other professionals around the child. The research underlines the importance of understanding the complexity of the fostering task and the importance of providing appropriate support to help foster carers fulfil their role.
