research on life in foster care families in germany · research on life in foster care families in...

Research on life in Research on life in fosterfostercarecare familiesfamilies in Germanyin Germany

Klaus Wolf Klaus Wolf University of Siegen, GermanyUniversity of Siegen, Germany

[email protected]@uni--siegen.desiegen.de

mailto:[email protected]

1.1. The Balance The Balance betweenbetween LiabilitiesLiabilitiesan Resourcesan Resources

((BelastungsBelastungs –– Ressourcen Ressourcen -- Balance)Balance)

2. 2. EmpiricalEmpirical studiesstudies

Danziger, Hetzer, Danziger, Hetzer, LöwLöw--Beer:Beer:

Foster Mother and Foster Mother and Foster ChildFoster Child

Blandow:Blandow:RoleRole DiscrepanciesDiscrepancies in in

the Foster Familythe Foster Family

HeunHeun::Foster Foster ChildrenChildren in in

ResidentialResidentialHomesHomes

Kötter:Kötter:Visits Visits withwith Foster Foster

FamiliesFamilies

MüllerMüller--Schlotmann:Schlotmann:The Integration of The Integration of

NeglectedNeglected and and MaltreatedMaltreatedChildrenChildren

SteimerSteimer::The Quest for The Quest for

Love and the Love and the Staging of Staging of RejectionRejection

Faltermeier: Faltermeier: ForfeitedForfeitedParenthoodParenthood? Life ? Life AwayAway fromfrom Home, Home, BirthBirth ParentsParents, New , New Approaches to Action. Approaches to Action.

Marmann: Marmann: The Little The Little

PedagoguesPedagogues

Gehres: Gehres: fosterfosterfamiliesfamilies as as „„otherother familiesfamilies““

3. Problems and Tasks Confronting 3. Problems and Tasks Confronting Foster ChildrenFoster Children

4. Problems and Tasks Confronting 4. Problems and Tasks Confronting Foster ParentsFoster Parents

““It became apparent that there are often It became apparent that there are often unconscious, psychological reasons why unconscious, psychological reasons why parents would tend to deny the difficulties parents would tend to deny the difficulties they were having with the children for a they were having with the children for a while, as they were guided by the wish to while, as they were guided by the wish to finally have a ‘normal’ family. But if these finally have a ‘normal’ family. But if these conflicts can no longer be suppressed, conflicts can no longer be suppressed, especially in the case of children’s antisocial especially in the case of children’s antisocial behavior, the usual reactions are an behavior, the usual reactions are an overemphasis of this undesirable behavior overemphasis of this undesirable behavior and tendencies to reject the children. So with and tendencies to reject the children. So with the same group of people under study, totally the same group of people under study, totally different results could occur in these two different results could occur in these two phases.”phases.”Brigitte Brigitte SteimerSteimer (2000: 130(2000: 130--131)131)

Problems relatedto the child

Risk of breakdownincreases

Difficultiesand

Problems

high risk of breakdown

low risk of breakdown

LOTTE DANZIGER, HILDEGARD HETZER UND HELENE LOW-BEER:

PFLEGEMUTTER UND PFLEGEKIND. Leipzig (Verlag von S.Hirzel) 1930

Liabilities and Attribution

e.g., intellectual or physical disabilities

e.g., excessive uncleanliness

or early sexual maturity

Problems stemmingfrom child

risk of breakdown increases

substantially

Attribution

risk of breakdown hardly increases

LOTTE DANZIGER, HILDEGARD HETZER UND HELENE LOW-BEER:

PFLEGEMUTTER UND PFLEGEKIND. Leipzig (Verlag von S.Hirzel) 1930

blame

not to blame

Liabilities and Attribution

“As long as the foster mother puts no “As long as the foster mother puts no blame on the child for the effort he or blame on the child for the effort he or she causes her, her relationship to the she causes her, her relationship to the child remains a good one despite any child remains a good one despite any burden she might feel. But if she starts burden she might feel. But if she starts to ascribe malevolence to the child, to ascribe malevolence to the child, assuming that the child is ‘deliberately’ assuming that the child is ‘deliberately’ annoying her annoying her –– and this sort of and this sort of purposefulness is often mistakenly purposefulness is often mistakenly attributed to the child attributed to the child –– then that will then that will be the end of the tolerable relationship be the end of the tolerable relationship between her and the child.”between her and the child.”

((DanzigerDanziger 1930:119)1930:119)

5. Children of Foster Parents5. Children of Foster Parents

6. Problems Confronting the Birth 6. Problems Confronting the Birth FamilyFamily

7. Πάν7. Πάντατα ῥεῖ (ῥεῖ (EverythingsEverythings Flows)Flows)

We need a process model because:We need a process model because:the socialization environment changes and the socialization environment changes and should change,should change,individual people interact with one another,individual people interact with one another,the balance between liabilities and resources the balance between liabilities and resources changes,changes,new actors come onto the stage and others new actors come onto the stage and others drift into the background,drift into the background,effects are distributed across long chains of effects are distributed across long chains of courses of action,courses of action,developments at the macro level trigger developments at the macro level trigger changes at the level of interaction.changes at the level of interaction.

We should:We should:

1.1. inquire into processes and inquire into processes and interdependencies,interdependencies,

2.2. take into account the constructions of take into account the constructions of meaning established by the individuals meaning established by the individuals involved, that is, their experience and ways involved, that is, their experience and ways of dealing with experience, andof dealing with experience, and

3.3. take a close look at the entire development take a close look at the entire development of the child, in childhood and youth, not of the child, in childhood and youth, not simply in specific settings. With such a simply in specific settings. With such a biographical perspective, we should assess biographical perspective, we should assess which resources the children require in which resources the children require in order to gain access to their own disparate order to gain access to their own disparate history.history.

…………and and nownow: Daniela Reimer: Daniela Reimer

Matteo`s stages of life

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Grand-parents in Eastern Europe

Birth FamilyTwo older

sisters;Mother suffers

fromdepressions;Fathers tendsto be violent;

Financial problems

Birth familyNew home which has to be sold again, family lives in a caravan, both parents suffer

from serious mental disorders

EscapeThe three children of the family decide to flee, police, youth

welfareFirst Foster Family

(transition)

Second Foster Family

No integration into the family

Compensation in friendships, fights with

sisters

Professional Foster Family

(Transition)

Residential Caredeclared as incapable for living in a

family

Long Term Foster Care

Very close relationshipwith foster parents

(mum and dad)

© Daniela Reimer



(transition)

AnalysisFatherMotherSister1Sister2FriendsGrandfatherGrandmother

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22Foster Family1Foster Family 2FriendsFoster Family3Social workerResidental Home

friendsworkers

Foster FamilyGirl friend


Birth FamilyTwo older sisters;

Mother suffers fromdepressions;

Fathers tends to be violent;Financial problems

Birth familyNew home which has

to be sold again, family lives in a

caravan, both parentssuffer from seriousmental disorders


No integration intothe family

Compensation in friendships, fights

with sisters


(Transition)


family

Long Term Foster Care Very close

relationship withfoster parents

(mum and dad)

© Daniela Reimer



(transition)

Sense of Control

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22





Financial problems

Birth familyNew home which has to be sold again, family lives in a caravan, both parents suffer

from serious mental disorders




sisters


(Transition)


family



(mum and dad)

© Daniela Reimer



(transition)

Critical Life Events & Turning Points

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22





Financial problems

Birth familyNew home which has to be sold again, family lives in a caravan, both parents sufferfrom serious mental disorder




sisters


(Transition)


family



(mum and dad)

© Daniela Reimer

Legend:

Critical Life Events

Turning Points positive/ negative

- Intensity indicated by different colours -



(transition)

AnalysisFatherMotherSister1Sister2FriendsGrandfatherGrandmother


friendsworkers



Birth FamilyTwo older sisters;

Mother suffers fromdepressions;

Fathers tends to be violent;Financial problems

Birth familyNew home which has

to be sold again, family lives in a

caravan, both parentssuffer from seriousmental disorders


No integration intothe family

Compensation in friendships, fights

with sisters


(Transition)


family

Long Term Foster Care Very close

relationship withfoster parents

(mum and dad)

© Daniela Reimer

Prof. Dr. Klaus WolfSozialpädagogik

• Telefon:0271 / 740-2912• FAX: 0271 / 740-2978• E-mail: [email protected]• Homepage: www.uni-siegen.de/~wolf

Dipl.Soz.Arb. Daniela Reimer• Telefon: 0271-7404167

[email protected]


http://www.uni-siegen.de/~wolf


research on life in foster care families in germany · research on life in foster care families in...

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