Family types and social integration in kinship foster care

Objective: The aim of this article is to address the complexity of relationships in kinship foster care and explore the social integration of foster children. The article analyzes the meaning of family and parenting from the perspectives of the child, the foster parents, and the biological parents. Method: The study is based on qualitative methodological design supplemented by a quantitative study of long-term kinship foster care in Norway. This article draws mainly on interview data from children aged 9-12 (N = 17) placed in long-term kinship care, biological parents (N = 14), and foster parents (N = 47), representing a total of 29 placements. The methodological approach partly employs the principles of Grounded Theory, combined with abductive strategies, family and kinship theories. Findings: Based on three criteria derived from the analysis of the interviews-power, understanding of the assignment, and solidarity-I have developed a typology of negotiated relationships among kinship caregivers, biological parents, and foster children. These are archetypal constructions whose purpose is to illustrate the internal variation of family understanding in kinship foster home undertakings. The article clarifies the criteria for constructing the types of family and discusses the social integration of kinship foster children on their basis. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.