Children in foster care and their relations with their network of origin

This research project is motivated by the fact that children sometimes lose significant relationships during the time they live in foster care, which places demands on working methods that promote children's opportunities to maintain, or re-establish, important relationships. Network of origin refers to the individuals in the child's origin environment (before placement in foster care), who are significant to the child. Besides parents and siblings, it can, for example, be bonus parents or bonus siblings, grandparents, other relatives, friends, or maybe neighbors.

Research shows that it's important to maintain meaningful relationships with family and networks since it can contribute to continuity and stability for children and young people living in family homes. However, there is a lack of research on the significance of different relationships and how individuals handle and sustain them, such as engaging in phone calls, texting, meetings, or staying connected through social media.

The study involves interviews with children placed in foster care (10–17 years old), parents who have a child placed in foster care, and foster  parents. The method is teller-focused, involving two to five interviews with each research participant within a year. That way it will be possible to get a deep and multifaceted understanding of the relationships, and the processes connected with them. 

With increased knowledge about these relationships, children placed in foster care can receive better support in maintaining, or re-establishing, significant relationships in the network of origin. This can contribute to continuity and stability in the child's life, and increase the child's opportunities for a supportive network in the future. The results will be presented in a doctoral thesis