Social Support in the Fostering Process: Its relevance to the Well-Being of Children in Alternative Care in Spain

Abstract

This article focuses on the formal and informal social support that children receive at the beginning of a foster-care process, when they are separated from their biological family for reasons of security in respect of their physical, mental and/or emotional well-being. After a care placement has been established, a series of changes begin to take place, both in terms of residence and daily routines and habits that affect the stability and emotional well-being of children. In this regard, social support is a key factor that helps fostered children to cope with this situation of intense change, which is anything but easy to assimilate. To understand the relevance of this support, qualitative research was carried out in four different regions of Spain, using focus groups and interviews with 63 professionals from the child welfare system, 42 fathers and mothers and 30 fostered children. The results show how much is gained by children who receive social support at this stage of their lives, both from their formal and informal networks. Of special importance is the support received from their caseworkers and from the siblings who live with them. The findings also highlight the need to include the voices of children in their own foster care process and in research in which they are involved.