My Twenty Foster Children and Me:The Life Story of a Foster Mother

• Main Authors: Wang, Pao-Feng, 王寶鳳
• Other Authors: Tsai, Ying-Hsin
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2015
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/652326

碩士 === 靜宜大學 === 社會工作與兒童少年福利學系 === 103 === This objective of this study is to explore the true face of foster care and their problems and difficulties from different perspectives -- from placement service to foster care providers to foster family members and, to the recipients themselves. We hope to enhance the understanding of the impact of the foster care to the children and aim to provide suggestions for future foster care. Through personal fostering experiences of twenty foster children, and interview of another five foster children, their foster family's sons and daughters, and two social workers of foster care placement services, we hope our findings help foster care related professionals and those who are interested in serving as foster parents a deeper understanding of the fostering care. The findings are summarized below: 1. For the foster families who take care of foster children with physical and mental conditions, in addition to provide timely care and support, working closely with assigned physicians to provide appropriate counseling and guidance is of particular importance to bring positive perspective in children’s life. 2. Feedbacks from foster children regarding the foster care experience are positive. Some recommendations identified in the study include -- shortening the time interval of regular visitation by family members, and extend the follow-up period after children return to their family. 3. Impact to the foster children: help facing life with positive attitude, assist on consultation and medical treatment, improve bad behavior and restore virtue, and have a positive impact on the concept of marriage. 4. Impact to the children of the foster family: experience and understand children of different background, easier to make friends, optimistic about life, can deal with their life more humorous, appreciate and content about family life, positive change of viewpoint on parenting and coaching, improved ability to deal with life events, and increased awareness of the importance of choosing a good spouse. 5. Different impacts were identified for different duration of the foster care. Below is a brief summary: (1) short-term foster care: the feeling of uncertainty and insecurity, improved living standard; (2) medium-term foster care: able to correct specific problem through longer coaching and model-behavior; (3) long-term foster care:more continuity and positive effects could be found through stable andlong-term foster care