Balancing belonging and relationships
Contact dynamics in permanent foster care after infant relinquishment
Datos Bibliográficos
| ID | 22414031 |
|---|---|
| Autores | Janneke Peelen (0000-0001-6450-1523), Marion Van Hattum (0000-0002-7125-3094, HAN University of Applied Sciences), Marion J C van Hattum, Branje (0000-0002-9999-5313, Utrecht University) |
| Año | 2026 |
| Volumen | 188 |
| Páginas | 109137 |
| Fecha de publicación | 2026-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Sí |
| Open Access | Sí |
| Tipo | ARTICLE |
| Revista | Children and Youth Services Review (JOURNAL) |
| Identificadores de la revista | ISSN: 0190-7409 • E-ISSN: 1873-7765 |
| Editorial | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.109137 |
| OpenAlex | W7165680838 |
| Idioma | EN |
| Referencias citadas | 33 |
This article presents a Dutch study on ongoing contact between children and birth parents in permanent foster care as an alternative to the voluntary relinquishment of infants for adoption. The Netherlands lack a legal basis for open adoption, and permanent foster care was introduced as alternative to mitigate the negative impacts of closed adoption. We investigated how birth mothers, children, and permanent foster parents experience and navigate contact with each other, highlighting issues that need attention in contact agreements to ensure quality of contact, communication and support. Multiple perspectives were incorporated through interviews with children, birth mothers, foster parents, and professionals. Three substantive themes emerged that require attention in contact arrangements and support: relational positioning and role negotiation, multiple belonging, and guidance of contact. Both birth and foster parents seek to define and affirm their relationship with the child, while navigating their roles relative to each other. For children, relational positioning revolves around questions of dual belonging, such as ‘What are my roots?’ and ‘Where is my home?’. Ongoing contact presents inherent challenges, and the interviews underscored the need for structured guidance to maintain positive contact involving the child, birth mother, and foster parents. Notably, the guidance of birth parents requires particular attention. The study’s findings can enhance professionals’ understanding of the challenges and opportunities of ongoing contact between children and birth parents, enabling them to provide adequate support.
Foster care · Foster parents · Child Abuse and Trauma · Child Welfare and Adoption · Children's Rights and Participation
Child’s adjustment and parent-child contact after child placement into foster care
What is the impact of birth family contact on children in adoption and long‐term foster care?’ A systematic review
Is contact with birth parents beneficial to children in non-kinship foster care? A scoping review of the evidence
(Re)defining family
Openness in Adoption
Surnames in Adoption
Issues Surrounding Post-Adoption Contact in Foster Adoption
Children’s perspectives on contact with birth parents
Contact visits between foster children and their birth family
The relationship between foster care families and birth families in a child welfare context
Two families joined by a child
Accepting the Reality of Adoption
The psychological implications of forced adoption
Fostering security? A meta-analysis of attachment in adopted children
Cautious Belonging
A Sense of Belonging
What do foster families and social workers think about children’s contact with birth parents? A focus group analysis
Adoptive identity and adjustment from adolescence to emerging adulthood
Evolution and resolution
Sociological Ambivalence
| Velocidad de citación | historical |
|---|---|
| Altamente citado | No |