The fuzzy foster parenting—a theoretical approach

Bibliographic Data

ID12007019
AuthorsVeli-Pekka Isomäki (Seinäjoki Senior High School, Saukontaival 7, Seinäjoki 60200, Finland, corresponding author)
Year2002
Volume39
Issue4
Pages625-638
Publication date2002-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Social Science Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0362-3319 • E-ISSN: 1873-5355
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1016/s0362-3319(02)00236-7
OpenAlexW2030162456
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited3

For those outside the family-care profession it seems to be difficult to understand the nature of fostering. There are mixed opinions about the motives of why to begin as foster parents. People may even be astonished at the fact that the foster parents receive any remuneration at all for their job. The foster parents themselves are confused as well, for most of them think they just wanted to open their heart and home for children living in need of a safe and decent home. They feel their motive is a sincere calling to help these children. The foster parents soon find that the job is not merely parenting but frequently the work resembles nurse's. The experience and targeted training provides the foster parents with expertise of a specialty area and the foster parents usually work in a close cooperation with the net of authorities. Hence, we can very well call it a profession. There are several aspects that make foster parenting a special and complicated role. It differs from the role of an ordinary bio-parent, but it is not quite like an adoptive parent either. The term foster parent itself is a fuzzy term, as are many of the concepts involved: motivation, income level of the family, and the health and behavior of the child. To understand the fuzzy nature of these concepts is to understand the fuzzy nature of the foster parenting altogether. This entity will get its expression as a model of the fuzzy reality of foster parenting. In this paper, some fuzzy logics are involved and simple models for measuring the suitability for (Fuzzy Measure of Aptitude of a Foster Family (FMAFF)) and exacting nature of the foster parenting (Indicator For Exactingness of the task and Need of training and remuneration (IFEN)) will be presented. This article deals primarily with the fostering situation in Finland, but in principle, most findings apply in any western country. As a theoretical approach, based partly on discussions with acting foster parents and social workers, this paper includes some assumptions that should be surveyed empirically in the next phase of the research. Then, they will serve as hypotheses to be verified. AcknowledgementsThis research was funded by the Lehto Foundation, Finland.NotesSome interviews and discussions used while preparing the article bear such a nature that they are to be kept confidential by the Finnish law. Consequently, those informants have not been mentioned either in the footnotes or in the list of References

Foster care · Foster parents · Political science · Public relations · Remuneration · Work (physics · Environmental Science and Water Management · Law · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Social Psychology

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