An exploration of the experience of foster carers in holding the life stories of the children in their care

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Bibliographic Data

ID6413872
AuthorsLisa Coe (Canterbury Christ Church University), Alex Hassett (0000-0002-9905-1056, Canterbury Christ Church University), Alexander Hassett (Canterbury Christ Church University), Karen Treisman (Canterbury Christ Church University)
Year2025
Volume49
Issue1
Pages75-101
Publication date2025-02-22
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAdoption & Fostering (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0308-5759 • E-ISSN: 1740-469X
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/03085759251314512
OpenAlexW4407847832
LanguageEN
References cited83

Children who have experienced trauma require emotionally responsive parenting to support them to make sense of their early stories and build healthy relationships. Foster care can be an important resource for these children, but the task can be challenging. This study uses Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to explore the lived experiences of foster carers in holding the stories of trauma and loss brought by the children in their care. Ten local authority foster carers were interviewed, all caring for children aged between eight and 13 years and placed with them on a long-term basis. Three superordinate themes were identified from the analysis: (1) Processing the story; (2) Holding different stories; and (3) The personal and professional. ‘Processing the story’ highlighted the emotional task engaged in as carers tried to make sense of and process their child’s story, for themselves and their child. ‘Holding different stories’ captured the different ways in which the foster carer and the child’s story interacted. ‘The personal and professional’ explored the challenge of managing the personal task of care within the wider professional context, and the relationships carers held with the professional team around them. The importance of acknowledging the considerable emotional task of caring for children who have experienced trauma was identified

Developmental psychology · Foster care · Hermeneutic phenomenology · Interpretative phenomenological analysis · Lived experience · Pedagogy · Psychotherapist · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Child Welfare and Adoption · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving · Medicine · Nursing · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare · Psychology