Family dynamics in kinship care

Abstract

Kinship care is the first choice for out-of-home care in the United Kingdom. Family context is described as both a strength and a weakness of kinship care arrangements with limited research examining how kinship carers understand and experience their family dynamics; the focus of this study. Data were harvested from 106 interaction reports with 63 kinship carers who accessed a Kinship Care Helpline in Scotland over a 2-month period. Three themes and several subthemes were identified: balancing act; agency and control; changing families. Data showed that kinship carers were managing complex family dynamics organized around welfare of the child, in which carers had to facilitate contact with birth parents that were sometimes perceived as posing a risk to the child. Carers described having to manage their own feelings about birth parents' behaviour and its effect on children. The demands of meeting the child's needs on carer wellbeing were described as a balancing act, negatively impacted upon by limited control over decision-making. Kinship carers showed resilience in navigating complex, sometimes distressing family dynamics in their drive to provide a stable and positive environment for the child, compromised by ongoing exposure to threats and lack of control over decision-making.