Using the Theory of Family Boundary Ambiguity and Ambiguous Loss to Understand the Experiences of Foster Carers' Own Children

In England, nearly three-quarters of looked after children are cared for in foster families. Despite this, relatively little is known about the experiences of foster carers' children in families who foster. This study used narrative interviews to explore the experiences of twelve adults now aged eighteen to fifty-four years who had been brought up in such families. Their families had fostered for much or all of their childhood and growing up in a fostering family had had a considerable impact on them. Most participants viewed some of the fostered children as siblings and continued to do so into adulthood. The analysis used the theory of family boundary ambiguity and ambiguous loss to gain a deeper understanding of the participants' experiences. The findings suggest that there is a need for much greater awareness of the issues that foster carers' own children face. They also suggest that a change in how foster placements are supported needs to include a greater focus on the children of foster carers. In recent years, much more has been learnt about the experiences of looked after children but less is known about the families who care for them. This study used narrative interviews to learn about the experiences of the foster carers' own children. The foster carers' own children disclosed that whilst they felt they benefited from being brought up in a family, they also experienced losses. Most continued to view many of the children the family fostered as siblings even though the fostered child may have left the foster family decades previously. Some had attempted to find former foster siblings through social media and some had been successful. Further examples of loss include loss of parental attention and loss of their family as it had been before they began fostering. Some of those interviewed also felt they withdrew from their family as a way of protecting themselves from these losses.