Formal and informal support provided to foster families

Abstract

The foster family is an important part of social care, created when the biological parents are unable to provide care to the child and is of a temporary nature. The article presents the state of research on formal and informal support provided to foster families as well as the results of own research. The aim of the research was to determine how foster families assess the formal and informal support they experience. These two types of support were assessed both objectively and subjectively. The research is part of a wider project aimed at determining the objective and subjective quality of life of foster families. The study was conducted on a sample of 27 foster families (average age of mothers M=53.33; fathers M=55.48; SD=11.41). The Family Quality of Life Survey – general version, FQoLS-2006 by Ivan Brown et al. from the Centre for Health Promotion in Toronto in the Polish adaptation by Ewa Zasępa, Ewa Wapiennik, Agnieszka Wołowicz (2010) and a demographic survey were used. The questionnaire measures the objective and subjective quality of family life in nine areas: family health, financial situation, family relationships, support from other people, support from specialist services and social assistance, value system, professional career and career preparation, leisure and recreation, social interactions. The article presents the results in the following areas: support from other people and support from specialist services. Results and conclusions: support from other people (informal support) and support from specialist services (formal support) were assessed poorly. Foster families assess the received emotional support better than the practical one. In addition, it has been shown that foster families experience many difficulties and, due to the specific nature of the functioning of these families, social support is particularly important for them.