"Som syskon, fast ändå inte"
En studie av familjehemsföräldrars egna barns erfarenheter
Foster carer's own childrenSupportParticipationSense of coherenceFamiljehemsföräldrars egna barnStödDelaktighetKänsla av sammanhang
The aim of this study was to provide an understanding of the situation of an often forgotten group in foster care, the carers? own children. Our main focus was to explore this group?s experience of foster care, their experience of participating in caring for the foster children and their possible need of support and help. Our chosen method was qualitative interviews with six adult children of foster carers, two men and four women. The theory used in this study was Sense of Coherence.Our interviewees mainly gave a positive description of being part of a foster family, however they also gave examples of difficult situations and of loss. All of them gave different examples of how they had participated in the care of foster children, such as babysitting, defending foster siblings in school and supporting them. Despite their overall positive memories most of them wished they had been offered better support, preferably counseling with advice on how to act in difficult situations. The need for better information, as well as education about why the foster children act as they do, seemed important to the interviewees.