Changes in contact visit between foster care children and their birth family during the COVID-19 lockdown in Spain

Abstract

The purpose of this communication is to present the effects of the Spanish lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic on the regime of family contact between foster children and their biological family. To maintain face-to-face contact between the children and their birth families was not an exception. This is the reason why it is of high importance to know how the children in foster care have experienced and faced this new and worrying situation. Data were gathered through an online questionnaire in Spain that was completed by 100 foster families, including kinship and non-kinship foster care, from different regions of the country. Of this sample, only 61 foster care families had children in their care who had contact visit with their biological family. The results show that during the lockdown few children had any type of contact with their familiars (i.e. mother, father, siblings, grandparents or uncles and aunts), but the mother and siblings are the most stable figures. Frequency of contact was reduced but other types of contact were appeared in some cases (i.e. (video) phone calls, by social networks). Feelings like being angry before the contact or the attitude of not wanting to have contact were decreased. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown have brought about other forms of contact between the foster child and their family members, that may not have been taken into account before. While it is true that face-to-face visits are the most favourable, it is important to promote videophone calls, which also make possible to maintain affective bonds between foster care children and their family. In this process, it would be of particular relevance to listen to the voice of children in care and allow them to contribute with how they would like to live and face the contact with their relatives during the COVID-19 pandemic.