RT Journal Article
T1 Behavioral Observation and Analysis of Participants in Foster Care Visits.
A1 Salas-Martínez, María Dolores
A1 Bernedo-Muñoz, Isabel María
A1 García-Martín, Miguel Ángel
A1 Fuentes-Rebollo, María Jesús
K1 Acogimiento familiar
K1 Niños - Protección, asistencia, etc.
AB Objective: To identify situations and behaviorsoccurring during contact visits that are likely tohave an impact on a foster child’s well-being.Background: It has been argued that contactvisits between foster children and birth parentscan help to maintain attachment bonds and sup port the child’s development. However, contactcontinues to be a subject of controversy, andevidence of both benefits and drawbacks hasbeen reported in the literature. Few studies haveexamined what actually occurs during such vis its, how parents and children interact, and whatrole is played by those involved.Method: We conducted an in-depth qualitativeobservational analysis of the behavior of partic ipants in contact visits (birth parent, child, andsocial worker), as well as of the characteristicsof the venue. Participants were 20 children innonkinship foster care and their birth parents.Information regarding the characteristics of vis its was provided by the child protection servicesand the fostering agencies involved.Results: The analysis revealed a large num ber of positive behaviors among parents, chil dren, and social workers, but also the needfor improvement in several areas (e.g., familyrelationships, social/communication skills, andpresents). Conclusions: This study highlights the needto improve contact visits by developing inter vention strategies targeting all those involved.Notably, the support and supervision providedby social workers was not always adequate.Implications: The results of this study could beused to develop an instrument for assessing thequality of contact visits and identifying aspectsthat need to be improved.
YR 2020
FD 2020-03-28
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/30547
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/30547
LA eng
NO Salas, M. D., Bernedo, I. M., García‐Martín, M. A., & Fuentes, M. J. (2021). Behavioral Observation and Analysis of Participants in Foster Care Visits. Family Relations, 70(2), 540–556.
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 19 ene 2026