IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v155y2023ics0190740923004061.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

‘Of course you will succeed warrior ▪': Sensitive closings of WhatsApp conversations by professional foster parents

Author

Listed:
  • van de Koot-Dees, Danielle
  • Young Sliedrecht, Keun

Abstract

Good collaboration between professional foster parents (PFPs) and birth parents (BPs) is of great importance for the well-being of out-of-home placed youngsters in family-style group care. Previous studies have shown that WhatsApp has become an important medium in the professional communication between professional foster parents and birth parents as it offers the possibility to send movies and photos in addition to text. This research has identified two ways in which professional foster parents are closing WhatsApp conversations in a sensitive manner. Professional foster parents are setting boundaries by encouraging and making a reference to the future, often accompanied by emoji: (1) Encouragements are apparent in expressions that compliment, comfort and invite to ‘let it go’. (2) Professional foster parents make reference to the future in a wish, proposal or promise. Furthermore, the asymmetrical nature of the relationship becomes clear in the coaching role adopted by professional foster parents, and the observation that solely professional foster parents at times remain silent or do not respond in closing interactions. In short, sensitive boundary setting in closing sequences demonstrates how the institutional character of the relationship is embodied in the WhatsApp communication between professional foster parents and birth parents.

Suggested Citation

  • van de Koot-Dees, Danielle & Young Sliedrecht, Keun, 2023. "‘Of course you will succeed warrior ▪': Sensitive closings of WhatsApp conversations by professional foster parents," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:155:y:2023:i:c:s0190740923004061
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107210
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740923004061
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107210?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cooley, Morgan E. & Petren, Raymond E., 2020. "A qualitative examination of coparenting among foster parent dyads," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    2. Leloux-Opmeer, Harmke & Kuiper, Chris H.Z. & Swaab, Hanna T. & Scholte, Evert M., 2017. "Children referred to foster care, family-style group care, and residential care: (How) do they differ?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 1-9.
    3. Konijn, Carolien & Admiraal, Sabine & Baart, Josefiene & van Rooij, Floor & Stams, Geert-Jan & Colonnesi, Cristina & Lindauer, Ramón & Assink, Mark, 2019. "Foster care placement instability: A meta-analytic review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 483-499.
    4. Van Holen, Frank & Geys, Lynn & West, Delphine & Gypen, Laura & Vanderfaeillie, Johan, 2019. "Characteristics of successful foster families according to Flemish foster care workers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    5. Mihalo, Jennifer R. & Strickler, Amy & Triplett, Dawn R. & Trunzo, Annette C., 2016. "Treatment foster parent satisfaction: Survey validation and predictors of satisfaction, retention, and intent to refer," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 105-110.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Vanderfaeillie, Johan & Van Den Abbeele, Stacey & Fiorentino, Giulia & Gypen, Laura & West, Delphine & Van Holen, Frank, 2020. "The role of foster parents’ basic psychological needs satisfaction and frustration as predictors of autonomy-supportive parenting and the functioning of foster children," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    2. Findley, Erin & Praetorius, Regina T., 2023. "Points of foster parent stress in the system: A qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    3. Gutterswijk, Raymond V. & Kuiper, Chris H.Z. & Lautan, Navisha & Kunst, Elsemieke G. & van der Horst, Frank C.P. & Stams, Geert Jan J.M. & Prinzie, Peter, 2020. "The outcome of non-residential youth care compared to residential youth care: A multilevel meta-analysis," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    4. West, Delphine & Luys, Evelien & Gypen, Laura & Van Holen, Frank & Vanderfaeillie, Johan, 2023. "Behavior problems in foster care, systematic review of associated factors," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    5. Vanderfaeillie, Johan & Gypen, Laura & West, Delphine & Van Holen, Frank, 2020. "Support needs and satisfaction of Flemish foster parents in long-term foster care: Associated characteristics of foster children, foster parents and foster placements," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    6. Dowdy-Hazlett, Taylor & Clark, Shelby L., 2024. "Latent profile analysis of risk and protective factors among foster parents: A cross-sectional study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    7. Jedwab, Merav & Xu, Yanfeng & Shaw, Terry V., 2020. "Kinship care first? Factors associated with placement moves in out-of-home care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    8. Marinescu, Ioana & Tan, Fei & Greeson, Johanna K.P., 2023. "Economic conditions and the number of children in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    9. Williams, Kimberly A. & Lewis, Ericka M. & Feely, Megan, 2023. "Stay just a little bit longer: A scoping review of foster parent engagement in the U.S," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    10. Sheerin, Kaitlin M. & Modrowski, Crosby A. & Williamson, Shannon & Kemp, Kathleen A., 2022. "The effect of sexual concerns on placement changes and school transfers for youth in the child welfare system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    11. Tullberg, Erika & Vaughon, Wendy & Muradwij, Nawal & Kerker, Bonnie D., 2019. "Unpacking “support”: Understanding the complex needs of therapeutic foster parents," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 1-1.
    12. De Wilde, Lieselot & Devlieghere, Jochen & Vandenbroeck, Michel & Vanobbergen, Bruno, 2019. "Foster parents between voluntarism and professionalisation: Unpacking the backpack," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 290-296.
    13. Harding, Leith & Murray, Kate & Shakespeare-Finch, Jane & Frey, Ron, 2020. "The wellbeing of foster and kin carers: A comparative study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    14. Montserrat, Carme & Llosada-Gistau, Joan & Fuentes-Peláez, Nuria, 2020. "Child, family and system variables associated to breakdowns in family foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    15. Goyette, Martin & Blanchet, Alexandre & Esposito, Tonino & Delaye, Ashleigh, 2021. "The role of placement instability on employment and educational outcomes among adolescents leaving care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    16. van Rooij, F.B. & van der Put, C. & Maaskant, A.M. & Folkeringa, D. & Hermanns, J.M.A., 2019. "Risk assessment for foster placement breakdown: The predictive value of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire and foster child and foster family characteristics," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 353-361.
    17. Côté, Carole & Clément, Marie-Ève, 2022. "Let’s talk about love: Perceptions of children in residential care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    18. Griffiths, Austin & Holderfield-Gaither, Emily & Funge, Simon P. & Warfel, Erin T., 2021. "Satisfaction, willingness, and well-being: Examining the perceptions of a statewide sample of public and private foster parents," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    19. Harding, Leith & Murray, Kate & Shakespeare-Finch, Jane & Frey, Ron, 2018. "High stress experienced in the foster and kin carer role: Understanding the complexities of the carer and child in context," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 316-326.
    20. Feltner, Alanna & Day, Angelique & Vanderwill, Lori & Fontaine, Emma & Cohick, Sue, 2021. "Equipping resource parents with the knowledge and attitudes to effectively parent teens: Results from the CORE Teen training program," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:155:y:2023:i:c:s0190740923004061. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.