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Ambiguous loss of home: The experience of familial (im)permanence among young adults with foster care backgrounds

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  • Samuels, Gina Miranda

Abstract

Achieving a stable family context for foster children--permanence--is the philosophy within which nearly all child welfare policy and practice is embedded. Although debates endure over defining permanence and the ideal pathways through which it should be achieved, this discourse rarely includes foster youth perspectives. This article presents findings from an interpretive study of 29 young adults who transitioned from foster care into adulthood without legal permanence. Findings extend ambiguous loss theory to conceptualize participants' experiences as an ambiguous loss of home, highlighting three patterns in the strategies used to manage familial impermanence: (1) creating a self-defined permanence, (2) rejecting adoption--navigating multifamilial memberships and allegiances, and (3) building permanence after foster care. Recommendations for policy, practice, and future research are offered, including a shift toward a multisystemic framework of permanence attending to both legal and relational definitions of family among youth in foster care.

Suggested Citation

  • Samuels, Gina Miranda, 2009. "Ambiguous loss of home: The experience of familial (im)permanence among young adults with foster care backgrounds," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(12), pages 1229-1239, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:31:y:2009:i:12:p:1229-1239
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Freundlich, Madelyn & Avery, Rosemary Jane & Munson, Sara & Gerstenzang, Sarah, 2006. "The meaning of permanency in child welfare: Multiple stakeholder perspectives," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(7), pages 741-760, July.
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    5. Padgett, Deborah K., 2007. "There's no place like (a) home: Ontological security among persons with serious mental illness in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(9), pages 1925-1936, May.
    6. Henry, Darla L., 2005. "The 3-5-7 Model: preparing children for permanency," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 197-212, February.
    7. Herrick, Mary Anne & Piccus, Wendy, 2005. "Sibling connections: The importance of nurturing sibling bonds in the foster care system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(7), pages 845-861, July.
    8. Unrau, Yvonne A. & Seita, John R. & Putney, Kristin S., 2008. "Former foster youth remember multiple placement moves: A journey of loss and hope," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(11), pages 1256-1266, November.
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