BEING A PARENT OR O PROFESSIONAL? THE FOSTER CARERS DESCRIBING THE CHILD'S CARE EXPERIENCE
BEING A PARENT OR O PROFESSIONAL? THE FOSTER CARERS DESCRIBING THE CHILD'S CARE EXPERIENCE

Summary/Abstract: Maternal assistance is a form of special protection of the child separated from the parents; A rich literature, evident from everyday life indicates a higher quality level of child care in this format than other forms of care. Insufficient number of foster carers invites reflection; Too few studies investigate theperception of foster carers about their work, the difficulties they face or the needs they have during such a complex process of caring for a child (Wilson, Sinclair, Gibbs, 2000). We conducted 5 focus groups with 30 participants, nurses aged between 29 and 58 years. We aimed to identify the way they perceive and describe their experience / profession, what are their grievances and what are the skills they must have in order to be considered a good parent. The findings suggest the existence of attitudes confirmed in other previous specialized works, namely, dysfunctions of the protection system, lack of support from social assistance structures, failure to focus on the best interests of the child in making decisions, etc. Dissatisfaction was reported regarding the status of the foster parent profession. It is recommended to be included in the DGASPC strategy, to increase the visibility of the foster care profession as an objective, to inform and sensitize the population about the specifics and complexity of this profession. We suggest ensuring the provision of support services, consultancy and counselling to maternal assistants and improving their dialogue with the staff of the social protection departments.

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