eprintid: 10204829 rev_number: 7 eprint_status: archive userid: 699 dir: disk0/10/20/48/29 datestamp: 2025-02-18 12:50:10 lastmod: 2025-02-18 12:50:10 status_changed: 2025-02-18 12:50:10 type: article metadata_visibility: show sword_depositor: 699 creators_name: Dalgaard, NT creators_name: Reich, JM creators_name: Midgley, N creators_name: Hillman, S creators_name: Hall, HD creators_name: Pontoppidan, M title: What does it mean to be a ‘foster parent’? -exploring Foster parent narratives using ideal-type analysis ispublished: pub divisions: UCL divisions: B02 divisions: C07 divisions: D05 divisions: F66 keywords: Attachment, Foster care, Placement stability, Placement breakdown, Out-of-home placement note: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions. abstract: OBJECTIVE: Foster care services in Denmark, as in many other countries, face challenges with recruitment, assessment, and retention of foster families. It is essential to understand how foster parents understand their role and how this might relate to child outcomes. This paper develops a typology of foster parent types through an ideal-type analysis of interviews with foster parents. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The sample consist of 14 Danish foster parents who had participated in a quasi-randomized trial exploring the effects of Mentalization Based Therapy for foster families. METHODS: Foster parents were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule, interview material was transcribed and subsequently an ideal-type analysis was performed. RESULTS: Based on foster parents' perceptions of their role in the children's lives, we identified three ideal-types of foster parents: 1) emotional foster parents, 2) ambiguous foster parents, and 3) professional foster parents. CONCLUSIONS: Foster parent perceptions of their fostering role have implications for understanding foster care as a developmental context. date: 2025-02 date_type: published publisher: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD official_url: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.107241 full_text_type: other language: eng verified: verified_manual elements_id: 2354371 doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.107241 medium: Print-Electronic pii: S0145-2134(24)00634-3 lyricists_name: Midgley, Nicholas lyricists_id: NJMID90 actors_name: Midgley, Nicholas actors_id: NJMID90 actors_role: owner funding_acknowledgements: [Independent Research Fund Denmark] full_text_status: restricted publication: Child Abuse & Neglect volume: 160 article_number: 107241 pages: 13 event_location: England citation: Dalgaard, NT; Reich, JM; Midgley, N; Hillman, S; Hall, HD; Pontoppidan, M; (2025) What does it mean to be a ‘foster parent’? -exploring Foster parent narratives using ideal-type analysis. Child Abuse & Neglect , 160 , Article 107241. 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.107241 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.107241>. document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10204829/1/Foster.parent.types.CHIABUNEG-D-24-00823_R2.pdf