Exploring the views of children in foster care: The past, present and future

Young people in foster care can experience adversity and circumstances that can be completely hidden from others. The effects of disrupted home environments can manifest in the form of challenging behaviour, poorer academic performance, and the forming of unhealthy relationships. Clinical and social practices must emerge from a place of understanding the needs of the individual child. To better understand the lives of children in foster care, thematic analysis was used to examine transcripts from 15 semi-structured conversations with children in long-term foster care in Northern Ireland, conducted during phase three of the longitudinal Care Pathways and Outcomes Study. Four overarching themes emerged, in relation to how these children viewed their lives, past, present and future: Contentment and Happiness; Family and Unresolved Feelings; Identity and Self-Esteem; and Compassion. Children were generally happy with their lives, had a developed sense of self and generally good self-esteem. However, unsurprisingly, evidence confirmed that their previous experiences and on-going family relationships shaped their views.