The 9th International Foster Care Research Conference

From 27th to 29th of September 2017, the Centre de recherches en éducation et formation (CREF) équipe Education familiale et Interventions sociales en direction des familles,  at Université Paris Nanterre  (France), will host

The 9th International Foster Care Research Network Conference

 Continuity and Disruption in Foster Care

The Foster Care Research Network was created in 2007 under the impulse of Prof. Klaus Wolf and Dr. Daniela Reimer, Universität Siegen (Germany). This year the CREF at the University of Paris Nanterre will host the 9th International Foster Care Research Network Conference on the issue of continuity and disruption in foster care.

When they live in foster care, children’s and young people’s lives follow the pace of separations. Besides from the first separation with their parents when they come into care and from the following separation(s) with foster families, children and young people who are in care also live their childhood with the idea of being far from their parents. These disruptions and separations have great implications in the experience of children and also in the work practice of foster families and social workers. The 9 th International Foster Care Research Network Conference will be a place to share research findings and questions on the pathways of children in foster care, their experiences of disruption and continuity, and on how practitioners and policies address these issues in different countries.

A range of issues could be adressed, such as :

  • How to think about a child’s fostering in a comprehensive way, that includes history and family bonds ?

  • How do children experience disruptions and breakdowns during their care trajectory ?

  • Can we think of a continuity regarding the child’s relationships with people who are important in their life ?
  • Can we assume that breakdowns have the same meaning depending on factors like the child’s age, the presence of the parents in everyday life, the way practitioners talk about the parents …

  • What can be elaborate around keys moments and life events punctuating the care trajectory of the child (iterative placement, round trip family-foster care) ?

  • Regarding practices, what are or could be supports and tools participating in an elaboration of continuity in the life of the foster child (educational tools, digital use) ?

 

 

27-28th of September

The first two days of the conference will be dedicated to plenary conferences and parallel sessions for researchers to present and discuss their findings in English. Plenary sessions and parallel sessions will begin Wednesday, September 27th at 2PM, until Thursday, 28th, 6 PM.

29th of September

The third day will be organised jointly with ONPE (Observatoire National de la Protection de l’Enfance, former ONED) and ANPF (Association Nationale des Placements Familiaux), and will be translated into French, in order to allow for presentations and debates with French researchers and  practitioners from the field of Foster Care.

 

We look forward to welcoming you in Nanterre!

 Séverine Euillet – Philippe Fabry – Hélène Join-Lambert – Amélie Turlais

For questions on the Conference please contact us under fostercareresearch@liste.u-paris10.fr

For questions on the Foster Care Research Network please contact Daniela Reimer, University of Siegen, E-Mail : daniela.reimer@uni-siegen.de