Children's voices on parental visits in long-term foster care

Abstract

Objective

This study explores how children experience and navigate parental visits in long-term foster care.

Background

Parental visits are central to shared parenthood in foster care, yet little research has examined how children interpret and engage with these visits. Understanding their perspectives is essential for shaping visitation policies that support their well-being.

Method

This longitudinal qualitative study followed 14 children (aged 6–16) in long-term foster care over 18 to 24 months through three rounds of in-depth interviews, including dyadic interviews with their foster care workers. It examines how children assign meaning to visits, what opportunities they have to shape these experiences, and the limitations they encounter.

Results

Meaningful visits involve interactions that align with children's interests and their parents' circumstances. Children navigate visits using active and passive strategies, expressing emotions, adapting behaviors, or selectively sharing information. Their experiences evolve over time, shaped by personal interests, changing family dynamics, and institutional visitation structures.

Conclusion

While children exercise agency during and outside visits, institutional structures often constrain their ability to shape these experiences. Recognizing these dynamics is crucial for fostering meaningful connections and enhancing visitation practices.

Implications

Findings suggest that visitation policies should involve children in negotiating visits, especially in voluntary placements, and support foster care workers to act flexibly with sensitive responsiveness to children's needs and capacities. Such policy-driven flexibility can enhance children's agency and meaningful participation in visits, while accommodating their personal interests, relational dynamics, and institutional constraints.