engleski

BEING A ROMA FOSTER PARENT IN CROATIA

According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a child has the right to know his/her origins and his/her nati onal, ethnic and cultural ties must be taken into account in planning their placement in out of home care. Because of the lack of Roma foster families and the lack of programs for maintaining children’s Roma identity, Roma children are often raised in a non-Roma environment, which erectsmbarrier between the children and their parents and community, reducing the chance of reuniting with the family in the future. The aim of this study was to gain insight into experiences of Roma foster parents (N = 7) with providing foster care in Roma settlements. Thematic analysis was chosen as method for processing, analysing and interpreting data. The research was descriptive, and the research process inductive. The results of this study show that the Roma foster parents decided to become foster parents because of their desire to provide appropriate care for children and their prior experience with foster care. Aggravating factors in providing foster care for Roma foster parents are reactions of the people in their Romani settlements, behaviour of the child’s biological parents, children's behaviour and the specific way of life in the Romani settlement. Empowering factors in providing foster care are: social support, so-called emotional "effects" of foster care to the foster parents as well preservation of the child’s culture, language and identity. The practical implications of the research are: better understanding of their experience and challenges Roma foster parents are dealing with while provide foster care, guidelines for practical action for improving the quality of care for Roma children in foster care and supporting Roma foster parents in according to their tradition and culture. The importance of protecting the cultural identity of the child is recognized, as well as the need to motivate new Roma families for engaging in foster care. The results suggest the need to inform and introduce Roma with foster care, with conditions which are obligatory in order to become foster parents, as well as the lives of Roma children in foster care, and importance of establishing contact with the community head representatives in Romani settlementswith the aim of their sensitization regarding foster care and its non-stigmatization in Roma settlements.

oster care, children, social care, Roma families, Romany settlements

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