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Date
8-12-2020 12:40 PM
Abstract
Relationships between members of sibling groups have been found to impact well-being for children who enter foster care (Herrick & Piccus, 2005). Being placed in stranger foster care is often challenging and can be traumatic with children reporting confusion, worry, and loss of identity and sense of belonging (Herrick & Piccus, 2005, Unrau et al, 2008). While some research explored the experiences of sibling groups in foster care and some examined Latinx children in foster care, there is little research that looks into the potentially unique experiences of Latinx individuals who were in care with siblings that also accounts for cultural nuance. As evidence emerges that Latinx children, after accounting for socioeconomic and immigration status, are more likely to be referred, substantiated, and enter foster care than white children (Putnam- Hornstein et al, 2013), this topic becomes of key importance. An intersectional approach must be utilized to show how many systems and factors meet to affect the experience of Latinx siblings in foster care. This study utilized a mixed-methods exploratory design with a demographic questionnaire and interview components to answer the research question: how do various factors affect the experiences of Latinx foster youth who were in care with siblings? Participants were interviewed either in person or over the phone. Thematic analysis was used to analyze interview transcripts to identify common themes. Preliminary findings suggest the importance of maintaining sibling relationships, cultural connection, individualized knowledge, and care from social workers.
Biographies
Isabella Ginsberg Major: Social Work
Isabella Ginsberg is a senior at Portland State University majoring in Social Work and minoring in Spanish. She is a McNair Scholar in the Honors College and holds various positions on campus. She is the Assistant Director for the Social Work Student Association and the BSW Student Representative for the Class of 2020. She works as a Researcher for the Center for Improvement of Child and Family Services, which is dedicated to research to shape the future of social work and human services practice. She has also interned with the Department of Human Services Child Welfare and Court Appointed Special Advocates, directly serving families affected by the Oregon child welfare system. Her research centers around the experiences of siblings in foster care, specifically within the Latinx community. As a former foster youth, Isabella is a strong believer in cultivating sibling relationships while in care and is hoping to impact research and policy to be able to make this possible for all children in the child welfare system. As a student in the Child Welfare Education Program, a partnership with DHS to support future child welfare leaders, Isabella hopes to work in the field for a while and be accepted into an Advanced Standing Social Work program for fall 2021, and continue to pursue her PhD in Social Work to work towards her goal of being a change-maker in the field of child welfare
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jessica Rodriguez-Jenkins
I am a PhD trained child and family researcher with a principal interest in supporting parenting in highly stressed families, particularly in the Latinx community, through culturally appropriate intervention and engagement strategies targeting access to resources, parent mental health, and parenting skills. I conduct practice-informed qualitative and quantitative research that centers on how to best support vulnerable Latinx families, while illuminating assets and within-group differences among Latinx communities. I am committed to research that includes partnerships with community providers to develop sustainable, culturally responsive interventions. My work focuses on supporting multi-level factors that affect parent-child relationships particularly among those served by the child welfare system and other public agencies to decrease the extent to which Latinx children and families experience social and health disparities throughout their childhood.
Disciplines
Social Work
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Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/33588
"We Had to Rely on Each Other": The Voices of Latinx Foster Youth with Experiences in Care with Siblings
Relationships between members of sibling groups have been found to impact well-being for children who enter foster care (Herrick & Piccus, 2005). Being placed in stranger foster care is often challenging and can be traumatic with children reporting confusion, worry, and loss of identity and sense of belonging (Herrick & Piccus, 2005, Unrau et al, 2008). While some research explored the experiences of sibling groups in foster care and some examined Latinx children in foster care, there is little research that looks into the potentially unique experiences of Latinx individuals who were in care with siblings that also accounts for cultural nuance. As evidence emerges that Latinx children, after accounting for socioeconomic and immigration status, are more likely to be referred, substantiated, and enter foster care than white children (Putnam- Hornstein et al, 2013), this topic becomes of key importance. An intersectional approach must be utilized to show how many systems and factors meet to affect the experience of Latinx siblings in foster care. This study utilized a mixed-methods exploratory design with a demographic questionnaire and interview components to answer the research question: how do various factors affect the experiences of Latinx foster youth who were in care with siblings? Participants were interviewed either in person or over the phone. Thematic analysis was used to analyze interview transcripts to identify common themes. Preliminary findings suggest the importance of maintaining sibling relationships, cultural connection, individualized knowledge, and care from social workers.