Contact kinship and a ‘fifth province’ systemic perspective

Contact or contact is seen as an integral part of foster care. It is generally seen as a key barometer of the state of relationships between all the parties involved. It is accepted that while there are rewards, albeit different for different people, there are also many challenges. So, what are the key issues in kinship care placements? Does the family connection make contact easier or more difficult? If family relationships are generally collaborative, what position does the child welfare agency take in managing contact? If family generally organise contact with minimum agency assistance, how is the agency satisfied that the child is protected?
How can life cycle change be accommodated in a way that builds on the cooperative relationships as opposed to threatening its stability? Likewise, if family relationships are acrimonious, how does this impact on the agencies’ responsibility towards the child in terms of maintaining ongoing contact? How does the child make sense of the conflict in terms of their ongoing relationships with all parties?
How can the conflicts be navigated to ensure that the stability of placement is not jeopardised and that a level of respect can be reintroduced into the network? How can the sibling relationships be maintained if the children are placed in different family members’ homes where there are tensions among the adults involved? This paper/powerpoint draws on a fifth province systemic framework. Through an application of this framework, the child’s care plan, the needs and wishes of the different participants and differences in the kinship network of relationships can be brought together for purposes such as understanding dynamics, working clinically with the dynamics involved and facilitating inclusive contact decision making in the kinship network.