Session 10/21

Page 5/7: Topic C: Helping the child learn about customs, roles and behaviour in the foster family

Topic C: Helping the child learn about customs, roles and behaviour in the foster family

Every family has it’s own habits and rules for behaviour – how we talk to each other, respect each other, the daily rhythms in the family and so forth. Usually we never talk about them because every family member knows ”that’s the way we behave in our family”. But for a child coming from another family, or from an institution, or from parents who was unable to care for it, even the simplest rules of conduct can be very difficult to learn. If the foster child has behaviour problems, it can be difficult for the foster family’s own children to understand why their parents behave differently towards the child in care. They may become jealous, or afraid that the attention of their parents is only on the new child. Perhaps they may even be provoked by the child’s behaviour (”He just walks in and takes my clothes without asking!”). Therefore, it is important to find a new balance. The foster parents can make a new set of rules of conduct, describe them to all family members, and show how to practice them in daily situations. Doing this regularly will help the child in care feel as a member of the family, and teach them how to behave. Many children in foster care have little sense of how to interact with others in a family. What can you do to help them learn this? Here are ideas for how to make and practice a set of rules:

A regular family meeting every week to introduce rules for how to work together. Start in a simple way by asking for example: How can we respect each other? It’s important that the children participate and agree. For example: ”Let us discuss and find three rules for how to help each other” or ”when we have dinner, shall we take turns in telling each other how the day went?” or, ”It would be nice, if you would share each other’s things and toys” or, ”I have a rule: we all take turns setting the dinner table”. You can pick any topic you think will be helpful to avoid conflicts.

An example: One foster mother found that the two teenagers were very annoyed when the younger children ran after them, leaving no space for their privacy. After discussing this one evening with the whole family, she made a rule about when the teenagers should be alone.

This is an interview with Galus, who has received the SOS parental training. Galus talks about parenting teenagers and emphasises different aspects of his responsibilities as a father.

There will always be family disagreements. It’s important for children to know that there is a set of rules and when and where to negotiate rules and discuss problems. Gradually the discussions will give the children a better sense of how to work together. With very disturbed foster children, learning about how to practice interaction may take much longer than usual.

Here is an example from an interview with foster parents who received a very deprived child when he was one and a half years old: ”When we received him, he almost did not move, he had not learned to speak, and he still could only drink from a feeding bottle. Our own children had looked forward to having a new little brother, but he was unable to respond to them. If they tried to touch him or caress him, he started screaming, or tried to scratch them. It took a long time for them to understand that he was under-stimulated, and that we as foster parents had to work with him first for a long time. Because we stimulated him often, his development happened very quickly – but as he got older, it was clear that he didn’t know how to interact: he was very energetic, aggressive, and always restless. He could not stay in a dialogue or with an activity for more than a minute. He often dropped something he was doing, or interrupted others when they were in the middle of a conversation. Because he was afraid and stressed, he often tried to take control of others and dominate the situation. Our children being five and six years older than him found it very strange that a toddler would think he could dominate the dinner table, and that he would just scream if he didn’t get his way. So, the whole family had to work to show him how to take turns, listen to others and respond in a conversation. He also needed much guidance to learn how to understand where he could go and not go. Today he is nine and able to attend school – but if he gets too excited, he still acts out like a four year old. Now he trusts all family members, he is very fond of our oldest teenager, and he has learned to ask for help in difficult situations. His teachers are very tolerant but also quite firm, so now he is learning much faster than before. We as a family have learned to manage very stressful daily situations and how to prevent conflicts. In a way this brought us, our own children and our other foster child closer together, but the first two years were very difficult for all of us. ”

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DIALOGUE

10 minutes

Have you cared for foster children who had similar challenges?
How did your family respond and work to help them learn interaction skills?
Do you have suggestions or experiences for how to work with children who have such challenges because of a lack of care before you received them?
What will you plan to do at home, so that all family members can cooperate to help the child learn to interact with others?