Openness Towards the Child's Birth Family in a Canadian Foster‐To‐Adopt Setting

ABSTRACT

In Quebec, Canada, looked‐after children deemed at high risk of discontinuity and instability can be placed with foster‐to‐adopt parents. This allows them to remain in the same family if and when they are legally freed for adoption. Uncertainty regarding the finalization of adoption and mandatory pre‐adoption contact with birth family members may affect the foster‐to‐adopt parents' attitudes towards the child's birth family. This article documents foster‐to‐adopt parents' level of openness towards child birth family members. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 16 foster‐to‐adopt families and 23 caseworkers during the first year following placement. A second interview was conducted 18 months later with 15 of the 16 families. Using thematic analysis, three different profiles of openness were identified: forced openness/closed attitude; limited openness/passive attitude; strongly affirmed openness/proactive attitude. This paper highlights the main characteristics of each profile as well as the evolution of openness between both interviews. The influence of caseworkers' practices and attitudes toward openness on the foster‐to‐adopt parents' perceptions of the birth family is discussed.