Abstract:
Children in foster care have more health problems and more health care service needs than similar children in the general population. In addition, children in foster care often have a lack of continuity in care. This study aims to identify the perspectives of foster parents and social workers as they relate to the health care of children in foster care. Using a grounded theory method, interviews were conducted of eight foster parents and four social workers regarding who they perceive to be responsible for the health of children in foster care. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. The transcriptions were then coded using NVivo. The two main themes that emerged were communication and expectations. These themes were used to create the emerging theory of the interwoven set of conditions that occurs for foster parents and social workers to determine who is responsible for the health of children in foster care.
