The ‘ordinary’ family as a resource for single parents—on the Swedish contact family service

Abstract

This article reports on some important results from a qualitative study, which mainly focused on the topics of family notions and notions of ‘good parenthood’, and their impact on the Swedish ‘contact family service’. The service is provided to help mostly single mothers—with scarce social networks that lack the ability to provide support—to get relief from constant care-giving for one or two weekends a month. The three parties—client families, contact families and the social workers that handled the cases—have been interviewed (a total of 54 interviews) about their experience of their own parenthood and family life as well as their notions in general, for example of a ‘normal’ and an ‘ideal’ family. The interaction and influence of these notions on shaping the contact family service were studied. The article comes to the conclusion that the design of the contact family service needs further consideration on the family ideals that are reproduced in the service. With the nuclear family as the norm, the burden of a lone parenthood will increase.

Denna artikel presenterar några viktiga resultat från en kvalitativ studie, som främst fokuserade på föreställningar om familj och om ‘det goda föräldraskapet’ och dessa föreställningars påverkan på den svenska kontaktfamiljsinsatsen inom socialtjänsten. Kontaktfamiljsinsatsen används mestadels för att ge avlastning till ensamstående mödrar med svaga sociala nätverk ett eller två veckoslut i månaden. De tre parterna—klientfamiljer, kontaktfamiljer och socialsekreterare som handlade ärendena—intervjuades (totalt 54 intervjuer) om sina upplevelser av såväl sitt eget föräldraskap och familjeliv som sina generella bilder, exempelvis av en ‘normal’ och en ‘ideal’ familj. Inflytandet av dessa bilder på kontaktfamiljsinsatsen studerades. Artikeln kommer till slutsatsen att utformningen av insatsen kräver vidare eftertanke över de familjeideal den reproducerar. Med kärnfamiljen som norm, kan bördan av att vara ensam i föräldraskapet bli än större.

Keywords:

• Contact Families
• Single Parents
• Ordinary Families
• Family Ideal
• Notions of the Family

Nyckerlord:

• Kontaktfamiljer
• Ensamstående Föräldrar
• Vanliga Familjer
• Familjeideal
• Föreställningar om Familj

Notes

1. A common way of recruiting contact families is through advertising in daily newspapers. In the advertisements you can read how social services often emphasize that they are searching for ‘ordinary families consisting both of a mother and a father, who, to some extent, can compensate a net-work of kin and friends, that many people are lacking nowadays’ (example from a newspaper). After the family has sent in their name as a contact family, the social services have a comprehensive interview with the whole family (like the interview they have with potential foster carers). At one of the social authorities investigated, the payment to the contact families in 2005 was about 1300 SKr. (ca. [euro]139) for a weekend by the month. Payment for every additional day and night is 150 SKr. (ca. [euro]16). The average payment to long-term foster carers is about 385 SKr. (ca _41) per day and night. All the mentioned payments include 50% expenses and 50% taxable income.

2. At the time of the interviews, the 18 families had participated in the contact family service accordingly: in nine cases between one and three years, in five cases between four and six years, and in four cases over nine years (12 years at most). Thus, the duration of the service can last for many years, however the longest is until the child is 18.