title: A personal view of black inner-city foster families.
abstract: This paper uses the personal experience of a 21-year-old, white, middle-class medical student living in a black inner-city neighborhood as a basis for observations on the special form of extended family that flourishes in this neighborhood. The particular strengths of families into which children have been "informally" adopted are noted, and it is suggested that mental health professionals must understand and appreciate the special strengths of these family ties if they are to act in the best interests of the children they serve.
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D014505:Urban Population