title: The experience of family foster care in Malawi: a preliminary investigation.
abstract: This preliminary investigation into family foster care in Malawi set out to provide information on the Malawi government family foster care structure primarily through the qualitative experience of foster caregivers. A semistructured interview schedule was used to interview 24 foster parents, who were selected from a government family foster care register, in two regions of Malawi. The study revealed that cultural factors influenced various aspects of family foster care, ranging from the caregivers' decision to foster children to the caregivers' determination not to disclose to the children that they were fostered. Social and economic factors also played a role, particularly with regard to some shortcomings in service delivery.
authors.affiliation: University of Malawi College of Medicine, Department of Community Health, Blantyre, Malawi.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Bandawe
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Louw
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003469:Culture; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D015658:HIV Infections; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008295:Malawi; D008297:Male; D009679:Nuclear Family / Q000523:psychology; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014342:Truth Disclosure