Die rol en ervaring van die grootmoeder as familiepleegouer

[摘要] An exploratory study with a descriptive design has been used in order to get more information and insight about the tendency of grandmothers as kinship caregiver (family foster parent) for their grandchildren. The researcher became aware of the increase in the use of the grandmother as a kinship caregiver, as well as the shortage of literature in South Africa. The abovementioned aspects lead to the motivation for the study. The experience of the grandmother in Kayamandi as kinship caregiver was studied. The aim of the study is to provide guidelines to social workers for service rendering to grandmothers as kinship caregivers.The literature study gave a historical overview of foster care and kinship care in both the United States of America (USA) and South Africa. Foster care was described as a process: from preventative services to permanency planning. Specific attention was given to the grandmother as kinship caregiver. As the literature in the USA focused on the Afro-American, it was decided to do the study in Kayamandi, where the grandmother as kinship caregiver is mostly isiXhosa-speaking.The sample consists out of 15 grandparents who are either Afrikaans or English speaking. The mixed methodology design model was used by mixing qualitative as well as quantitative research: structured interviews based on structured questionnaires.The study enabled the researcher to draw up a profile of the grandmother as kinship caregiver as well as the family foster child in Kayamandi. The results of the literature confirmed the results of the study; the experience of the grandmother as kinship caregiver is marked with mixed feelings, but is overall a positive experience.The recommendations focused on three areas; the grandmother, the grandchild and the experience of the grandmother as kinship caregiver. The central theme for both grandmother and grandchild was the need for support. It is recommended that future research focus on the development of support programs aimed specifically at grandparents as kinship caregivers.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University