Navigating Gaps in Knowledge about Significant Life Events: Life Stories of Adults Formerly in Foster Care

Introduction & background Life narratives about who we are and where we come from are vital to developing a sense of self. Given impermanence, this may be especially true for young people who age out of foster care. Research identifies the ways that gaps in understanding experiences in family and foster care may be persistent and destabilizing for young people. Part of the problem may be that systems lack clear information about families and their histories, that information is lost over time, and/or that certain information may be too sensitive for professionals to share. There is limited information about the types of gaps that matter to young people or how they make sense of them. This study draws on life story interviews with 12 former foster youth in the state of Illinois and 6 nominated professionals and asks: (1) What types of gaps exist in the life stories? (2) How are gaps conceptualized by young people and the professionals who serve them?

Methods This study employed retrospective life history methods in semi-structured interviews of former foster youth between the ages of 22 and 35. Twelve participants completed three interviews each, lasting between 90-120 minutes. Participants were asked to place significant events on a timeline, spanning from birth to the present; complete a personal network map; and nominate one “support” person from foster care for a stakeholder interview (n=6). A three-stage process identified themes in the data (Braun & Clark, 2006). First, the data were reviewed by team members in a holistic fashion. Second, team members met weekly to resolve discrepancies, maintain a reflexive stance and develop a codebook. In this step, a process of constant comparison was used to explore themes and identify conceptual patterns in data within and across interviews (Charmaz, 2014). In the final step, conceptual categories and thematic concepts were developed and refined.

Results The participants in this study talked about having gaps in: (1) basic information about birth parents, (2) understanding of adverse experiences in family and foster care, and (3) knowledge of the impacts of each on their development. Because questions were persistent, half of the participants talked about the ways that they had actively sought out information through a formal request of case records or asking relatives, which could be disempowering. The other half actively avoided asking questions, preferring to fill in gaps on their own. Our interviews with the nominated professional indicate that their knowledge of participants life histories mostly mirrored that of the participants.

Discussion & Implications The young people in this study had unanswered questions about their pasts. None talked about having opportunities to review case records while in foster care or explore questions that were important to them. The nominated professionals did not possess in depth information either. Our discussion focuses on policy and practice implications for centering the well-being of young people in foster care.