Mothering for the State

The Paradox of Fostering

Baukje (Bo) Miedema

Foster care is the most important component of child welfare services in Canada. Currently, foster care services are portrayed negatively with a continuous stream of stories in the media about poor foster care services. But who are foster care givers and what happens to a family when a foster child enters their family? Baukje (Bo) Miedema’s research reveals that the most important care giver in foster care is the foster mother. Why do these women care for seriously traumatized children on a 24 hour basis without a wage? This book tells the story of twenty foster mothers and their daily activities. Their stories are surprising, troubling and heart warming.

This important and timely work belongs on the bookshelves of all scholars, students and field workers in the area of child welfare services. This book is also of great interest to students and scholars in areas of mothering, women’s studies and gender studies.

Contents

• Introduction 
• Mothering throughout the Ages 
• Foster Care Mother Care? 
• Foster Mothers And Foster Children 
• The Paradox of The Foster Family 
• Foster Mothers And The State 
• Conclusion 
• Appendix 
• Bibliography