Kinship care : an afrocentric perspective - eTheses Repository

352 Pages·2010·1.65 MB·English

by  Lynda Ince

Kinship Care: An Afrocentric Perspective

by

Lynda Ince

A thesis submitted to
The University of Birmingham
for the Degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Institute of Applied Social Studies
School of Social Sciences
University of Birmingham
April 2009
University of Birmingham Research Archive

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C O N T E N T S

Page
Contents
Acknowledgements
Glossary and Abbreviations
Abstract
Chapter One: Contextualising Care among People of
African Decent
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Study Rationale 2
1.3 Research Problem 4
1.4 Defining Kinship Care 11
1.5 Defining Risk and Resilience 14
1.6 Contextualising the Study: The Policy Context 14
1.7 Structure of the Study 20
Chapter Two: Families of African Descent and their
Historical Informal Kinship Networks
2.1 Introduction 23
2.2 Informal Kinship Care: An African Centred Perspective 25
2.3 Migration and Changing Patterns of Kinship among Black 36
Families in the United Kingdom
2.4 The Significance of Immigration Legislation for Black Families 40
2.5 The Impact of Migration on Black Families and their 44
Kinship Networks
2.6 Summary 47
Chapter Three: Applying the Afrocentric Theoretical
Paradigm
3.1 Introduction 49
3.2 Afrocentricity: A Discourse Centred in African Philosophy 51
3.3 The Legacies of Black Family Research 60
3.4 Shifting Thematic Orientations: Reconceptualising the Black Family 64
3.5 Applying Characteristics of the Afrocentric Paradigm to Kinship 71
Care
3.6 The Strengths and Limitations of Afrocentric Cultural Values 79
3.8 Summary 84
Chapter Four: Formalised Kinship Care
4.1 Introduction 86
4.2 Reviewing the Evidence: Understanding Kinship Care 87
4.3 Kinship Care: A Cultural Perspective 95
4.4 Risks in Kinship Care 100
4.5 Resilience in Kinship Care 106
4.6 Professional Responses to Kinship Care 110
4.7 Emerging Research Questions 112
Chapter Five: Methodology
5.1 Introduction 114
5.2 Taking an Afrocentric Approach 115
5.3 Selecting the Research Methodology 118
5.4 Designing the Study – An Overview 122
5.5 Developing the Data Instrument 126
5.6 Drawing the Sample 128
5.7 Data Collection 131
5.8 Role of the Researcher 134
5.9 Data Analysis 136
5.10 Ethical Considerations 144
5.11 Achieving Validity and Credibility 147
Chapter Six: Kinship Care through the Eyes of Young
People
6.1 Introduction 149
6.2 Introducing the Young People and their Caregivers 149
6.3 The Experiences of Young Black People in Kinship Care 152
6.4 Attributing Meaning: Positional Change in the Kinship Family 157
6.5 Understanding Sources of Risks 165
6.6 Building Resilience: Developing a Round of Support 171
Feeling Connected 177
Adaptation and Survival 179
6.7 Summary 183
Chapter Seven: Kinship Care: Exploring the
Caregivers’ Perspective
7.1 Introduction 185
7.2 Experiencing Kinship Care as Storied Knowledge 187
7.3 Attributing Meaning: Bridging the Gap 196
7.4 Broad base Support 199
7.5 Underpinning Cultural Values: Spirituality, Interconnectedness, 201
Interdependence and Collectivity
7.6 Understanding Risk 207
The Hard Experience 208
Dual Commitment 214
7.7 An Afrocentric Approach to Resilience 217
7.8 Summary 222
Chapter Eight: Kinship: The Social Workers’
Perspective
8.1 Introduction 223
8.2 Introducing the Social Workers 223
8.3 Exploring the Experiences of Social Workers 224
8.4 Attributing Meaning: Assessing Kinship Caregivers 232
8.5 Professional and Personal Dilemmas 234
8.6 Understanding Risks in Kinship Care 238
8.7 Understanding Resilience in Kinship Care 244
8.8 Summary 247
Chapter Nine : Bringing the Three Groups Together
9.1 Introduction 249
9.2 Presenting the Three Perspectives 249
(a) The Young People 249
(b) The Caregivers 251
(c) The Social Workers 253
9.3 Comparing and Contrasting Risk in Kinship Care 254
9.4 Promoting African Cultural Values in Social Work Practice 261
9.5 The Changing Context of Kinship Care 264
9.6 Summary 266
Chapter Ten: Conclusions
10.1 Introduction 267
10.2 Strengths and Limitations of the Study 267
10.3 Implications: Reframing Social Work Policy 272
10.4 Implications: Reframing Social Work Practice 275
10.5 Conclusion 279
APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Ethical Statement to Local Authorities 283
Appendix 2: Letter to Young People, Caregivers & Social Workers 286
Requesting Informed Consent
Appendix 3 A: An Interview Guide for Young People 288
Appendix 3 B: An Interview Guide for Caregivers 291
Appendix 3 C: An Interview Guide for Social Workers 294
Appendix 4: Information and Consent Form for all Participants 296
Appendix 5: Guide for Debriefing Field Notes 297
References 298
List of Figures
Figure 1 The Research Sample 126
Figure 2 Demographic Information for Young People and their 130
Caregivers
Figure 3 An Example of Data Analysis from Interview Text – 141
Developing the Categories
Figure 4 An Example of a Memo 142
Figure 5 Template for Analysis 143
Figure 6 The Normalising Experience 155
Figure 7 Devlin’s Re-Alignment in his Kinship Family 159
Figure 8 Example of Antecedents and Outcomes 163
Figure 9 Round of Connections for Young People 173
Figure 10 Demographic Data for Kinship Caregivers 186
Figure 11 Caregivers Perceptions Linked to Afrocentric Paradigm 198
Figure 12 Integrative Model: A Conceptual Overview 278
Acknowledgements

‘A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver’
Holy Bible, Proverbs 25:11

I am thankful to God for helping me to conclude my PhD studies and for giving me
the strength to see it through to the end. To Him are the thanks and the Glory.
I dedicate this work to the memory of my beloved mother, Mrs. Eudora Oxley who
guided and parented me. She overcame every struggle as a single parent who migrated to
England in 1963. She is congratulated and recognised posthumously for her
accomplishments in raising eight children successfully after the death of her husband. She
taught us how to meet and overcome life’s challenges without fear and with fortitude.
This work is also dedicated to my son Dr. Michael Ince. Thank you for your abiding
support and faith in me. Michael supported me to complete this work and without his
steadfast encouragement this work might not have been completed.
Sadly, I dedicated this thesis to my brother Daryl Oxley posthumously. He showed
love encouraging me to believe in my God-given abilities and was optimistic that I would
publicise this work for the benefit of the Black Community. I also acknowledge the support I
consistently received from my siblings, Judith Oxley, Dr. Gozil Oxley, Pauline Oxley, Denise
Oxley, Joy Oxley, as well as my nieces Kathy Nelson, Emmie Straughn and nephew, Danny
Straughn. Each one assisted in different ways and at different stages of my studies.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to Dr. Jan Waterson and Stephen Nixon at
the University of Birmingham who were my Research Supervisors. They helped me to reach
a stage of my studies that I thought was impossible. I am grateful to them for their guidance,
for reading my many drafts and making suggestions about how I could improve my work.
Sincere thanks and acknowledgements are expressed to all of the participants who
willingly and unsparingly gave their time, and who unreservedly shared their experiences
with me. I trust that this research will accurately and sensitively reflect the strength of
feeling that was communicated to me in the interviews with them; it has been an honour to
tell your stories. I hope that this research will result in recommendations that will bring about
positive changes for kinship caregivers and children who are placed in their care. You are
doing such a good job.
Finally, I extend my thanks to friends and colleagues for their support at various
stages of my studies. In particular, I would like to thank Ronny Flynn whose friendship
remained steadfast through my studies and to Professor Sonia Jackson and Dr. Dendy Platt
for reading my final drafts and giving their valuable comments.