The Foster Parent Role and Care Temporality: A Contrastive-Comparative Perspective on Norway and Japan

This study discusses how cultural interpretations of the foster parent role might shape perceptions and practices related to the temporariness of care and reunification with biological families. Employing a contrastive-comparative approach, the study compares interviews with seven Japanese foster parents, with prevailing discourses surrounding the foster parent role in Norway. The findings suggest that the Japanese foster parents implicitly recognize the temporariness of their role. In contrast, the Norwegian foster parent role has typically been associated with an emphasis on the risks associated with separation from new attachment figures, which may be perceived as detrimental to children’s well-being. We argue that this conceptualization, which frames children as inherently vulnerable, may shape the foster parent's role as one of protection, with a primary focus on shielding the child from disruption and fostering a secure attachment. This perspective, we suggest, could have implications for the temporariness of children’s care placements and the process of reunification. The study calls for a critical examination of the values underlying current child protection practices and encourages openness to alternative perspectives, including those informed by different cultural contexts.