Project Iris - Caring for a sexually abused foster child.

The traumatizing effects of child sexual abuse are generally acknowledged. Successfully fostering a child with a history of sexual abuse requires specific skills and knowledge. What expertise do foster families caring for these vulnerable children have? What do they need to succeed? What do foster children themselves have to say concerning their upbringing? To answer these questions Project Iris has been developed. Project Iris is a qualitative study in which stories are collected on the expertise, needs and experiences of family members in foster families concerning the care for a child with a history of sexual abuse. This descriptive study includes the voices of foster parents, the biological children of foster parents (9 to 17 years old and 18 – 25 years old) and foster children (9 to 17 years old). The aim of the presentation is to give an overview of the first results from Project Iris. Findings from twenty-eight narrative interviews with four foster parents and four biological children will be presented. These narrative interviews followed an episodic structure and took place during a six month time span. Several important themes emerged from the personal stories of the family members such as facing problematic behavior of the foster child, setting boundaries, bonding with a foster child, family coping strategies and “seeing” more than a traumatized child. The key findings of Project Iris will contribute to the development of an e-toolkit for foster families and their network.