For tamariki (children) and rangatahi (young people) in care, the thoughts and feelings of belonging to more than one family are a difficult dynamic to navigate and can cause conflicts with both care and birth families.

Understanding the complex emotions, behaviours, and beliefs that they may bring into your home, will help you nurture their sense of belonging and ensure that they feel understood.

We will discuss the inner conflict that tamariki have with their birth family and how to support them through these torn loyalties, so they feel accepted and develop a sense of belonging in your family.

Learning Objectives:

  1. To understand how a child may experience conflict between biological family and care family and the beliefs that children might bring into the new home.
  2. To understand the behaviours that children may display related to contact with their biological family.
  3. To explore how to create a feeling of belonging to support the child and build security.