Rethinking the Meaning of Family for Adolescents and Youth in Zimbabwe’s Child Welfare Institutions (Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and Intimate Life)

Preface
	References
Acknowledgements
Contents
Abbreviations
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Introduction
	The Social Exclusion of Youths in Institutions
	A Critical Social Work Perspective
	Clarification of Key Terms in the Study
		“Family”
		Child Welfare Institutions
		Orphans and Vulnerable Children
		Looked-After Children
	Outline of the Book
	References
Chapter 2: A Study on Family Meanings
	Why Study Family Meanings?
	Defining Family
		Traditional Family Definition
		Nontraditional Family Definition
	The Research Methodology
		Study Epistemology and Ontology
		Research Design
		Study Procedure
		Data Collection
			Adolescents and Youths in Child Welfare Institutions
			Adolescents and Youths in Families
		Family Variables for Participants in Child Welfare Institutions
			Reason for Admission
			Family Contact
			Sibling Relationships
			Placement Instability
			Social Support
	Data Analysis
	Ethical Considerations
		Gatekeepers
		Sensitive Information
		Younger Children
	Researcher Reflexivity
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 3: Theorising Family Meanings
	Classical Sociological Theories of Family
		Social Constructionism
		Symbolic Interactionism
		Sense of Belonging
		Sense of Home
		Family Memories
	Contemporary Sociological Theories of Family
	Family Practices
	Family Display
	African Family Theory (Ukama)
	Ubuntu and African Family Values
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 4: Constructing “Family” During Child–Family Separation
	Theories of Child–Family Separation
		Attachment Theory
		Ambiguous Loss
	Separation and Placement in Institutional Care
		Extrafamilial Care
		Involvement of the Birth Family
		Relationships with Caregivers in the Institution
	Constructing Family Meanings During Child–Family Separation
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 5: Family in Southern Africa
	Changes in Southern African Families over the Last Decades
	Families in Zimbabwe
	Distinctive Family Forms in Zimbabwe
		Child-Headed Families
		Grandparent-Headed Families
		Small-House Families
	Conclusion
	References
Chapter 6: Adolescents’ and Youths’ “Family Meanings” in Zimbabwe
	Descriptive Statistics: Adolescents and Youths in Child Welfare Institutions
		Details of Separation Experience
	Adolescents and Youths in Families Descriptive Statistics
	Participant Observations
	Grounded Analysis on Family Definitions
	Uncategorised Definitions of Family
	Statistical Analyses of Family Definitions
		Description of Variables Used in Binary Logistic Regression
		Interpreting Binary Logistic Regression Results
		Multivariate Analysis of Adolescents’ and Youths’ Definitions of the Family
		Interpreting Multinomial Logistic Regression Results
		Adolescents and Youths’ Family-Related Worries
		Broader Family Definitions Beyond Blood Relations
	Adolescents’ and Youths’ Family Membership in Zimbabwe
		Statistical Analysis of Adolescents’ and Youths’ Constructions of Family Membership (in Institutions and in Families)
		Adolescents’ and Youths’ Constructions of Family Membership (in Institutions Only)
		Interpreting Family Membership Results
		Broader Family Membership Categories
	Conclusion
	References
Untitled
Chapter 7: Rethinking the Meaning of Family for Adolescents and Youths in Zimbabwe’s Child Welfare Institutions
	Describing the Conceptual Model
		The Social Construction of Family
		Symbolic Interactionism
	How to Apply the Model
	Implications for Child Welfare in Zimbabwe
		Policies and Interventions to Prevent Child–Family Separation
		Promoting a Better Quality of Care in Child Welfare Institutions
		Improving the Knowledge About Youths’ Families
		More Family Studies in Zimbabwe
	Final Conclusions
	References
Appendix
	Questionnaire Operationalisation (Adolescents and Youths in Child Welfare Institutions Sample)
Index