FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS: THE CARE ECO-SYSTEM IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

This paper focuses on the organisation of care labour within the fostering eco-system in Singapore, shared between various sets of state-society actors. The recent development of foster care can be attributed to an evolving logic of childcare brought forth through state-level interactions. The prevailing logic of foster care is legitimised, as it maintains a fine balance between the preservation of natural families fundamental to the Asian family values discourse and the state’s renewed commitment to uphold the best interests of children. It both challenges and reinforces normative understandings of family-based care. Through qualitative interviews with foster parents and Fostering Agency Social Workers as well as participant-observation conducted at a tea session for foster parents, this paper seeks to enhance understanding on the emotionally driven yet emotionally intensive nature of foster care, where contesting desires and expectations of the various actors intersect. Bound by a shared value to preserve the best interests of children, actors within the foster care eco-system invest heavily into the wellbeing of foster children, driven by feelings of sympathy, empathy and even love. Yet, these are met with contending emotions of anger, anxiety, stress and insecurity, resulting from a felt loss of power and control in the respective positions and roles of actors within the system – with foster parents struggling with the challenges of care, natural parents disadvantaged by their social location and Fostering Agency Social Workers constrained by the requirements of their job.