Fostering adolescents presents significant caregiving challenges, particularly when substance misuse is involved. Although research has extensively examined adolescent behavioural difficulties, limited attention has been given to the lived experiences, coping strategies, and support systems of foster parents caring for adolescents who misuse substances, especially within the Eden Karoo Region of the Western Cape. This study addresses this gap by exploring foster parents’ experiences and the holistic support structures available to them. Qualitative research design was employed, using purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews with 12 foster parents caring for adolescents reported to be misusing substances. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory guided the analysis, enabling examination of the systemic influences shaping foster care experiences.
Findings indicate that foster parents experience considerable institutional strain due to limited and inconsistent social work interventions. Participants reported frustration, isolation, and emotional exhaustion when professional support was fragmented or unavailable. Even when services were accessed, assistance was often perceived as short-term, particularly in cases of relapse. As a result, foster parents relied heavily on informal support networks, including extended family, partners, friends, and faith-based communities. Many adolescents were placed within extended family systems, often under the care of grandparents who faced challenges in maintaining authority and discipline. Participants expressed a need for sustained counselling, training, and education to strengthen their capacity to respond effectively to substance misuse. Using an ecological lens, the study demonstrates that weaknesses within broader service and community systems directly destabilise the foster home, affecting the entire family system.
- Exploring the experiences, coping strategies, and holistic support systems of parents fostering adolescents misusing substances in the Eden Karoo region, Western Cape
- Zoleka Siguca - Magqamfana
- Fatima Ipeleng Mmusi
- University of Johannesburg; Master of Arts (MA)
- Master of Arts (MA), University of Johannesburg
- 9963606307691
- University of Johannesburg
- Department of Social Work & Community Development; University of Johannesburg; Faculty of Humanities
- English
- Thesis