Foster Care Research Center
About Us
Who We Are
The Foster Care Research Center is an interdisciplinary research initiative dedicated to the study of foster care, alternative care, child protection, and the transition to adulthood of care-experienced young people.
The Center promotes scientific research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the exchange of knowledge among academics, researchers, professionals, public institutions, and organisations working in child and family welfare.
Our work is grounded in the conviction that research can make a meaningful contribution to improving care systems, strengthening professional practices, and promoting the rights and well-being of children, young people, and families.
Our Mission
Our mission is to advance scientific understanding of foster care and alternative care by connecting rigorous academic research with the experiences of professionals, families, children, and young people.
We seek to contribute to the development of evidence-informed policies and practices through interdisciplinary research, comparative analysis, and collaboration between academic and professional communities.
Our Objectives
The Center pursues several interconnected objectives:
- Promoting scientific research on foster care, alternative care, child protection, and leaving care.
- Encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers in social work, social pedagogy, psychology, sociology, education, and social policy.
- Supporting evidence-informed practice by facilitating dialogue between research findings and professional experience.
- Advancing comparative research on child welfare systems, policies, and services across different national contexts.
- Promoting ethical and participatory research, with particular attention to the rights, perspectives, and experiences of children, young people, and families.
- Disseminating scientific knowledge through publications, research reports, seminars, conferences, and international collaboration.
Our Approach
Our research approach combines methodological rigour, interdisciplinary perspectives, and a commitment to social relevance.
We recognise the importance of investigating foster care and alternative care not only through institutional and professional perspectives, but also through the lived experiences of children, young people, birth families, and foster families.
Particular attention is devoted to the relationships between individual experiences, professional interventions, service organisation, and public policies.
The Center values qualitative, quantitative, comparative, and participatory methodologies, selecting research approaches according to the questions and contexts under investigation.
Scientific Collaboration
The Foster Care Research Center encourages collaboration with universities, research institutions, public authorities, professional communities, and civil society organisations.
We welcome opportunities to develop collaborative research projects, exchange methodological expertise, and contribute to international scientific networks.
Through these activities, the Center seeks to strengthen the connections between research, policy, and practice in the field of child and family welfare.
Research Ethics
Ethical responsibility is central to our scientific activities.
The Center promotes research practices based on respect for human dignity, informed participation, confidentiality, transparency, and the protection of participants’ rights.
Particular consideration is given to research involving children, young people, and individuals experiencing situations of vulnerability.
Join Our Research Community
We welcome researchers and institutions interested in scientific collaboration on foster care, alternative care, leaving care, and related areas of social research.
For further information about the Center, its research activities, and opportunities for collaboration, please visit our Contact page.