Résumé :
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The widening gap between the supply and demand for foster parents for children with special medical needs inspired this descriptive study of 30 families who have successfully cared for these children. This analysis of the information obtained from interviews seeks to answer two questions : 1) Who are the foster parents who care for children with special medical needs ? 2) Why did they become involved ? Analysis of their socio-demographic and family characteristics indicates that they tend to come from large families with fluid boundaries, that many have relatives and friends involved in foster care, that they are somewhat more educated than other samples of foster parents, and that they are also more intensely involved in foster care. Five categories of reasons for their commitment to this work emerged from their accounts : love for children ; childhood and family backgrounds ; fulfillment of desired family roles ; fulfillment of desired work roles ; and particular events that catalyzed their interest into action. The majority reported that they "fell into" their specialty in the course of "regular" foster care, and found themselves well qualified because of their educations, employment experiences, and earlier work with vulnerable children and adults. Implications for recruiting new foster parents to care for children with special medical needs are discussed.
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