| Popis: |
This study focuses on the personal experiences and perceptions of non-custodial parents’ relationship with their children where the only contact is supervised. It explores the subjective experience, meanings and processes that non-custodial parents construct when faced with these circumstances. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with nine supervised non-custodial parents in Malta. Using a methodological approach based on constructivist grounded theory, four main categories have emerged from these parents’ discourse which capture how and where perceptions of the non-custodial parent have changed. These relate to external influences, on being a parent, the parent and child relationship and concerns about future relating. The key issues that emerge show that supervised parents are very sensitive to external influences around them. These are often embodied in the presence of the supervisor who thus becomes part of a triadic relationship, with trust being a key determinant of how this relationship develops. Indirectly, supervised parents provide a profound definition of what being a parent is all about for them by also describing those factors which they consider important for a relationship with their child to develop. From this explorative study, a number of potential areas for related research emerge. Finally, and at a practical level, the study also serves to highlight those areas where improvement in supervision services is recommended for a better relationship between the parent and the child to be fostered. |
