This article reports on an exploratory study about maintaining and supporting the cultural identity of children from culturally and linguistically diverse family backgrounds in foster care placements. In this study, we spoke with foster carers and caseworkers who respectively live and work with children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in the state of New South Wales. Foster care is one of the most common placement types in out-of-home care where a child or young person is placed with an alternative caregiver on a temporary or long-term basis, usually due to neglect or abuse. The importance of nurturing a sense of belonging through cultural, linguistic and religious affiliations is recognised in Australian curriculum policies that guide teachers in early childhood and school settings. Teachers, however, may not be fully aware of their potential contribution in supporting these children to maintain their connections with their cultural heritage. Our findings provide evidence for extending the public discourse on cultural responsiveness and supporting cultural maintenance in foster care placements. We consider implications for foster care practice and future research involving key stakeholders such as children and young people in care, as well as teachers in early childhood and school settings.

中文翻译：

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在寄养机构中维护文化并支持文化认同

本文报道了一项关于在寄养机构中维护和支持来自文化和语言不同家庭背景的儿童的文化身份的探索性研究。在这项研究中，我们采访了寄养者和个案工作者，他们分别与新南威尔士州具有不同文化和语言背景的儿童一起生活和工作。寄养是非家庭护理中最常见的安置类型之一，通常是由于疏忽或虐待而暂时或长期将儿童或年轻人与替代照料者安置在一起。通过文化，语言和宗教信仰来培养归属感的重要性在澳大利亚的课程政策中得到了认可，该政策指导了幼儿和学校环境中的教师。老师，但是 可能没有完全意识到他们在支持这些孩子与他们的文化遗产保持联系方面的潜在贡献。我们的研究结果为扩大公众对文化响应能力的论述以及支持寄养机构的文化维护提供了证据。我们考虑对寄养服务的实践和未来的研究的影响，这些研究涉及关键的利益相关者，例如受照料的儿童和年轻人，以及幼儿和学校环境中的老师。