Study title

Children in Foster Care 1940-1990: Life Experiences 2018

Dataset ID Number

FSD3828

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3828
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd3828

Data Type

Qualitative

Authors

• Hytönen, Kirsi-Maria (University of Jyväskylä)
• Markkola, Pirjo (University of Jyväskylä)
• Kuronen, Marjo (University of Jyväskylä)
• Korkiakangas, Pirjo (University of Jyväskylä)
• Oksanen, Johanna (University of Jyväskylä)
• Malinen, Antti (University of Jyväskylä)
• Salenius, Paula (University of Jyväskylä)
• Junkala, Pekka (University of Jyväskylä)
• Haikari, Janne (University of Jyväskylä)
• Tawah, Sanna (University of Jyväskylä)

Abstract

The data consists of interviews with people who spent their childhood in foster care. In the interviews, the respondents talk extensively about their own childhood memories and life experiences. The interviewees were placed or fostered either in a foster family, children's home, reform school or other child protection institution between 1940 and 1990.

First, the interviewees were asked about their early childhood and what kind of family they were born into. They were also asked about their experience of foster care and what they remembered about their first foster placement, as well as what they thought was the reason for the fostering. This was followed by questions about the foster-care placements and foster families and the kind of life the interviewee had lived. There was also an interest in contact with biological parents and also with social services during the foster-care placements and what kind of support the interviewee had received during his or her life. Interviewees were also asked about their experiences after the foster-care placements and about their current life, career and family situation. Finally, the interviewee was asked how he or she felt the foster-care placement had affected his or her life in general.

The background data include the interviewee's year of birth within five years, gender, region of residence, education, occupation and information of the different foster-care placements. The data were organised into an easy to use HTML version at FSD.

Keywords

child protection; childhood; children in care; family life; foster care; foster children; foster parents; life cycle; residential child care; social care

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Children (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Family life and marriage (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (C) available only for research including master's theses.

Data Collector

• Hytönen, Kirsi-Maria (University of Jyväskylä)
• Oksanen, Johanna (University of Jyväskylä)

Funders

• Kone Foundation (2100003744)

Collection Dates

2018-08-01 – 2023-11-30

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Persons who were placed in a foster family, children's home, reform school or other child protection institution between 1940 and 1990.

Time Method

Cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Availability

Participants were sought through an invitation to interview in the magazine Lapsen maailma and through the social media channels of The Central Union for Child Welfare and Pesäpuu Ry.

Collection Mode

Face-to-face interview

Web-based interview

Telephone interview

Research Instrument

Interview scheme and/or themes

Data Files

11 files in odt format. Additionally, the data were organised into an easy to use HTML version and a CSV version.

Data File Language

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: Finnish.

Qualitative data are available in their original language only and are not translated.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

The researcher has anonymised the data by removing or coarsening direct and indirect identifiers.

For identification reasons and to ensure consistency of anonymisation, information referring to place of residence and other indirect identifiers were removed from the data at FSD. Entries made by FSD are indicated by [[double brackets]].

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Hytönen, Kirsi-Maria (University of Jyväskylä) & Markkola, Pirjo (University of Jyväskylä) & Kuronen, Marjo (University of Jyväskylä) & Korkiakangas, Pirjo (University of Jyväskylä) & Oksanen, Johanna (University of Jyväskylä) & Malinen, Antti (University of Jyväskylä) & Salenius, Paula (University of Jyväskylä) & Junkala, Pekka (University of Jyväskylä) & Haikari, Janne (University of Jyväskylä) & Tawah, Sanna (University of Jyväskylä): Children in Foster Care 1940-1990: Life Experiences 2018 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2024-03-08). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD3828

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Publications

Malinen, Antti (2024) Murtuvat hiljaisuudet - traumakokemusten kantaminen, vaikutukset ja käsittely suomalaisperheissä 1944-2024. Teoksessa Sanna Isosävi, Marjo Ruismäki & Saara-Leena Kaunisto (toim.) Traumatisoituminen ja perhesuhteet. Helsinki: Traumaterapiakeskus.

Hytönen, K.-M., Malinen, A., Salenius, P., Haikari, J., Markkola, P., Kuronen, M., & Koivisto, J. (2016). Lastensuojelun sijaishuollon epäkohdat ja lasten kaltoinkohtelu 1937-1983. Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriö. Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriön raportteja ja muistioita, 2016:22

Kirsi-Maria Hytönen, Antti Malinen, Paula Salenius, Janne Haikari, Pirjo Markkola, Marjo Kuronen & Johanna Koivisto, Missförhållanden och vanvård av barn inom barnskyddets vård utom hemmet 1937-1983. Social- och hälsovårdsministeriets rapporter och promemorior 2016:55. Social- och hälsovårdsministeriet, Helsingfors 2016.

Lindberg, Hanna, Kaihovirta, Matias & Markkola, Pirjo (2016). Reflektioner om historikernas roll i den finländska utredningen om barnskyddets historia. Historisk Tidskrift 136:3, s. 495-502.

Hytönen, Kirsi-Maria & Salenius, Paula 2017. Yhteiskunnallisen etnologisen tutkimuksen eettisiä kysymyksiä. Teoksessa O.Fingerroos et al. (toim.), Yhteiskuntaetnologia. Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, SKS.

Hytönen, K.-M., & Malinen, Antti 2018. "Cos I'm a Survivor". Narratives of coping and resilience in recollections of difficult childhood in post-war Finland. Ethnologia Fennica, 45, 55-78.

Markkola, Pirjo, Malinen, Antti & Hytönen, Kirsi-Maria 2018. Conducting Commissioned Research: The Finnish Inquiry on the Failures of Child Welfare, 1937-83. Scandinavian Journal of History.

Malinen, Antti & Hytönen, Kirsi-Maria 2019. Kaltoinkohtelun äänet ja hiljaisuudet lastensuojelun historian tutkimuksessa. Teoksessa Historiako teoriatonta? Toim. Matti O. Hannikainen, Tuomas Tepora ja Mirkka Danielsbacka. Gaudeamus.

Gordon Lynch, Pirjo Markkola, Eoin O'Sullivan, Johanna Sköld & Shurlee Swain (2020). 'The uses of historical research in child abuse inquiries.” History & Policy.

Markkola, Pirjo 2021. Lastensuojelun epäonnistumisten historia. Teoksessa Hyvä ja paha tieto. Toim. Ilari Hetemäki, Anna-Kaisa Kuusisto, Maria Lähteenmäki & Esa Väliverronen. Gaudeamus, Helsinki, s. 49-61.

Hytönen, K.-M., & Malinen, A. 2022. Kaltoinkohtelun muistot lapsuudesta: muistitietotutkimus vaikuttamassa yhteiskuntaan. Teoksessa U. Savolainen, & R. Taavetti (toim.), Muistitietotutkimuksen paikka. Teoriat, käytännöt ja muutos (pp. 438-458). Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seuran toimituksia, 1478.

Koskinen-Koivisto, E., & Hytönen, K.-M. 2022. Kerrostuneet tulkinnat. Vaikeat lapsuusmuistot muistitietohaastattelussa. Teoksessa K. Vehkalahti, E. Jouhki, S. Lipkin, J. Sitomaniemi-San, & T. Kuokkanen (toim.), Matkaopas lapsuuden historian tutkimukseen. Monitieteisiä näkökulmia ja menetelmiä (137-161). Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. Historiallisia tutkimuksia, 288.