Navigating the Moral Landscape of Foster Care: The Risk of Blame and Suspicion in Paid Parenthood

Abstract

Foster care provides a family‐like upbringing for children who cannot stay with their biological parents for various reasons. While the practice of paying foster parents is not questioned, the level of the fee and how it is spent (or not spent) are morally charged matters. Foster parents' motives may be questioned by the media, neighbors, or social workers, who may suspect financial gain. Although these payments are essential and may be crucial to the successful recruitment of foster parents (of whom there is a severe shortage), the issue of foster parent remuneration is fraught with sensitivity, suspicion, and blame. This article analyzes the suspicions about money that foster parents encounter or reproduce, ranging from subtle educational comments to explicit blame. Building on the argument of economic sociologist Viviana Zelizer that money is often defined as corrupting in family, kinship, and friendship relationships, the analysis suggests that foster parents learn to navigate, but also reproduce, suspicions about reimbursement through encounters with websites, social workers, and foster parent communities. They avoid answering direct questions about financial compensation but prepare ready‐made answers and phrases to prevent potential blame. This study is part of a three‐year research project on foster homes and money. The material consists of texts (official and social media) and interviews with foster parents.