Family Care Project for Rainbow Families

Embracing the diversity of families

- the project is finished -

NEW RESEARCH: Finnish Rainbow Families in Social Welfare and Health Care Services and Schools.
Summary in English on page 8 >>>

Rainbow families

‘Rainbow families’ often stands for families that are not based on heterosexual family units. For example, a family headed by a male or female couple is a rainbow family. However, parents that share a heterosexual relationship can also constitute a rainbow family, if one of the parents is bisexual or transgendered. In all these kinds of families parenthood means the relationship between the child and the adult that is based on care, protection and intimacy. In Finland, there are thousands of rainbow families.

Finnish legislation does not always recognise rainbow families. The situation of children living in these families could be significantly improved with the right kind of legislation. A child needs a safe and enduring relationship with his or her nurturing parents. Since the legislation is confusing, it is important that social workers learn how to deal with rainbow families and how to understand their special needs.

Family care project for rainbow families

- the project is finished -

The family care project for rainbow families gathers information about diverse kinds of families and on the challenges that this diversity creates for social workers working with families and children. This knowledge is used to create quality training programs, educational material, and positive practices for the use of professionals e.g. social workers in the healthcare, social services and education departments.

The purpose of the training is to ensure that rainbow families will have access to the same competent services as other families without having to themselves educate the authorities. The project offers education and consultation services for individuals and communities working with families and children.

Diversity of Families in social work

In the Finnish welfare state, families use different kinds of services and also need various kinds of support and help. Awareness of different kinds of families has become an essential part of social work.

It is essential to understand the meaning of a family when working with children and parents: a family is often the most important support a person can have, regardless of its structure. The fact that legislation is not always capable of securing the child’s rights to all of his or her parents is a special challenge for rainbow families.

Maternity clinic and hospital supporting the families

The maternity clinic is often the first contact rainbow families have with public family services. Many rainbow families have emphasised the importance of receiving support from the first moments of parenthood.

Parents feel comfortable in the maternity clinic and in the maternity hospital if they feel that their family structure can create relevant discussion. Silence and avoidance of the subject do not create a feeling of security. Discussion concerning the child’s real parents makes the circumstances easier and more comfortable for the personnel and the family.

Families as customers of child day care

Children’s families are a constant topic of conversation in child day care, especially among the children. For a child, his or her own family is normal and ordinary while different kinds of families are interesting. Children can speak straightforwardly about their own and other’s families.

Discussion between rainbow families and day care workers is crucial. After having gotten acquainted with the child’s family, the day care worker can take into consideration all of the parents who are responsible for the child. Knowing the family allows a day care worker to talk with the child using the same language the child uses when discussing his or her family.

The role of social authorities in everyday life

Social authorities look after the well-being of families and children in many ways. Rainbow families are in contact with social authorities when confirming the paternity of the child, settling alimony issues, arranging custody and meetings, applying for social assistance, dealing with child welfare, and when applying for adoption and/or for foster parenthood.

It is important that social workers can see the family’s whole situation. It is also important that they can adapt bureaucratic guidelines for the families who were not taken into consideration when the laws and guidelines were passed. A family can be seen as the customer’s resource.

Health care as part of well-being

In health care it is not often relevant for the personnel to know the patient’s family structure. However, in the case of a child, it is important that health care personnel are aware of all the parents who are responsible for the child.

Especially when treating mental problems, treatment is often extended to the patient’s entire family. In this case, social workers are required to have particular abilities for seeing how the family can support its members. 

School as a child’s environment

Schools emphasise needed cooperation between school and home environments that rainbow families also want to be part of. Some schoolchildren do not have one mother and one father as parents. These children have an equal right to feel proud of their families.

Issues relating to the diversity of families should be discussed in school. These issues can be discussed with children of all ages. Teachers should also talk concretely about diversity in general, whether it be ethnic, gender or sexual diversity. By discussing family diversity one can talk about sexual orientation without highlighting sexuality.

When everyday family life falls apart

When family relationships are strained or when a family is dealing with a crisis, families should be given the possibility to take advantage of competent family and crisis resolution. In these kinds of situations the customer cannot be expected to educate the social workers in order to receive conciliation. The ability to confront family diversity is part of social workers’ professional skills. Services in the third sector should also take into consideration different kinds of rainbow families.  

Contact

- the project is finished -

Seta ry

www.seta.fi
Mannerheimintie 170 A 5
00300 HELSINKI
toimisto(at)seta.fi
(09) 681 2580

Sateenkaariperheet ry

www.sateenkaariperheet.fi
info(at)sateenkaariperheet.fi
(040) 818 1004 (wed. 19–20)