What are the tools of Shared Family Care practices? A Content and Thematic Analysis stemming from managers’ perspectives

Compared to children’s homes, which have a long history in the child protection system, residential services that accommodate children together with their parents are less known and widespread nationally and internationally. This two-generation approach, defined as Shared Family Care (SFC) (Barth et al., 2023), prevents separation-related harm for both children and parents, providing the support and skills needed to thrive and overcome current problems in a supervised environment. SFC is still under-documented despite its remarkable growth in some regions like Italy, therefore detailed descriptions of programs, population served, and outcomes achieved are missing. As part of a broader national study aimed at answering these questions, this paper seeks to explore the differences that exist in the way SFCs interpret their mandate and shape their methodological approach. Utilizing a combination of qualitative content analysis and a Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2001, 2023), we examine responses from SFC managers to three key items: tools and methods employed for working: 1) with mothers, 2) with children, and 3) for fostering mother-child relationships. Preliminary findings reveal that the diverse tools, methods, and the quality of managers’ responses contribute to an enhanced understanding of the underexplored interpretation of the SFC mandate and its implications.