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1. Children are safe, secure environment.
2. Not permanent so may be able to go back to parents.
3. Provides children with substitute families.
3.Have to live with strangers.
4. Find it difficult to settle in.

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(Image: Roy Fisher)

Brothers and sisters in care are being forced to live apart because of a record shortage of foster families.

New figures show that in the past year two out of three fostering services had to split up families, causing heartbreak and distress to some of Britain's most vulnerable children.

More than half of siblings in care are now separated, despite legislation that says they must be kept together.

Alarmingly, experts say the situation will get even worse unless new foster carers can be urgently found.

Another 8,750 foster families are now needed, the highest number ever. And the crisis comes while the number of children in care is also at an all-time high.

The rise is put down to "the Baby P effect", after the horrifying child killing that has made social workers more likely to take children away from problem families.

One child is now taken into care every 22 minutes and more than 20,000 kids are re-homed each year.

Robert Tapsfield, of the Fostering Network, warned that the service is close to breaking point. He said: "Our relationships with our brothers and sisters are often the most important and longest-lasting of our lives.

'Yet children in care, already dealing with the trauma of separation from their parents, are all too often split up from siblings as well.

"Fostering services are struggling find families able to keep children together. We urgently need change." The disturbing situation is revealed in a major new report by the Fostering Network, which looked at 81 regions across Britain.

Four out of five services said it was harder to find a foster home now than it was a year ago.

There are 45,000 foster carers in the UK, but experts say this is nowhere near enough. To add to the problem, the age of carers means a third are due to retire in the next decade.

Too stringent checks are also being blamed. Some applicants are turned down on the basis that they smoke or are overweight.

To make matters worse, charities say the Government is targeting fostering services in its public spending cuts.

The Fostering Network says training is being cut and respite care for foster families has been slashed.

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Heartbreak: Brothers and sisters in care being torn apart due to foster crisis

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Brothers and sisters in care are being forced to live apart because of a record shortage of foster ­families. New figures show that in the past year two out of three ­fostering services had to split up families, causing heartbreak and distress to some of Britain's most vulnerable children.

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1. Parents become legal parents of a child they bring into their home.
2. Most couples prefer to adopt newborns

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Adoption Agency, Adopt a child, birth parent, child adoption, adoption services, baby adoption, Texas adoption

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Once you are selected by your Birth Parent(s), a commitment packet is sent to you so you can decide whether or not to accept the case of the child. We understand how important it is for you to have as much information in ordered for you to make the most informed decision.

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1. Married
2. All children
3. Complicated
4.

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The blended family is a new type of family structure and one that has only recently begun to be studied extensively. As this family structure becomes increasingly more common, people are learning more about how these families function and what effects the blended family has on all of its members.

Prevalence

Almost 2,100 blended families form in the United States everyday, according to The Bonded Family. A blended family, by definition, is a couple and their children from any previous relationships. The children may or may not always live with the couple, but will visit or be a part of their lives in some way. Another word for a blended family is a step family. Smart Stepfamilies states that over 29 million parents (13 percent) are also stepparents to other children.

Business Innovators Magazine predicts that the blended family will become the predominant family structure in the United States. This is mainly due to the fact that over 50 percent of first marriages and 75 percent of second marriages end in divorce, as reported by Total Life Counseling Center. Since most people do tend to remarry, the blended family becomes more and more common everyday. Over one million children experience the divorce of their parents each year, according to the Rebuilding Families website. Sixty-five percent of those children will end up in a blended family due to the remarriage of one or both biological parents remarrying, according to Help Guide.

Problems

The blended family is not without issues. In fact, children who live in a blended family are three times more likely to need psychological counseling or psychiatric care than other children, as reported by the World Village. They are also 50 percent more likely to develop health problems than children living with both biological parents, according to blended family statistics from World Village. Help Guide recommends waiting at least two years after a divorce to remarry and create a blended family in order to prevent some of the common problems, such as fighting with siblings and stepparent-child conflict, from occurring.

Things to Consider

Some other important points to remember about blended families are:

Younger children tend to adapt and adjust better to a blended family than older children. An older child is more likely to be resentful of his newly-formed family or stepparent.

The attitude of both parents plays a huge role in how the child will adjust to the blended family. Parents who demonstrate negativity or talk badly about the stepparent will make the transition more difficult for their children. When parents do this, children may feel they need to choose sides or keep loyalty to a biological parent.

Many blended families report being happy and are able to make their unique situation work.

More Research Needed

As the blended family continues to become more prevalent, additional blended family statistics will become available. Since blended family numbers will continue to rise in the future as families divorce and remarry, it is important to study this family structure to learn the best ways to help those who are members of a blended family.

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The blended family is a new type of family structure and one that has only recently begun to be studied extensively. As this family structure becomes increasingly more common, people are learning more about how these families function and what effects the blended family has on all of its members.

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1. One parent
2. Occurs as a result of divorce, separation,death,or having children outside of the marriage.
3. May be calmer atmosphere
4.The parent feels in dependent.

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1. Interaction between family members of all groups.
2. Again  members have an honored position
3. All the relatives in a family.
4.Family

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Extended families often include multiple generations.

A definition of extended families is simply a family unit that extends past the nuclear family to include other relatives such as aunts, uncles, and grandparents. There is more to an extended family, however, than just a list of relatives, and understanding the structure of an extended family and why it can be a valuable type of family unit can help you better understand your own family structure.

Defining the Extended Family

An extended family can also be called a complex family, joint family, or multi-generational family. This type of family unit has multiple generations and additional relatives other than just the parents and their children living in the same household and taking on responsibilities for that household. In most cultures, the "core" of the family is the nuclear family, the parents and their children, while additional relatives are considered "extended." The key characteristic of the extended family is that there are multiple adults in the family that are not parents of the children, though they may also have parent-like roles and share in the responsibilities for providing for the whole family, either by contributing financially or in other ways.

Who Is Part of an Extended Family

Every extended family can be different, and the relatives who are part of a multi-generational family in addition to the parents and their children (either biological, adopted, or foster) might include:

Grandparents

Great-grandparents

Aunts

Uncles

Cousins

In most modern extended families, only one married couple per generation lives in the home, although there are plenty of examples of multiple married couples and their children living together. Young married couples without children may also continue to live as part of an extended family until they have their own children and are better able to move out on their own.

No matter who is a member of the extended family, there is often only one head of the household. Depending on the size of the family and the roles each member plays, that leader may be the oldest, most senior family member, or the most prominent breadwinner who contributes a significant portion of the family's finances. Another way to determine the head of the household is by whose home it was initially; a young couple living in a parent's home will see the older generation as the heads of household, whereas a grandparent who moves into her son or daughter's home will see her child as the head of the household.

Why Extended Families Exist

The extended family is the basic family unit and is quite common in southern and eastern Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific Islands, and Latin America, but it is less common in western Europe and North America. The reasons for extended families to be so prominent vary, and some factors are cultural; for example, it may be considered inappropriate for adult children to leave their parents' home until they have children of their own. Some families may have several adult children still residing at home, providing parent-like role models to younger siblings. Other reasons for extended families to thrive include:

Economics: With more adults living as part of the same family unit, the entire family may be in a better financial situation with more individuals contributing to living costs. Some family members may be able to provide care for young children in this arrangement, eliminating child care costs as well.

Health: When an older family member needs regular care, it is common for that individual to move in with his children or other relatives. This can be an alternative to nursing home care or assisted living facilities.

Divorce: After a divorce, the now-divorced parents may return to their parents' homes, often bringing their children along. This may be a temporary arrangement or could be a long-term living situation, often depending on finances, career changes, child care, and other factors.

Benefits of Extended Families

Whatever the reason for an extended family to exist, it can be a great arrangement for all the family members. The benefits of an extended family include:

Greater security for family members to feel connected.

Greater financial security with multiple working adults.

Increased sharing of cultural and cross-generational family values.

More role models for younger family members.

Positive Family Experience

An extended family includes multiple adults and multiple generations of a family living in the same household, and while it may have challenges for authority figures and balancing resources, it can also be a wonderful experience to be part of a close-knit, loving family with many different relatives and generations.

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Definition of Extended Families | LoveToKnow

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A definition of extended families is simply a family unit that extends past the nuclear family to include other relatives such as aunts, uncles, and grandparents. There is more to an extended family, however, than just a list of relatives, and understanding the structure of an extended family and why it can be a valuable type of family unit can help you better understand your own family structure.

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1.Married couple and their biological chidrens
2. Social activities often center around the family.
3. Husband, Wife, Children they have together.
4. Grandparents miss seeing their grandchildren
5. Lack of help

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The traditional definition of a nuclear family is a family unit that includes two married parents of opposite genders and their biological or adopted children living in the same residence. However, the term "nuclear family" can mean several different things in today's society. Understanding the classic roles in this type of family and how it is defined can help you understand the relationships in your own family, whether it's nuclear or not.

History of the Nuclear Family

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term "nuclear family" was first used in 1947, but the concept of a family that consists of just parents and children is much older. This basic unit of a family's structure has existed for millennia, but it wasn't until the 1960s and 1970s that the nuclear family became the majority situation. At that time, industrial economic booms and rising wages made it possible for young parents to afford their own homes without living with extended family members. At the same time, better healthcare contributed to the nuclear family, as elderly members became more self-sufficient and independent for decades after their children were grown.

Today, the era of the nuclear family is often glamorized, complete with mom in the kitchen, dad out earning the paychecks, and the kids building a tree house or hosting a stuffed animal tea party. In reality, there is no ideal type of family, and today's definition of a nuclear family can greatly differ from shat it was a few decades ago.

Who Is Part of a Nuclear Family

A nuclear family, also called a conjugal, elementary, or traditional family, typically consists of two married or legally-bound parents and their biological or adopted children all living in the same residence and sharing the values, duties, and responsibilities of the family unit. There can be any number of children in the family, and one or both parents may work outside the home.

There are pros and cons to the small, nuclear family.

Pros:

Family members develop greater self-sufficiency and independence

Family members share the strongest bonds with their immediate relatives

Less conflict of family values across different generations

Cons:

Less support emotionally or financially for individual family members

Less contact with extended family members may result in lost traditions or poor communication

Smaller families may be less resilient in emergencies due to a smaller support structure

Each family adapts according to its size and needs, and just because a family may be defined as nuclear does not mean there are no strong bonds with extended family members. How each family encourages family values and connections varies, and there is no right or wrong family style.

Changing Definition of Nuclear Families

The nuclear family today may be in the minority considering the increasing diversity of Western societies. While the classic definition of a nuclear family may only include two parents of opposite genders, today's definition often includes two-parent families with same sex parents raising the biological children of one parent or the children that both have adopted. Other types of families, such as single parents, non-married parents, foster families, blended families, and couples without children are on the rise, and the traditional nuclear family, while still strong, is increasingly in the minority.

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Definition of a Nuclear Family | LoveToKnow

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The traditional definition of a nuclear family is a family unit that includes two married parents of opposite genders and their biological or adopted children living in the same residence. However, the term "nuclear family" can mean several different things in today's society.