SayPro ROLE AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE DIFFERENT FAMILY STRUCTURES WITHIN CHILD AND YOUTH CARE CONTEXT

FamilyFamily, a group of persons united by the ties of marriage, blood, or adoption, constituting a single household and interacting with each other in their respective social positions, usually those of spouses, parents, children, and siblings. The family group should be distinguished from a household, which may include boarders and roomers sharing a common residence. It should also be differentiated from a kindred (which also concerns blood lines), because a kindred may be divided into several households. Frequently the family is not differentiated from the marriage pair, but the essence of the family group is the parent-child relationship, which may be absent from many marriage pairs.At its most basic, then, a family consists of an adult and his or her offspring. Most commonly, it consists of two married adults, usually a man and a woman (almost always from different lineages and not related by blood) along with their offspring, usually living in a private and separate dwelling. This type of unit, more specifically known as a nuclear family, is believed to be the oldest of the various types of families in existence. Sometimes the family includes not only the parents and their unmarried children living at home but also children that have married, their spouses, and their offspring, and possibly elderly dependents as well; such an arrangement is called an extended family.Family structureFamily structure is the way in which a family is organized according to roles, rules, power, and hierarchies.Each person in a household may belong to only one family. A family includes:

• either a couple (married or not) and, if applicable, its children ;
• or a person without a spouse and his/her children (single parent family).

The child of the family is counted as such, regardless of his/her age. This may be the child of both parents, of one of the parents, an adopted child, or a child under the guardianship of one or other parent. No age limit is set to be a child of the family. A grandson or granddaughter is not considered to be a "child of the family".The Many Kinds of Family Structures in Our CommunitiesNuclear Family: The nuclear family is the traditional type of family structure. This family type consists of two parents and children. The nuclear family was long held in esteem by society as being the ideal in which to raise children. Children in nuclear families receive strength and stability from the two-parent structure and generally have more opportunities due to the financial ease of two adults.Single Parent Family: The single parent family consists of one parent raising one or more children on his own. Often, a single parent family is a mother with her children, although there are single fathers as well. The single parent family is the biggest change society has seen in terms of the changes in family structures. One in four children is born to a single mother. Single parent families are generally close and find ways to work together to solve problems, such as dividing up household chores. When only one parent is at home, it may be a struggle to find childcare, as there is only one parent working. This limits income and opportunities in many cases, although many single parent families have support from relatives and friends.Extended Family: The extended family structure consists of two or more adults who are related, either by blood or marriage, living in the same home. This family includes many relatives living together and working toward common goals, such as raising the children and keeping up with the household duties. Many extended families include cousins, aunts or uncles and grandparents living together. This type of family structure may form due to financial difficulties or because older relatives are unable to care for themselves alone. Extended families are becoming increasingly common all over the world.Childless Family: While most people think of family as including children, there are couples who either cannot or choose not to have children. The childless family is sometimes the "forgotten family," as it does not meet the traditional standards set by society. Childless families consist of a husband and wife living and working together. Many childless families take on the responsibility of pet ownership or have extensive contact with their nieces and nephews as a substitute for having their own children.Step Family: Over half of all marriages end in divorce, and many of these individuals choose to get remarried. This creates the step or blended family which involves two separate families merging into one new unit. It consists of a new husband and wife and their children from previous marriages or relationships. Step families are about as common as the nuclear family, although they tend to have more problems, such as adjustment periods and discipline issues. Step families need to learn to work together and also work with their exes to ensure these family units run smoothly.Grandparent Family: Many grandparents today are raising their grandchildren for a variety of reasons. One in fourteen children is raised by his grandparents, and the parents are not present in the child’s life. This could be due to parents’ death, addiction, abandonment or being unfit parents. Many grandparents need to go back to work or find additional sources of income to help raise their grandchildren.Adoptive family: A family where one or more of the children has been adopted. Any structure of family may also be an adoptive family.Blended family: A family that consists of members from two (or more) previous families. Families may use a variety of terms for the various family members (Step Dad, Gary, Pop, etc.) and have varying connections with extended family members.Co-custody family: An arrangement where divorced parents both have legal responsibility for their children. Children may alternatively live with both parents or live with one and have regular visitation with the other.Conditionally separated families: A family member is separated from the rest of the family. This may be due to employment far away; military service; incarceration; hospitalization. They remain significant members of the family.Foster family: A family where one or more of the children is legally a temporary member of the household. This “temporary” period may be as short as a few days or as long as the child’s entire childhood. Kinship care families are foster families where there is a legal arrangement for the child to be cared for by relatives of one of the parents.Same sex marriage parents: Families in which the couples are Lesbian or Gay choose to raise children. They may have children from ex-heterosexual relationships, or may have been adopted or conceived using assisted reproductive technologies. There can be cases like one parent being the genetic one and the other parent adopting the child. Other times, one is the gestational parent, while the other is the genetic parent. According to reports, there are around 66% of female same-sex couples and 44% of male same-sex couples who live with children under 18 years of age.

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