‘But isn’t that normal?’: Australian foster parent’s experiences of parental abuse by children in their care

Abstract While growing attention has been paid to the abuse of parents by their children, research to date has almost exclusively focused on parents who have birthed and/or conceived their child. Given that the trauma histories that foster children bring with them may result in abusive behaviours, it is vital to focus on the specific experiences of foster parents with regard to parental abuse. The research reported in this article involved interviews with twenty-eight Australian foster parents, with a specific focus on a subset of twenty participants who reported experiences of violence and abuse perpetrated against them by children in their care. Thematic analysis of the interview data resulted in the development of three themes: (1) living with the threat of escalating abuse, (2) minimizing experiences of parental abuse, and (3) understanding triggers in order to mitigate abuse. The article concludes by considering what an understanding of parental abuse as a form of domestic violence might offer in terms of service delivery.