Exploring the role of inter-municipal cooperation in the foster care market: between collaboration and competition

Many countries in Europe are experiencing difficulties recruiting foster families for children in need of out-of-home placement. In Sweden, inter-municipal cooperation (IMC) is being employed by municipalities to recruit and retain larger numbers of foster families, engaging municipalities currently competing for the same foster families in a collaborative relationship. This article uses interviews and document analysis to examine the reasoning behind IMC within foster care. It also explores how competition may affect collaboration as municipalities aim to manage the competition they encounter in the foster care market. Drawing on the concept of competition as a social construction, the study’s findings indicate that competition for foster families is a strong motivator for entering IMC. However, it is not easily managed and, in certain instances, the escalation of competition between municipalities can be understood as a side-effect. As a result, satisfaction with IMC within foster care is partly dependent upon the preconditions of the municipalities and the perceived competition between participating municipalities. However, the results also suggest positive experiences when pooling resources to secure foster families collectively, even though the current use of IMC does not appear to fully satisfy the needs of all participating municipalities.