Lay summary
The intention of this study is to expand on foster care research by looking at the caregiving relationship with new-borns who have difficulties feeding. This study is a contemporary topic in New Zealand due to the high number of children placed in foster care every year, and the commonality of placement breakdowns. Placement breakdowns are a major contributory factor in the development of adverse outcomes experienced by this group of children throughout their lifespan. Many new-borns who enter foster care experience complications, such as, feeding difficulties. Problematic feeding times have been identified as influencing the caregiver-child interaction and consequently, many of the placements break down because of the difficulties experienced by caregivers during feeding, culminating in the child being passed around multiple placements in their short lifetimes. The aim of this research is to understand the experiences of caregivers when feeding new-born babies with feeding difficulties in foster care.