Minority Ethnic Families and Family-Centred Care

Family-centred care has generally treated families as though they were all two-parent families. For most minority ethnic families, this treatment is especially inappropriate because a greater percentage of the children are cared/live in non-traditional households, their families are heterogeneous and are primarily oriented towards extended families. However, the involvement of the extended family in family-centred care remains non-existent. This therefore suggests that there currently exists a lack of appreciation in appropriately implementing the concept of family-centred care among minority ethnic families. For this aspect of family-centred care to be explored, this article will provide an overview of the child-rearing styles of minority ethnic families including the role of extended family in child care, before discussing the need to involve the extended family in family-centred care. This analysis should enhance the general awareness of children's nurses and may facilitate a more comprehensive family-centred care to minority ethnic children and their families.