Inventing inclusive care norms in the adoption of children with disabilities: coordinating routines, networks and filiation

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze how and why adoptive families of children with disabilities invent and establish norms of inclusive care in their daily lives. Method: Qualitative study, based on Grounded Theory, carried out in a municipality in southern Brazil, with 11 adoptive families. Individual, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using constant comparison and open, axial, and selective coding. Results: The analysis revealed a substantive theory that explains the invention of inclusive care norms as a relational, dynamic, and situated process. The model links causes, context, and intervening conditions to action/interaction strategies guided by an ethics of care, expressed in three movements: coordinating routines, activating networks and advocacy, and recognizing social-affective parentage. These movements produce participation, predictability, comfort, and continuity, sustaining care in contexts marked by institutional fragmentation. Conclusion: The invention of inclusive care standards expresses the production of situated responses to the child’s needs and institutional limitations. The findings reinforce the importance of care coordination, family involvement, and the role of Nursing in mediating between families and services.