The Background of Children who enter Local Authority Care

Andrew Bebbington, PSSRU, Cornwallis Building, The University, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NF. Summary The family backgrounds of 2500 children admitted to care inEngland were investigated, to quantify the association betweenindicators of material and social deprivation and entry to care.These indicators are more closely associated than in Packman'snational survey of 1962. Broken family is the most significantfactor, though there are several alternative explanations forthis, which have quite different policy implications. When allowanceis made for other social factors, children from particular ethnicminorities do not seem specially vulnerable, though childrenof mixed race are. The study confirms that many children whocome into care after an offence have experienced similar deprivationsto non-offenders. There remain great variations between authoritiesin children's routes into care, but less so in the circumstancesof the children themselves.     

The Supply of Foster Families for Children in Care

Correspondence to John Miles, Institute of Social and Applied Psychology, The University, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7LZ. Summary The family circumstances of 2694 foster homes in England arecompared with representative families from the 1985 GeneralHousehold Survey. Foster families typically include a womanin the 31–55 age group, live in homes with three or morebedrooms, are two parent families with one parent working full-timeand the other not, and they have older children only. The incidenceof families with these characteristics is used to develop anestimator of the relative supply position of local authorityareas for foster care, from which a number of conclusions aredrawn. Over the last thirty years some social changes have improvedthe supply, others decreased it, and on balance the nationalsupply position is little changed. Ironically, supply is bestin those areas which have the lowest need for fostering services.Ways in which local authorities can improve their supply positionare considered. The supply estimator reveals that the averageboarding out payments made by authorities show clear signs ofresponsiveness to the local supply position for foster families.     

Children in Residential and Foster Care – a Swedish Example

The article reports on a longitudinal study of children placed in a children's home in Malmö, Sweden, at the beginning of the 1980s. The 26 children, placed when younger than four years of age and staying more than four weeks in the children's home, were followed up three and nine months after leaving the children's home as well as five, ten and fifteen years later. Interviewing the parties concerned was the predominant research method. Twenty of the 26 children in the research group also had later experiences of out-of-home care, including foster care, in addition to the stay at the children's home. This article is about them, 15–20 years old when interviewed in the latest follow-up study. Three aspects of outcome are focused on: the degree of stability in the children's living conditions; relationships to parents and foster parents; well-being and emotional and behavior problems. Bearing in mind that the concept of well-being is relative, a cautious conclusion is that a third of the children in the study experienced well-being, a third felt o.k., and a third had serious problems, including criminal activities and drugs. The somewhat unclear connection between well-being, stability in living conditions, and sense of family belonging is discussed.     

The Use of Reality Orientation in Adult Foster Care Homes:

The emphasis in recent years on providing long-term care in community-based alternatives to the institutional setting can help to facilitate the development of new and exciting opportunities for enrichment in the lives of individuals whose educational needs often go unmet. Reality orientation has been demonstrated to be an effective approach to the treatment and prevention of loss of memory, confusion, and disorientation among institutionalized adults. However, certain problems can arise that may limit the potential benefits of reality orientation programs in institutions. This paper explores the rationale for considering the use of reality orientation in one alternative living arrangement, the adult foster care home. The personalized, family-like environment of the adult foster care setting might help to minimize or even eliminate many of the problems that detract from reality orientation programs in larger institutions.     

社会工作介入孤残儿童家庭寄养工作的空间

自90年代以来,福利院集体照顾模式已无法满足社会发展的需要。1999年国家民政部正式提出有关儿童社会福利改革的思想,并明确提出改变集中供养模式的指针。家庭寄养工作自开展以来,在全国各地得到广泛的响应。本文通过对已有研究的回顾,立足我国家庭寄养工作的现实情况,指出了家庭寄养工作面临的问题,探讨了社会工作在我国孤残儿童家庭寄养工作中的介入空间。     

社会工作介入孤残儿童家庭寄养工作的空间

自90年代以来,福利院集体照顾模式已无法满足社会发展的需要。1999年国家民政部正式提出有关儿童社会福利改革的思想,并明确提出改变集中供养模式的指针。家庭寄养工作自开展以来,在全国各地得到广泛的响应。本文通过对已有研究的回顾,立足我国家庭寄养工作的现实情况,指出了家庭寄养工作面临的问题,探讨了社会工作在我国孤残儿童家庭寄养工作中的介入空间。     

The Limits of Support in Foster Care

Correspondence to Stephen Nixon, School of Continuing Studies, The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT; E-mail: Continuing-Studies{at}bham.ac.uk Summary This study was designed to explore the support provided forfoster carers during crises. A sample of sixty-seven fostercarers who had experienced an allegation of abuse against amember of their immediate family were questioned, with a specificfocus on their support needs and experiences during the periodof investigation and its aftermath. Data were also gatheredfrom a smaller sample of twenty family placement social workerswho worked with a sub-sample of these foster carers in orderto establish their perceptions of the issues. Shock, anger,bitterness and a sense of isolation were the prevailing emotionsexperienced by foster carers. It was found that the formal supportoffered by the child-care agencies was not used by 76 per centof foster carers. For most carers there was a lack of congruencebetween the type of support they needed and the support providedby the child-care agency. A number of other useful findingsemerged which are discussed in relation to crises in fostercare. The implications for foster care practice are substantial andrelate to the optimum provision of support for foster carersin such crises. It is suggested that the key role of socialworkers is to encourage and enable foster carers to establishtheir own close network of personal support in anticipationof such events.     

English Local Authority Powers, Responsibilities and Guidelines for Managing the Care Home Closure Process

In England, the majority of older people living in care homesare publicly funded and the majority of publicly funded placesare purchased from the independent sector. While the sectoris subject to regulation, there is currently no statutory guidanceaimed specifically at how care home closures are managed. Thisarticle reviews the powers and responsibilities of councilsand the rights of residents during care home closures, beforedescribing the prevalence and content of existing council guidelines.Just over a third of councils in England responded to inquiriesand, of these, two-thirds reported having guidelines. This suggeststhat a considerable proportion of councils have no guidelinesin place. Existing guidelines also varied. Differences includedapproaches to allocating responsibilities and providing help,and assessment to self-funding residents. The large number ofarrangements and activities described suggest that some sortof plan or guidance is warranted to support the task of frontline care managers. At the national level, the variation foundin the guidelines combined with the lack of national guidancespecific to closures suggests that clarification of councils’legal responsibilities and powers during a care home closureis needed. Clarification of the role and responsibilities ofthe national regulatory body would also be useful.     

Methodological and Validity Issues Involved in the Collection of Sensitive Information From Children in Foster Care

ABSTRACT

The Illinois Child Well-Being Study (ICWBS) established a red-flag reporting system (RFRS) embedded in the Audio Computer Assisted Self Interview (ACASI) portion of its child survey to flag reports of violence toward the child, suicidality, neglect, and/or sexual exploitation. When those RFRS questions were positively answered, the reported incident was relayed to the child's caseworker and investigated. This study describes the RFRS, the analysis of the children's reports, and a content analysis of the caseworkers' investigation. In this study, 166 children were interviewed and 28 children reported 36 RFRS incidents. On investigation, only 6 RFRS incidents were verified; most RFRS incidents were reported in error. The results of this study may help researchers using similar RFRS protocols.     

Noncompletion of Evidence-Based Parent Training: An Empirical Examination Among Families of Children in Foster Care

Child welfare have historically experienced high dropout rates. As evidence-based interventions (EBIs) spread to the child welfare field, treatment noncompletion could interfere with successful outcomes. Using a mixed methods approach, this study investigated the differences between completers and noncompleters, and reasons for treatment noncompletion of an EBI for families of children in foster care. The sample comprised 315 families randomized to receive Parent Management Training, Oregon Model (PMTO). Researchers examined clinicians' discharge notes to explore reasons for noncompletion. Using data collected from a battery of assessments, bivariate logistic regression compared completers and noncompleters on demographics, socioeconomic factors, children's social-emotional functioning, and parents' functioning. About one third of families were noncompleters. Single fathers and parents with lower socioeconomic status were more likely to drop out. By contrast, parents with lower functioning on child behavior and parenting trended toward higher completion rates. Formidable challenges were parental substance abuse and mental illness. Results suggest parent training may require tailoring for specific subgroups and pairing with strategies for enhancing early engagement and reducing treatment barriers. Future research is needed to include parents' views on noncompletion and to more closely examine the influence of specific factors, such as severity of parental mental illness and substance abuse.     

Community Integration of the Elderly in Foster Family Care

Currently the care of the elderly is part of a nationwide trend of deinstitutionalization. However, community placement of formerly institutionalized clients, particularly through the mental hygiene system, has in some instances met with negative community response. Extent of resident participation in the community and degree of community acceptance were studied through interviews with caretakers ir) 100 foster homes, housing one to four clients over 60. More than 3/4 of the residents were reported as having met neighbors. One-third of the residents take walks in the neighborhood, with an additional 2/5 visiting in the neighborhood. One-third participate in activities such as senior centers or church groups. Contrary to expectation, those homes associated with the mental hygiene system reported greater participation in community activities than did those sponsored by the social services system. Negative response from the community occurred in only about 10% of homes. Thus, foster family care appears to show promise both for community integration of the elderly and for community acceptance of the deinstitutionalized.     

Foster Care and Permanency an Analysis of the Context for Practice

This paper is an historical analysis of foster care, exploring its linkage with the concept of permanency in the United States (a major force in defining the direction of foster care policy) and in Australia. Use of the political economy and feminist approaches highlights the extent to which the child welfare system is based on policies which enhance social inequality, while promoting a particular ideal of the nuclear family which dichotomises mothers as good or bad.     

Authority Concepts Among Children and Adolescents in the Island of Macao

We examined the reasoning of children and adolescents in the island of Macao regarding the bases of legitimate authority across social contexts. We asked 101 children in 3rd, 5th, and 7th grades to evaluate the authority of persons issuing commands to children in two events. In one, persons with varying combinations of authority attributes issue a command that resolves a turn‐taking dispute between children in school. In another, persons with varying social positions issue a command to children to stop playing ball across three contexts: school, home, and a public park. Results show that, although young Macanese reason in many ways similar to American children, social position may be a less important legitimizing authority attribute for them than for American children.     

Examining Depression,Anxiety, and Foster Care Placement as Predictors of Substance Use and Sexual Activity in Adolescents

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the impact of anxiety and depression on sexual activity and substance use behaviors in a sample of 56 community- (traditional living arrangements) and foster care-dwelling adolescents aged 12 to 17 years. It was hypothesized that higher levels of anxiety and depression would be related to higher rates of risky sexual activity and substance use. Regression analyses were used to examine impact of the internalizing predictors on the risky behaviors. Results of the sample were presented with group membership emerging as a robust predictor of both sexual activity and substance use. Results suggest that adolescents within out-of-home care are at increased risk for engaging in these behaviors when compared with community-dwelling peers, and they may benefit from specific interventions aimed at decreasing participation. Future research may focus on assessing the effectiveness of interventions for these youth.     

我国少数地方政权权力异化现象的成因与对策

改革开放近30年来,随着中国传统计划经济体制向社会主义市场经济体制的整体转轨,原来的"全能主义"中央威权政治开始式微,全民动员性的国家意识形态逐渐淡出,少数地方政权中衍生出了家族化、帮派化、圈子化的权力异化现象,被有的学者称为"中国式的地方政权苏丹化".究其根源就在于,我国经济体制改革与政治体制改革互相脱节,地方行政体制改革与财政体制改革互相脱节,实行"党内民主"与扩大"基层民主"互相脱节.对此,应坚持标本兼治、综合治理、惩防并举、注重预防的方针,加强预防和惩治权力腐败的法制建设,拓宽从源头上防治权力腐败的领域.     

Development,Feasibility, and Piloting of a Novel Natural Mentoring Intervention for Older Youth in Foster Care

Aging out of foster care is associated with deleterious emerging adulthood outcomes. The enduring presence of a caring adult, such as a natural mentor, can improve outcomes for emancipating foster youth. Caring Adults ‘R’ Everywhere (C.A.R.E.) is a novel, child welfare-based intervention designed to facilitate natural mentor relationships among aging-out youth. Our aims were to test the feasibility of implementing C.A.R.E. and the feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled study with older foster youth. Twenty-four foster youth aged 18–20.5 years were recruited and randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 12) or control groups (n = 12). Ten natural mentors were identified and contacted for participation in the intervention and study. Process-oriented qualitative data and quantitative pre- and postintervention outcome data were collected and analyzed. Utilizing a controlled rigorous design, the findings highlight the positive experience of both the intervention youth and their natural mentors with C.A.R.E. Overall, results support the continued refinement, delivery, and rigorous testing of C.A.R.E. with great promise for programmatically supporting natural mentor relationships among youth aging out of foster care.     

The Problems of Managing the Family Contacts of Children in Residential Care

Summary The study explores the problems of managing the family contactsof children in residential care. It focuses on the family linksexperienced by two children undergoing a two month long periodof observation and assessment. It is seen that the family linksof these children take a low priority, particularly as socialwork plans change and the informal world of the institutionbecomes pervasive. The outcomes of the two cases are charted.     

Matches and Mismatches: The Contribution of Carers and Children to the Success of Foster Placements

Correspondence to Professor Ian Sinclair, Social Work Research and Development Unit, University of York, York YO10 5DD. E-mail: acs5{at}york.ac.uk Summary Data were collected on 472 foster children at an interval of14 months. The children's social workers, the family placementsocial workers and the foster carers reported on disruptions,and the reasons for placement success or lack of it. These views,combined with comments from the children, led to hypothesesabout the origins of successful placements. Statistical testsof these hypotheses suggested that success depended on threeaspects of the placement. First of these was the children'scharacteristics. Children, who wanted to be fostered (had attractivecharacteristics and low levels of disturbance), did better.Second were the qualities of the foster carer. Placements withwarm, child-oriented carers were more successful. Third wasthe interaction between carer and child. The findings emphasizethe crucial importance of the foster carers to outcomes. Theyalso support the need to pay close attention to children's views,and the potential importance of early intervention to preventnegative spirals of interaction between carer and child.