Fostering cultural development: Foster parents' perspectives

Given the increased number of children from racialized groups requiring foster care and the decreasing number of foster parents from racialized groups, transcultural foster placements are on the rise. Addressing racial and cultural diversities within the context of transcultural foster care placements is one of the most pressing dilemmas of contemporary child protection practice, in Canada. In this qualitative exploratory study, the perspectives of regular non-kinship foster parents in two Canadian provinces, who provide foster care to children and youth from racialized groups, were explored through open-ended semi-structured interviews. Participants consisted of nine foster parents, between the ages of 30 and over 60 years old, who were asked to share their experiences regarding transcultural foster care placements. The results of this study indicated foster parents were culturally receptive and ‘fostering cultural development’ in their homes as well as their respective communities.     

Placement stability in non-kinship foster care: variables associated with placement disruption

In Spain research has been conducted into the outcomes of foster care, although there is a need for further analysis, especially as regards the variables associated with placement disruption. In 2008 (T1) was collated information on all foster placements that were registered in three Spanish provinces. In 2014 (T2), data were gathered by reviewing the children's case notes and through interviews with the social worker responsible for each case. The resulting sample comprised 104 non-kinship foster children in long-term foster care who were being fostered in 86 families. The results obtained at T2 showed that the percentage of children who were still living with the same family (68.3%) was greater than the proportion of children whose circumstances had changed (31.7%). The social workers considered that placement disruption had occurred in 27 of the 33 cases. One of the main finding was placement disruption was associated with the older age at the time of being fostered and the emotional relationship quality between children and foster carers. A regression analysis showed that low levels of warmth and communication in the relationship between child and foster carers were shown to be a predictor of placement breakdown. Implications for practice are discussed.     

Do Foster Parents and Care Workers Recognize the Needs of Youth in Family Foster Care with a History of Sexual Abuse?

Children in family foster care have the right to participate in decisions regarding their life, however, adults often advocate on behalf of children. This Q methodological study explored whether shared perspectives among foster parents and care workers resemble shared perspectives of youth regarding the psychosocial needs experienced by youth with a history of sexual abuse. Participants sorted a set of statement cards according to what they thought was most important for youth. By-person factor analyses examined how the Q sorts of foster parents and care workers related to those of youth. The results showed that foster parents mostly recognized the group of youth who value an instrumental relationship with their carers, while care workers mostly recognized the group of youth who value support of both foster and birth parents with regard to their preparation for independent living. The two youth groups characterized by ambivalence and autonomy were barely recognized. Results are discussed in light of the expected roles of foster parents and care workers, and youth’s contact with birth parents. Lastly, this study highlights the importance of youth participation, because youth offer unique and varying perspectives about their needs.     

Reunification of foster children: Factors associated with reunification outcomes in Flanders and the Netherlands

Although a significant number of foster children eventually return to their birth parents, evidence-based models for permanency planning are scarce, and there is a lack of clear decision-making criteria for reunification. This study aimed to establish further knowledge about reunification. Both reunification pace and factors which are associated with reunification were examined. The focus was on factors related to the foster child, the birth parents, the foster parents and the foster placement, and reasons for removal. Case file analysis was performed for 580 Flemish and Dutch foster children ages 0–18. Cox regression analyses showed contact with birth parents to be most strongly associated with reunification. Moreover, particularly placement related factors (e.g., legal framework, additional support services, contact with birth parents) increased the likelihood of reunification. Furthermore, over a period of six years approximately 15% of foster placements led to reunification notably during the first 2.5 years of placement. Policy makers and foster care professionals are therefore encouraged to timely aim for permanency planning. Reunification efforts should be planned from the start of the foster placement. If subsequently reunification proves not feasible, permanency should be secured within the foster family.     

Worker time and the cost of stability

This paper investigates the time caseworkers spend supporting long-term foster care and adoption placements. Undertaken in Australia through collaboration between university and non-government agency researchers, the ‘Cost of Support Study’ tracked the hours that caseworkers spent supporting twenty-seven children and their carers over a nine month period.³ The placements were part of a ‘Find-A-Family’ program for ‘hard to place children’, many of whom had previously experienced multiple placement breakdowns. The program has a history of 78% stability on the first placement (over the young person's time in the program) and 93% by the second, with the type of support provided by this accredited agency's program detailed here. The weekly worker diaries reveal an average of 3 hours 32 minutes of worker time per week per placement; however wide variation is apparent in the time given to each placement, and depends on the characteristics of the child involved. Further, the resources required to support each placement are found by multiplying worker hours by the hourly cost per worker, using New South Wales government costings. The paper contributes to the important debate regarding the link between worker time and stability in care, by deepening our understanding of the costs involved in providing high quality support and supervision of casework.     

Part of the family: Planning for permanence in long-term family foster care

There are concerns for the stability and outcomes for children in care amongst policy makers in England and many other countries. The goal of permanence for children separated from their birth families and in the care of the state has dominated child care policy and practice in the UK, the USA and Canada since the 1980s, but the meanings of permanence in terms of stability, emotional security and family membership into adulthood are complex and the placements and legal status thought best able to achieve permanence are contested.This research was an investigation of planning for permanence in long-term foster family care in England, where it is accepted by policy makers that this is a legitimate permanence option. The aim was to consider the fit between the planning and reviewing systems designed to achieve permanence in foster care and the reality of planned permanent placements as experienced by foster children and foster carers.Results suggested that although committed relationships within the foster family were helping children to feel a sense of permanence and to become part of the family, planning and reviewing procedures required by corporate parenting were often not adapted to the special nature of these foster placements. It was concluded that although planning and reviewing systems need to be rigorous, they also need to be more child and family sensitive in permanent placements.     

Sexual and reproductive health policies for foster youth in California: A qualitative study of child welfare professionals' experiences and perceptions of policies

Child welfare professionals and foster parents increasingly suggest the importance of establishing clear and consistent policies and procedures to address the sexual and reproductive health of youth in foster care. The present study examines the content and context of such policies across 18 California counties through a search of publically available county policy documents, and surveys and expert interviews with child welfare professionals (N = 22). A policy framework for agenda setting and policymaking was used to guide the data collection and analysis process. Child welfare professionals were aware of multiple sources of information, support and services for foster youths' sexual and reproductive health, though few practiced in counties with formal policies that outline the resources and support that youth should receive. Participants demonstrated widespread recognition that issues of youth sexual and reproductive health were significant; posing challenges to youth, foster parents and child welfare staff. Identified policy solutions included: 1) training for social workers and foster parents; 2) collaborative partnerships with public health nurses and community providers; 3) data tracking and monitoring of outcomes to assess youth needs and evaluate the impact of programs and policies; and 4) involvement by advocacy organizations in defining problems and advocating for improved services and support for youth in care. Social workers largely perceived that support from child welfare administrators and policy leaders is necessary to prioritize this issue and initiate policy formation. Additional research is needed to further examine the impact of policy mandates on social workers, foster parents and youth in foster care.     

“I want to be there when he graduates:” Foster parents show higher levels of commitment than group care providers

Group care is a frequent placement for adolescents placed in out of home care when their birth parents' care is deemed unsafe. In the present study, we assessed whether foster parents show greater commitment to children than group care providers. Given that group care represents a number of living arrangements, we considered both shift care (where staff work shifts and do not live with the children) and cottage care (where staff live for extended periods of time with the children in a group living context). Commitment was assessed using the This Is My Child Interview (adapted for adolescents). Thirty-one foster parents, 18 shift workers, and 28 cottage care providers were interviewed. As predicted, foster parents showed higher levels of commitment than both shift care workers and cottage care providers, and the associations held when children's externalizing behaviors and the number of children the caregivers had cared for were controlled. The results suggest that foster care promotes greater commitment among caregivers than other out of home placements, and add to other findings that favor foster care as the out of home placement of choice for adolescents.     

The experiences and outcomes of children in foster care who were removed because of a parental disability

The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences and outcomes of children in the foster care system in the United States who were removed from their homes at least partially in relation to their parent's or caretaker's disability. This study uses administrative data from the 2012 year of the Adoption and Foster Care Reporting System (AFCARS), the federal reporting system that collects case-level data on all children in foster care through state and tribal IV-E agencies. While this administrative dataset doesn't collect data on parental disability, it does collect data on parental disability as a removal reason for children in foster care. In 2012, 19.0% of children in foster care had parental disability indicated as at least one removal reason, and 5.18% had parental disability indicated as their sole removal reason. Logistic regression was used to explore how a removal reason of parental disability correlated with removal manner, type of placement, location of placement, current case plans, discharge reasons and termination of parental rights. T-tests were used to compare children with and without parental disability as a removal reason in regards to number of placements, age at removal, length of time since last removal, length of stay in current placement, and total days in foster care. As foster children could have multiple removal reasons, analyses were conducted separately for children with parental disability as at least one removal reason, and those with parental disability as their sole removal reason. Findings indicate that children who have parental disability as a removal reason have different experiences in child welfare and different child welfare outcomes than those without parental disability as a removal reason. While the AFCARS removal reason of parental disability is not a proxy for parental disability, the study points to a need for closer attention to parental disability within the child welfare system to ensure appropriate services and supports, as well as fair treatment.     

Children's participation in foster care placements

This article presents results from a study of the birth children of foster carers and their experiences of growing up with foster siblings. Data were gathered from focus groups (17 participants), discussion groups (16 participants), a questionnaire (684 responses) and eight individual interviews. The children's participation in the fostering placements is in focus. Accounts from the children show that several of them participate in care-giving activities in everyday life. Their participation in the official assignment is however limited and can lead to children taking on responsibility with no support from adults. The tension between children's agency and position in society is addressed. The study shows how power relations between children and adults come into play, how both children and adults (re)-produce positions where children's rights to have a say in questions that concern them are not reflected within fostering processes.     

Risk Factors,Parental Communication,Self and Peers’ Beliefs as Predictors of Condom Use Among Female Adolescents Attending Family Planning Clinics

This study examined the impact of risk factors, self and peers’ beliefs, and parental communication on condom use among 290 female adolescents who attended family planning clinics. The major findings showed that in addition to risk factors, self and peer beliefs about condom use and parental communication about birth control predicted actual condom use. Implications for social workers about the importance of encouraging communication between adolescents and their parents are discussed.     

The rich and exacting role of the social worker in family foster care

This article is about the role of the professional social worker in a child placing agency. It emphasizes the worker's central role in coordinating or managing the various facets of family foster care.Many aspects of family foster care are discussed, with emphasis upon permanence and the tasks of the social worker with the respective participants. The article briefly examines these activities, such as working with the child, the birth parents and the foster parents, within the contexts of the primary mission which is to restore family relationships or to help the child to find and build new ones.Mr. Terpstra is employed by the U.S. Children's Bureau where he serves as a specialist in family foster care, child care insittutions and licensing of children's services.     

Family to family: reconstructing foster care in the US

The public child welfare system in North America is faced with growing deprivation, rising numbers of children who need out-of-home placements for increasingly lengthy periods, and a shortage of foster carers. The Family to Family initiative offers public agencies funds and tools to help them strengthen family support services within the communities from which children enter the system, improve the quantity and quality of neighbourhood-based foster carers and develop the capacity to collect and analyse outcome data.     

Exploring emotional aspects of care and control in social work with children and families - a single case analysis of conversation

ABSTRACT

In this article, I explore how emotions are displayed and dealt with on a communicative level in face-to-face encounters between social workers and parents in a child welfare setting. The analysis draws upon detailed analysis of a whole encounter between a social worker and a parental couple who have recently had their new-born daughter placed in foster care. By examining the way emotional stances are expressed and responded to I discuss how orientations toward institutional tasks and goals create constraints for the display, recognition and validation of clients’ emotion displays. I consider the communicative challenges this poses for the parents and the social worker and the implications these may have for the client–worker relationship.     

Interviewing parents of children in care: Perspectives, discourses and accountability

The ‘parental perspective’ in child care work is a matter of concern and is actively solicited by practitioners, managers, policymakers and researchers for differing reasons. This paper argues that the search for such a stable “parental perspective” should be abandoned and suggest that research should embrace a social constructionist turn by concentrating on how parents' views are negotiated conversationally in discourse. Using data drawn from research interviews with parents of children in care and employing conversation and discourse analytic methods, the paper demonstrates how there are critical issues of accountability, blame, and testing at stake in the interview encounter, as interviewer and interviewee jointly produce a moral version of the client, the institution, the case and its attributes. The implications of this argument are delineated.     

South African social workers' knowledge of attachment theory and their perceptions of attachment relationships in foster care supervision

Despite the prominence of attachment theory in international foster care literature and the importance of attachment relationships in successful foster care, attachment theory and practices do not feature prominently in South African foster care research. Against this backdrop, we interviewed twenty South African social workers' about their knowledge of attachment theory and their perceptions of attachment relationships in their own foster care work. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the interviews. We found that the social workers had limited knowledge of attachment theory and interventions; experienced most biological parents as unmotivated to improve their circumstances and attachment relationships with children; indicated that family reunifications were rare occurrences; reported foster parents were mostly kin; and experienced constraining contextual factors that hindered optimal consideration of attachment relationships in foster care supervision.     

Breakdown of foster care placement: carer perspectives and system factors

A crisis in foster care is suggested by many of the national and international published reports. One seemingly intractable problem is placement instability, particularly for adolescents with behavioural problems. A qualitative study of foster carers who had ended a placement because of the young person's disruptive behaviour (n = 19) was conducted to examine ways in which system shortcomings might be affecting placement outcomes. Data were collected on the process of placement deterioration, the incident(s) that precipitated the decision to end placement, formal carer support, and the carer's response to the breakdown. All placements fell into one of two categories: those that, with certain interventions, might have been sustained (n = 9); and those that, regardless of intervention, appear to have been unsustainable (n = 10). This study contributes to the alternative care literature by highlighting the potential of some faltering placements to be maintained and of some failed placements to be renegotiated.     

Carers of Children: A Comparative Study of the Practices of Residential and Foster Carers

SUMMARY. This article takes further the themes outlined in Children & Society, Volume 3(1) of examining the practices of special foster and residential caregivers in terms of the management of daily and other recurrent social events, and the methods used by caregivers to control children. Data are also presented on the role activities of caregivers and their interactions with children. Care practice in the special foster homes was generally found to be significantly more child-oriented than in the children's homes, and possible explanations for this are considered. Evidence is presented which serves to counter the tendency, in the wake of recent controversy surrounding children's homes, to scapegoat caregivers and children for shortcomings in residential care. The article has important implications for residential caregivers and foster care workers; and also for administrators and other child welfare professionals such as |field social workers, educational psychologists and psychiatrists.