Search results for ‘Subject term:"foster care"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 10 of 10
The challenges in planning for permanency
- Author:
- SELWYN Julie
- Journal article citation:
- Adoption and Fostering, 34(3), Autumn 2010, pp.32-37.
- Publisher:
- Sage
The principles of permanency planning have been around for a long time. In England, for example, the initial impetus to permanency planning came from the findings that there were large numbers of children drifting in the care system without plans made for their futures. Alongside this, there were psychologists highlighting the poor developmental outcomes for children in care who drifted in care without attention paid to their relationships. In this article, the author draws attention to the importance of recognising children's positive relationships and ensuring that children are connected to adults who will offer a long-term commitment. The article considers the continuity of relationships and life-long connections, and examines both adoption and foster care with respect to relationships. The authors discuss how UK practice might change, concluding that making permanency planning a reality should involve prioritising the maintenance and support of children’s networks and relationships at every case review.
The poor relations? Children and informal kinship carers speak out: a summary research report
- Authors:
- SELWYN Julie, et al
- Publisher:
- University of Bristol
- Publication year:
- 2013
- Pagination:
- 90
- Place of publication:
- Bristol
This summary report focuses on children and carers’ experience of informal kinship care, drawing on the results from a multi-method approach to consider from children’s perspectives, what it is like to be brought up by relatives or friends. The views and experiences of their informal kinship carers were also considered. Eighty children and their carers were interviewed in the four UK countries. The children’s semi-structured interview contained four main themes: moving to live with a relative; belonging; relationships with family and friends; and wellbeing. The carers were asked about their decision to become a kinship carer; the difficulties of parenting; their own health using a standardised measure; and the pressures they faced and the support they needed and received. The findings show that the kinship carers’ commitment to the children they were caring for provided them with psychological security and stability. As a result, the children were doing well on the measures used and considerably better than ‘looked after’ children. Nonetheless, a third of the children and young people had serious behavioural and emotional difficulties, which was not surprising given their experiences of abuse and neglect when living with their parents. The study highlighted that carers were frequently pushed into poverty by taking on the children. They were often older people, many were socially isolated and two-thirds were clinically depressed. For a third, their lives were restricted by pain. Carers talked about the high levels of stress they experienced and their feelings of having lost their own lives and sense of themselves. Most received no financial allowance from children’s services as their willingness to step up to take care of the children allowed local authorities to view these as private arrangements, no matter how severe the maltreatment or other difficulties that they had experienced. The report calls for a whole system change to replace the current arrangements for kinship care and makes specific recommendations for the government, services and relevant agencies and organisations. (Edited publisher abstract)
The views of children and young people on being cared for by an independent foster-care provider
- Authors:
- SELWYN Julie, SAUNDERS Hilary, FARMER Elaine
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 40(3), April 2010, pp.696-713.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Independent fostering agencies assess, pay and support foster-carers and provide placements with their foster-carers for a fee. This paper reports some of the findings from a study (Farmer et al., 2007) commissioned by an independent foster-care provider, Foster Care Associates, to examine the progress and outcomes of children in their care over a one-year period. This is the first published study to ask children and young people placed with an independent fostering provider about their views on the care they have received. Questionnaires were sent out to children aged 8 to 14 at 2 timepoints, 8 weeks into placement and a year later after remaining with the same foster-carer. The findings are reported from 140 children who returned questionnaires 8 weeks into placement, 119 children who returned questionnaires a year later, the more negative views of 41 children who had a change of carer, and the views of 54 children and their carers who completed questionnaires at both timepoints. The results showed that while most children and young people were very positive about their placements and the support and activities provided for them, questions were raised about the stability of placements within the independent fostering provider sector and the promotion of children's friendships.
Adoption as a solution to intractable parenting problems: evidence from two English studies
- Authors:
- QUINTON David, SELWYN Julie
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 31(10), October 2009, pp.1119-1126.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
This paper reports the results from two English studies of adoption to illustrate issues and beliefs in the use of adoption as a solution to intractable parenting problems. The data are taken 1) from a study of the placement and psychosocial outcomes for a representative sample of 130 three to eleven-year-old children from the point at which they were recommended for adoption and 2) samples of children from a study of the pathways to permanent placements for children of white and minority ethnic heritage. These representative samples are used to examine the extent to which the decision for adoption results in an adoptive placement, the factors influencing this, including delays in decision-making, and differences in Social Services treatment of children of minority ethnic status. Delay was a major factor in whether adoption took place, but there was no evidence of systematically adverse treatment or processing of ethnic minority children. The psychosocial outcomes for adopted children in study 1 compared with those in the same study who entered long-term foster care showed few differences, but there was significantly better attachment for the adopted children.
Costs and outcomes of non-infant adoptions
- Authors:
- SELWYN Julie, et al
- Publisher:
- British Association for Adoption and Fostering
- Publication year:
- 2006
- Pagination:
- 305p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
Adoption is now at the heart of government policy to secure permanent, stable family lives for children who are no longer able to remain with their own birth families. Most children are placed with their new adoptive families after infancy and following very poor early parenting experiences, but surprisingly little is known about the long-term outcomes of these adoptions. What emotional impact do they have on both the adopted children and the adopters? What are the financial costs to social services of placing and supporting these children and their new families? This book reports the findings of a Department of Health-funded study of a complete sample of 130 older children, from one geographical area in England, for whom an “adoption in best interests” decision was made during a defined period in the 1990s. The study tracked the progress of all the children through the care system until 2002, with 80 children moving into permanent adoptive placements, 34 into long-term foster care and 16 having unstable experiences of being “looked after”. It examined the children’s early lives, the decisions made about them before the best interests recommendation, the costs involved, and any delays in the process. Adopters and foster carers give their accounts of caring for the children, the financial and emotional costs to themselves and their families, and the support they received. This study provides a unique opportunity to compare the outcomes for both the adopted and the fostered children. It allows an accurate assessment of the success of adoption as a placement choice to be made, and makes recommendations for policy and practice based on this complete sample. It will be of interest to all those involved in making placement decisions for “looked after” children.
Understanding pathways to permanence: adoption and minority ethnic children
- Author:
- SELWYN Julie
- Journal article citation:
- Childright, 223, February 2006, pp.14-17.
- Publisher:
- Children's Legal Centre
Looks at adoption pathways for black and minority ethnic (BME) children. Discusses the over-representation of BME children in the care system, and BME children 'in need' generally. Outlines recent research on the permanent placement of BME children, looking at the number of children adopted from care, and the number of children waiting for new adoptive families. Discusses some of the reasons for delays in placement of BME children with adoptive families, the problems of finding and recruiting adoptive parents for BME children, differential social work activity, and matching ethnicity and cultural identity in adoptive placements.
Spies, informers and double agents: adoption assessments and role ambiguity
- Author:
- SELWYN Julie
- Journal article citation:
- Adoption and Fostering, 18(4), Winter 1994, pp.43-47.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Adoption and fostering practice has played and important part in developing the concepts of empowerment and partnership in the field of child protection. However, it is argued that the complicated and powerful role of the adoption officer in assessing applicants who wish to adopt has largely been ignored.
Stability, permanence, outcomes and support: Foster care and adoption compared
- Authors:
- QUINTON David, SELWYN Julie
- Journal article citation:
- Adoption and Fostering, 28(4), Winter 2004, pp.6-.
- Publisher:
- Sage
There are large numbers of children in the care system who are unable to return home and who need a stable permanent placement. The authors report some of the findings of a Department of Health-funded study, which followed a complete sample of 130 older children, all of whom had had a best interest decision in favour of adoption as the chosen placement. In the event, not all the children were adopted, making it possible to compare the outcomes of children who were adopted with those who went into long-term foster placements. There were many similarities in the experience of offering an adoptive or foster home to the young people but some key differences were in the stability of placements, the amount of autonomy the adoptive parents/carers had and their views of how close they were to the child and their assessment of the child's closeness to them.
Finding adoptive families for black, Asian and black mixed-parentage children: agency policy and practice; summary
- Authors:
- SELWYN Julie, FRAZER Lesley, FITZGERALD Angela
- Publisher:
- National Children's Home
- Publication year:
- 2004
- Pagination:
- 10p.
- Place of publication:
- London
Where adoption is the plan, statutory and voluntary agencies involved in finding permanent, substitute placements for children from black, Asian and black mixed-parentage communities have been concerned for some time that these children and young people: appear less likely than white children to find a family, and remain longer in the care system. This study, commissioned by NCH and funded by Scottish Power, examines the barriers that stand in the way of black, Asian and mixed-parentage adults and those in mixed relationships coming forward to adopt. It also highlights what is known about best practice.It confirms the needs of black, Asian and black mixed-parentage children awaiting new permanent homes and reviews what is known about the successful recruitment of adopters. The study also illustrates: how a sample of local authorities view the needs of black, Asian and black-mixed parentage children; how local authorities strive to match those needs with appropriate placements; the policies and strategies used by local authorities to recruit the adopters required; policy in relation to black mixed-parentage children; examples of good practice; and the barriers adoption agencies may face. Three local authorities with large minority ethnic populations agreed to take part and each provided data on their minority ethnic lookedafter children, children adopted and minority ethnic adopters. Social work team managers were interviewed and questionnaires were sent to prospective adopters. A best practice tool for adoption agencies was also developed as a result of the findings. The main bulk of the work took place during 2003.
Finding adoptive families for black, Asian and black mixed-parentage children: agency policy and practice
- Authors:
- SELWYN Julie, FRAZER Lesley, FITZGERALD Angela
- Publisher:
- National Children's Home
- Publication year:
- 2004
- Pagination:
- 88p.
- Place of publication:
- London
Where adoption is the plan, statutory and voluntary agencies involved in finding permanent, substitute placements for children from black, Asian and black mixed-parentage communities have been concerned for some time that these children and young people: appear less likely than white children to find a family, and remain longer in the care system. This study, commissioned by NCH and funded by Scottish Power, examines the barriers that stand in the way of black, Asian and mixed-parentage adults and those in mixed relationships coming forward to adopt. It also highlights what is known about best practice.It confirms the needs of black, Asian and black mixed-parentage children awaiting new permanent homes and reviews what is known about the successful recruitment of adopters. The study also illustrates: how a sample of local authorities view the needs of black, Asian and black-mixed parentage children; how local authorities strive to match those needs with appropriate placements; the policies and strategies used by local authorities to recruit the adopters required; policy in relation to black mixed-parentage children; examples of good practice; and the barriers adoption agencies may face. Three local authorities with large minority ethnic populations agreed to take part and each provided data on their minority ethnic lookedafter children, children adopted and minority ethnic adopters. Social work team managers were interviewed and questionnaires were sent to prospective adopters. A best practice tool for adoption agencies was also developed as a result of the findings. The main bulk of the work took place during 2003.