Paper
Outcomes and stability in placements with kin compared with stranger foster care
- issue: Issue 3 / 2009
- authors: Elaine Farmer
- keywords: outcomes, foster care
- views: 2778
- downloaded: 0
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abstract
Background
Although the Children Act 1989 encouraged local authorities to place children with family or friends, very little is known about how well these placements actually work in the UK. This study, funded by the Department for Children, School and Families, compares the outcomes of placements with family or friends (kin) with those in stranger foster care and examines the factors relating to the success or failure of kin placements.
Methods
Working in four local authorities the case files of 270 children were reviewed, half of whom were placed with kin and half with stranger foster carers. A third had been physically abused, almost two thirds had experienced neglect and 13% had been sexually abused. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sub-sample of the children, their kin carers, parents and social workers, supplemented by a number of standardised measures.
Aims
This paper will compare the characteristics of the children, the carers, the services provided, placement progress and outcome in kin and stranger foster placements and will highlight the factors that make a significant contribution to good outcomes for children placed with family or friends. Key differences from findings in the US will also be noted.
Findings and implications
Outcomes for children placed with kin are good, kin placements last longer (but this is also true for poor quality kin placements) and kin carers persevere beyond the point at which unrelated carers concede defeat. However, kin carers struggle to deal with behaviours deriving from early adverse experiences, have specific unmet needs and receive poorer services than unrelated carers. The findings suggest a range of policy and practice changes that are needed in the UK.
Contact details
Professor Elaine Farmer, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, 8 Priory Road, Bristol, BS8 1TZ, UK.
Email: e.r.farmer@bristol.ac.uk