Mother and Baby Foster Placements 1 : Experiences and Issues

Paul Adams and Sarah Bevan report on research looking at ‘mother and baby’ fostering in three fostering agencies within the North West London Fostering Consortium. The study takes a qualitative approach, using semi-structured face-to-face interviews with eight mother and baby foster carers and analysing the data using a thematic approach. This is supplemented with a brief questionnaire completed by the three participating local authority fostering services. The findings reveal that at times the demand for mother and baby fostering is high, and in the majority of cases agencies seek to identify carers to meet specific needs as they arise, rather than assessing general mother and baby foster carers in advance. From the carers' perspective, factors that contribute to successful placements include clarity about their roles, good social work practice in planning and supporting the placement, and mothers who are positive about being there. Additionally, foster carers need to be able to recognise and manage the distinct needs of both the mother and the baby, and they suggest that educational provision and post-placement support are crucial. Mother and baby carers in particular note the importance to them of peer support networks.