Abstracts

Adoption & Fostering abstracts are selected by Miranda Davies in collaboration with the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), London. Although care is always taken to be as exact as possible, the editors cannot guarantee the accuracy of material received from outside sources.

Adoption

BONIN Eva-Maria, et al.

Support for adoption placements: the first six months

British Journal of Social Work 44(6), 2014, pp.1508–1525, UK

Adoption can provide stability and improved outcomes for looked after children, but the support needs of adoptive families range from financial help to managing difficult behaviours and attachment problems. This study looks at the use of services and associated costs over a six-month period through data collected from 19 adoptive parents six months after a child (average age 23 months) had been placed with them for adoption and at the patterns of service needs, usefulness of services and satisfaction with services, supplemented with data from 27 families who were interviewed about their experience of post-adoption support. In line with previous research findings, the core element of support was provided by social workers and over a third of families received financial support from social service departments. Involvement of specialist services such as mental health professionals and educational support was low, probably because of the children's young age. Satisfaction with the support provided by social workers varied and depended on their relationship with the parents. The mean public sector cost of services was £2842 (range £980–£6270) and most costs were borne by children's social services. These support costs compare favourably with other placement options such as children’s homes or foster care.

MAXWELL Maureen and COOK Lauren

The portrayal of the adopted child in British newspapers and magazines

Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies 9(4), 2014, pp. 318–322, UK

The subject of adoption is an important one affecting numerous children, those who adopt and society at large. It is important to understand the ways in which adopted children are portrayed in the media as this may influence public perceptions of adoptees and the willingness to adopt. The aims of this study were to analyse the portrayal of adopted children in the British written media using content analysis. The coding categories were drawn from research literature on the portrayal of adoption in the media and the research literature on attachment theory. A total of 75 news items published between November 2009 and May 2012 were sampled. The content analysis focused on the portrayal of adoptees, their early experiences and the effects of these. Results indicate that adoptees were portrayed sympathetically as having problems, needing support and being vulnerable. There was evidence of their positive portrayal with news items citing negative early experiences including, abuse, neglect and trauma, leading to emotional and attachment problems. It was concluded that the British news item samples provided a relevant but incomplete coverage of the social reality of adoption and the problems facing adopted children.

Foster care

PARRY Sarah and WEATHERHEAD Stephen

A critical review of qualitative research into the experiences of young adults leaving foster care services

Journal of Children’s Services 9(4), 2014, pp. 263–279, UK

The authors review and explore the experience of transition from care and consider how these accounts can inform care services. Their meta-synthesis follows from several quantitative and mixed-method reviews examining how young people experience ageing out of the care system. For the review, literature searches were carried out on OneSearch, MetaLib, PubMed, Cochrane Library and PsychSpider. Three themes emerged from an inductive analysis: navigation and resilience – an interrelated process; the psychological impact of survival; and complex relationship. This synthesis discusses the themes, their relationship to existing research and policies, and suggestions for further exploration. The experience of transition is considered critically in terms of its often traumatic nature for the young person ageing out of care but also the ways in which the experience itself can build essential resiliencies. Reflections for clinical practice are discussed, with importance placed upon systemic working, accommodating likely challenges and considering appropriate therapeutic approaches for the client group and their systems.

SELLICK Clive

Foster care commissioning in an age of austerity: the experiences and views of the independent provider sector in one English region

British Journal of Social Work 44(7), 2014, pp. 1788–1804, UK

Considerable knowledge exists about the commissioning of children’s fostering and adoption placements from external agencies within a context of shared corporate parenting. However, the impact of governmental change in the UK since May 2010, and particularly that of austerity measures, has yet to be determined. This article explores the experiences of foster care providers in one English region in the year following the Government’s first Spending Review. It refers to the findings of earlier foster care commissioning research and considers these alongside some policy ideas put forward by influential figures sympathetic to the Government. It also considers whether the research evidence of commissioning adoption services is reflected in the empirical evidence reported here and if this is prescient for foster care. The findings of this study shed light on the initial effects of austerity measures on both local authority commissioners and independent fostering providers (IFPs). While collaborative working relationships remain, the study highlights legal and procedural factors which may distort or threaten effective foster care provision. It concludes that suggested changes to policy and practice, during the current Coalition Government’s term of office in the UK, are likely to have significant consequences both for local authorities and IFPs.

Kinship care

BROWN Lydia and SEN Robin

Improving outcomes for looked after children: a critical analysis of kinship care

Practice: Social Work in Action 26(3), 2014, pp. 161–180, UK

Although UK law and policy favour family and friends care, the number of children placed in kinship care remains low compared to other countries such as the US and Australia, and there is professional uncertainty as to whether children may be better placed there. This review compares outcomes for looked after children placed in kin and non-kin care and finds stability is achieved more commonly through placement with kin. However, the inherent familiarity of kinship placements can undermine aspects of care quality. Children are more likely to experience problematic parental contact and problems within a child’s immediate family may exist in the child’s wider network. Despite such adversities, emotional and behavioural outcomes are as favourable or more favourable. The review concludes that although poor-quality kin placements do have adverse effects on children’s emotional and behavioural development, stability is a protective factor. Two areas for the development of professional practice are highlighted. Firstly, the need for professionals to provide better support to children and kin carers. Secondly, the need to end inadequate kin placements, sometimes against a child’s wishes, should be better recognised: in some cases children’s needs have been undermined when social workers have allowed inadequate placements to continue.

HARNETT Paul H, DAWE Sharon and RUSSELL Melissa

An investigation of the needs of grandparents who are raising grandchildren

Child & Family Social Work 19(4), 2014, pp. 411–420, UK

Evidence suggests that children in out-of-home care function better when placed in kinship compared with foster care. Less is known about the functioning of children in the unique form of kinship care where grandparents are caring full-time for their grandchildren in informal care arrangements. As grandparent carers are increasingly taking on this role, it is timely to investigate the functioning of the children in this form of care and the characteristics of the grandparents themselves. We compared the functioning of children in the two types of care. We also investigated carer characteristics, including the relationship between child functioning, social support and daily hassles on carer stress. One hundred and fourteen carers and 180 children were assessed on a range of demographic and clinical measures. Children in grandparent care were displaying better behavioural and adaptive functioning than children living with foster carers. Grandparent carers reported higher levels of distress in the carer role. Predictors of carer stress included severity of child behaviour problems and daily hassles. Both group of carers and the children in their care would benefit from increased support from treatment services.

KIRALY Meredith and HUMPHREYS Cathy

A tangled web: parental contact with children in kinship care

Child & Family Social Work 20(1), 2015, p.106–115, Australia

Contact between parents and children in care is a contested area. Parental contact is recognised to be important, yet may present protective issues; in the kinship care environment, it brings the particular challenges of complex family relationships. Seeking the parents’ perspective in a child protection context is difficult and therefore under-researched. This article describes a nested study within an Australian research project on family contact in kinship care in which the perspectives of 18 mothers and two fathers were sought via in-depth interviews. Mothers and fathers described strong feelings of disempowerment in the context both of their family and the child protection system. The relationship between parent and caregiver emerged as a significant issue. All of the parents wished to remain in contact with their children in a meaningful way, whether or not they were likely to resume their children’s care; however, contact arrangements presented many difficulties for them. Mothers articulated the need for services that are more empowering and respectful, rather than oriented towards them as failed parents. In order to build appropriate models of support and intervention, the authors argue for a more inclusive conceptual frame for family life that gives greater recognition to the role of non-custodial parents in the lives of their children.

Other

FARRUGGIA Susan P and GERMO Gary R

Problem behavior among older youth in foster care: examining gender

Children and Youth Services Review 48(1), 2015, pp. 20--30, USA

Using a random sample of older young people in foster care (n = 188), this study examined the associations between clinical (externalising Axis I diagnoses) and non-clinical (aggression, substance use) indicators of problem behaviour, risk factors (placement instability, maltreatment history, psychiatric hospitalisations, stressful life events and violence exposure) and protective factors (warmth and acceptance) from biological parents, foster carers and peers) for males and females. Males were higher on aggression and Axis I diagnoses but were similar to females on substance use. Several risk factors were significantly correlated with young people’s problem behaviour, whereas only peer warmth and acceptance was associated with females’ substance use. Moderating hypotheses were partially supported, particularly for females. Discussion highlights the importance of context in relation to risk and problem behaviour among young people in foster care.

GEIGER Jennifer Mullins, HAYES Megan J and LIETZ Cynthia A

Providing foster care for adolescents: barriers and opportunities

Child & Youth Care Forum 43(5), 2014, pp. 237–254, Germany

This study used quantitative and qualitative data from a larger research project regarding foster parent experiences to examine the characteristics that predict a parent’s willingness to foster an adolescent. Data collected from closed and open-ended items related to reasons for not fostering a teen were also analysed. Findings suggest parents who are older and were a foster child themselves increased the likelihood they would foster a teen. When discussing reasons for not fostering an adolescent, parents identified fears of problem behaviours and concerns about negative impact on other children – findings that were corroborated in responses to the open-ended comments.

KERR Laura and COSSAR Jill

Attachment interventions with foster and adoptive parents: a systematic review

Child Abuse Review 23(6), 2014, pp. 426–439, UK

Children who have been adopted or fostered are at high risk of experiencing interpersonal difficulties and placement breakdown may occur if these are not addressed through interventions. The aim of this review was to identify the impact of attachment interventions with foster and adoptive parents on children’s behavioural, emotional and relational functioning. A systematic search process was undertaken; electronic databases were searched; key journals were hand searched; reference lists of included articles were searched; and authors who have published work in the field were contacted. Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. There is some evidence to support the positive impact of these interventions for children, particularly young children aged six months to six years. However, overall, the studies were of relatively poor methodological quality, making conclusions about the efficacy of these interventions difficult. Further research is therefore required to draw clearer conclusions about the impact of attachment interventions for fostered and adopted children.

KNUIMAN Sandra, et al.

Children without parental care in Poland: foster care, institutionalization and adoption

International Social Work 58(1), 2015, pp. 142–152, Poland

This article describes the historical background and current situation of the child welfare system for children without parental care in Poland. Nowadays in Poland, most children without parental care still have both parents, but are placed in out-of-home care as a protective measure. Multiple scenarios are possible for these children. Financial resources, however, are often not sufficient to provide the most desirable care. Despite reforms aimed at deinstitutionalisation and a growing number of foster care placements in Poland, almost 20,000 children remain in institutional care. For some children without parental care domestic or international adoption is decided.