Abstract
There is a shortfall of foster carers currently in England as the number of children in care is rising faster than the number of foster carers. Supporting foster carers in their role of providing safe nurturing environments for children in the looked after system is crucial in ensuring their recruitment and retention. This article reports on an evaluation of a national fostering helpline, Fosterline England, which provides independent, impartial advice to carers on a range of concerns. Findings suggest that the provision of a helpline service can influence foster carers’ motivation to enter or stay in fostering. However, it is only one factor that can make a difference. Improvements to working practices in fostering are needed, including more effective communication with and between professionals.
Introduction
As the main type of care for looked after children, fostering is reported to be ‘bursting at the seams’ (Harber and Oakley, 2012). Internationally, the number of children and young people in care is increasing faster than the number of foster carers (Rodger, Cummings and Leschied, 2006), so understanding how to attract more foster carers is crucial (Sebba, 2012). In the UK, the years 2007–2011 saw a 9% increase of children and young people in foster care, dropping to 2% in 2011–2012 (McDermid, et al., 2012). The current shortfall of foster carers in England is estimated to be 7000 (Higgs, 2013). While their number is slightly increasing, it is not doing so as rapidly as the rise in children who need placements. Retaining foster carers can also be problematic, as reflected in government initiatives in relation to looked after children that include the recruitment, retention and training of foster carers. Also included in this is support for foster carers. This article reports on one aspect of foster carer support: that provided by means of a telephone helpline and interactive website.
Fosterline helpline: history and context
Fosterline England (hereafter referred to as ‘Fosterline’) is a national independent confidential advice and support service for current and prospective foster carers in England. The helpline was commissioned and is funded by the Department for Education (DfE) in recognition of carers’ need for impartial, confidential advice and support in their role. It is delivered by FosterTalk, a non-profit organisation providing professional support services to foster carers across the UK on behalf of the DfE. The helpline provides information concerning legislation, policy, allegations, finances, placement and even conflict with their service provider from a neutral but informed position.
Enquirers contact Fosterline by means of a freephone telephone advice service. This provides access to a trained advisor. Carers can also communicate with advisors by email or via a dedicated website where they can access information, including interactive forums and a link to inquiry forms.
The helpline service is available during normal working hours (9am–5pm) on weekdays with extended hours (until 9pm) once a week. A voicemail and email service operates outside these times and all such inquiries are responded to by the end of the next working day.
Fosterline is only available to current and prospective foster carers in England as legislation differs in each of the four countries that make up the UK. The helpline is staffed by a team of experienced and trained advisors with backgrounds in social work, foster care and adoption. They all follow legislation, National Minimum Standards and recognised good practice guidance and have undergone specific call handling training. The service is accredited by the Helplines Partnership.
Following strict practice protocol, advisors listen to foster carers’ concerns and remain neutral. They provide empathy, support and clarification about policies and procedures, being careful not to criticise or give a personal opinion. They do not take action on behalf of the caller. Instead, they are equipped with contact details so that they can direct people to relevant agencies. If an advisor suspects neglect or a safeguarding issue, they refer to and follow FosterTalk’s safeguarding policies and procedures. Confidentiality is protected by the organisation’s policy and procedures and all information is recorded on encrypted laptops and password protected databases.
Fosterline provides a language line service and also a textphone service for the hard of hearing. It expected to receive over 33,000 visitors to the website, email service, forums and telephone lines in 2015, an increase from 18,000 the previous year. Callers usually seek advice on concerns related to finance, allegations, the assessment process, placement issues, special guardianship orders, care planning, support from social workers or fostering services, complaints about fostering services, switching provider, and kinship or family and friends care. FosterTalk has recently set up the Fosterline Foundation with the aim of raising funds to ensure the sustainability of the free service.
The purpose and benefits of helpline services
It is useful to locate Fosterline’s helpline service within the wider context of the purpose, effectiveness and function of helpline support.
The number of helplines across the UK is reported to be approximately 1000 and increasing annually (Telephone Helplines Association, 2011: 5). The majority of these (92%) are organised by registered charities. Although helplines have responded to the introduction of new telecommunications channels by offering service users email, instant messaging, SMS and social media options, the quantity and complexity of telephone calls have increased. The Helplines Partnership (2014) (formerly the Telephone Helplines Association) reported a call volume increase of over 40% for the year 2013–2014. Specifically, there was a reported rise in the number of callers with complex and multiple problems, corroborated by Fosterline (2014) which reported an average call length of 33 to 36 minutes in 2014 compared to 17 to 20 minutes in 2013, as well as increasingly complex inquiries. This would suggest that telephone helplines are seen as an effective method of providing support for service users generally and foster carers specifically, to the extent that they are described as ‘an essential part of the social fabric of the UK’ (Helplines Partnership, 2014). It is concerning to note, therefore, that while 86% of helplines reported that calls to their helpline had increased in the past year, only 9% of them have seen their income rise over that time. In fact, 36% of helplines reported an actual decline in income, while at the same time calls increased (Helplines Partnership, 2014).
Another interesting trend for helplines is the growing use of volunteers, who outweigh paid staff by a factor of 3:1 (Telephone Helplines Association, 2011: 24). Helplines are expanding their range of services to meet user demand and extending their use of social media such as LinkedIn for professional networking. This sets the context for the evaluation objectives and methodology.
Evaluation objectives
The objectives of the independent evaluation of a national fostering helpline and interactive website were to identify the need and demand of Fosterline as an early intervention service in supporting existing and potential foster carers with their task.
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Specific questions included:
How can a helpline support the important government function of recruiting and retaining foster carers? What is the impact of providing helpline support on foster carers’ motivation to enter or stay in fostering?
Evaluation methodology
The independent evaluation was undertaken between January and March 2015. It had three strands, including desk research of relevant literature, an online questionnaire and case study interviews with existing and prospective foster carers. The data from the questionnaire and interviews were analysed thematically to address the evaluation questions and to allow emerging themes to be identified.
Online questionnaire
The main aim of the online questionnaire was to gather quantitative data on foster carers’ motivations to foster, their reasons for contacting Fosterline and its impact on their decision to either enter or stay in foster care. Some qualitative data were also gathered in relation to foster carers’ perceptions of the service and any implications for policy and practice.
Two questionnaires were designed, tested and emailed to prospective and existing foster carers. Email addresses were provided by Fosterline. A total of 685 emails were sent to current and prospective foster carers. There were 57 questionnaire participants in total. Due to the proportionate number of responses, results for existing foster carers will be reported in percentages and prospective foster carers in whole numbers. For some questions, more than one answer could be given so not all numbers and percentages are equal to 100%.
Results from questionnaires
Results for existing foster carers
A total of 48 existing foster carers responded to the questionnaires. Over half (26 or 54%) of these had a fostering contract with a local authority (LA) and the remaining 46% with an independent fostering agency (IFA). The sample was socially, culturally and geographically diverse.
Challenges faced by foster carers
These included difficulties in communication with social workers (reported by four participants) and with LAs/IFAs (reported by two) rather than concerns over how to effectively support the child or children in their care. One respondent illustrated this by stating that their social worker had changed six times in five years and that sometimes the problems in dealing with agency managers were so extreme that they were unmanageable.
Lack of effective communication between professionals was a concern raised by one participant, who felt that this resulted in children and families receiving unsatisfactory care: ‘There is a disconnection between professionals; they don’t communicate well and sometimes children don’t get the help that they could.’
One participant felt that social workers lacked the skills to personalise their approaches to supporting children, treating them as a homogenous group without individual needs and personalities. He stressed the high professional status that social workers appeared to award themselves and felt that ‘it is how you conduct yourself that makes you a professional, not your job title’. This was corroborated by another carer who felt that managers in agencies and LAs had more in common with one another than they did with foster carers or children. Also mentioned was a perceived ‘tick-box’ approach to dealing with foster carers that had been adopted by professionals, with one participant stressing that ‘you cannot render the complexities of human behaviour within the context of box ticking’.
There were also suggestions that keeping up with training and fostering trends, seeing yourself as a professional, being valued by agencies and social workers and not being part of the decision-making process had been problematic.
Prospective foster carers thought that the challenges they might face would include difficulties with and bureaucracy in relation to social workers, lack of support, children’s challenging behaviour and not knowing enough about the background of the children they were to look after. One prospective carer felt that the policies and procedures involved in the assessment process for fostering was a barrier to accepting the role.
Reasons for contacting the helpline
Reasons for contacting Fosterline varied widely. As shown in Figure 1, the main ones related to foster carers seeking advice about financial concerns (13 or 16%), allegations (13 or 16%), conflicts with social workers (12 or 15%), legal advice (9 or 11%), a complaint (7 or 9%) or emotional support (6 or 7%). Given the complex and sensitive nature of the issues raised by foster carers as reported here, it is not surprising that telephone support was the preferred mode of contact by the majority of participants.
Reasons for contacting Fosterline.
Impact of contacting Fosterline on decision to stay in foster care
Before contacting Fosterline, 16 (33%) of participants were considering giving up. The reasons for this were not explored due to time and cost constraints. Of the 16, 11 (23% of all 48 participants) stated that they decided to continue as a foster carer after contacting Fosterline. In addition, 67% (32) of all participants agreed or strongly agreed that after such contact they felt valued and supported as a foster carer, and 59% (18) agreed or strongly agreed that they felt more empowered in this role. Furthermore, 61% (19) of all participants decided to continue with their foster care career and 50% (24) agreed or strongly agreed that their contact with the helpline had been influential in this.
The majority (39 or 81%) of participants agreed, or strongly agreed, that without Fosterline there would be a lack of appropriate independent support for foster carers in England. Fifteen respondents stated that they did not know what they would have done had the helpline not been available, demonstrating that when there are stressful and complex problems, specialist independent advice is needed, as exemplified by the following two statements: Without Fosterline there would be no future for a foster carer because it is the only service that supports the foster carer to find their way through the complexities that have been created in the foster care business! Foster care is a role like no other, it is incredibly stressful and other people cannot provide the unique support we sometimes need. But Fosterline does provide that support and it is a lifeline when we need it.
Results for prospective foster carers
Seven prospective foster carers responded to the questionnaire. Four of these were applying or had applied for assessment with an LA and one was applying or had applied to an IFA. The remaining two had not yet applied for assessment.
Reasons for contacting the helpline
The stated reasons for contacting Fosterline for all seven participants were advice about becoming a foster carer, followed by additional procedural, financial and legal advice as well as help with a complaint, emotional support and guidance about education for their children.
Impact of contact with Fosterline on the decision to be assessed as a foster carer
After contacting Fosterline, three out of seven prospective foster carers progressed their application to the next stage but adjusted their plans (for example, changing the age range of the children). Of the remaining participants, three were still undeciding about what to do next and one had concluded that fostering was not right for her. Three participants strongly agreed that Fosterline had encouraged them to continue with their application for assessment. Six participants agreed or strongly agreed that without the service there would be a lack of appropriate independent support for foster carers in England.
What would they have done without Fosterline?
In the absence of Fosterline services, a wide variety of potential alternative sources of support were suggested by existing foster carers. Although some of these were membership organisations, many were general advice services more suited to providing consumer information on a wide range of topics than specialist advice to foster carers. In addition, they were not necessarily independent and therefore impartial. These are shown in Figure 2. Since some participants reported more than one source of support and some reported none, frequencies are reported.
Alternative sources of support.
For prospective carers, in the absence of Fosterline services, two participants said they would have turned to their LA for help. One said she would have searched on the internet for support services, while another asserted that Fosterline was the only impartial intervention service available to her at the time she needed help.
However, 15 participants stated that they did not know what they would have done had Fosterline not been available, again demonstrating that when there are stressful and complex problems, specialist, independent advice is needed.
Interviews
The purpose of interviews was to provide qualitative data on foster carers’ experiences of their contact with Fosterline, their perceptions on the effectiveness of the service and its impact on their foster caring role. The aim was not to compare carers’ experiences, but to analyse the interview data thematically to address the evaluation questions.
The intention was to conduct interviews with a fully representative sample, including existing and prospective foster carers. Of the 55 who took part in the questionnaire, 25 left contact details and expressed an interest in being interviewed. All 25 were contacted by telephone or email, of whom 12 responded and went ahead.
Results from interviews
As stated above, 12 foster carers participated in a semi-structured interview that involved 10 questions related to motivation to foster, challenges in fostering, contact with and impact of contact with Fosterline and other agencies, foster carers’ goals and hopes for children and their perceived role in children’s goals and hopes. Two were prospective foster carers and the rest were existing ones. On average, the existing carers had fostered for 13 years each and cared for nine children. Of the two prospective foster carers, one had been assessed and was awaiting the outcome, while the other had discovered that her living accommodation was not suitable for fostering and had therefore not progressed her application.
Themes from the interview data have been organised in line with questions from the interview schedule.
Reason for contacting Fosterline
Reasons for contacting Fosterline rather than their supervising social worker, LA or IFA by existing foster carers mainly related to a perceived need to receive independent advice. This was because the issue they contacted Fosterline about was related to their LA or social worker for two participants, or because they had already contacted these organisations in five cases and had been advised by them to contact the helpline. One participant felt that his social worker was inexperienced and he needed to talk to someone who was knowledgeable, while another said, ‘I needed to talk to someone who was on my side.’ Another felt that professionals had become institutionalised to the extent that they seemed out of touch with foster carers’ concerns or issues and therefore could not be trusted to convey information in a way that was helpful.
Prospective foster carers felt that Fosterline could provide them with independent advice about the type of fostering contract that would be most suitable, with one saying that she had searched the internet and could only find information that related to fostering abroad. The other said she had only wished to foster babies and wanted independent advice about the feasibility of doing so.
The impact of Fosterline on people’s decision to enter or stay in fostering
For existing foster carers, the impact of Fosterline on their decision to continue with fostering ranged from none at all (reported by two participants) to having ‘a strong influence’ (reported by three). For one respondent, more practical support was needed that went beyond what Fosterline could offer and in the absence of this, they have decided not to foster again. The following comments exemplify the impact of the service reported by the participants who were most affected: Contact with Fosterline made the job more financially viable and we were able to obtain financial assistance for other foster carers in the area as a result of advice received. They [Fosterline] kept me sane … the message they sent me was, ‘We’re here for you.’ I knew where to go, which reports I had to write … I won my case with the help of Fosterline, despite there being 15 people on the panel. I knew I was good at my job, I love my job and Fosterline helped me to see that.
For prospective foster carers, the impact of contacting Fosterline had a very positive effect, with one participant saying, ‘They [Fosterline] were very positive and encouraging which made me keen to continue,’ while for another the lack of a spare bedroom meant that she was unable to continue with her application.
Support received by participants from other agencies for existing foster carers was none for five of them, fostering membership organisations for two others and family and friends for another. Two participants stated that local foster carer support groups, while requiring mandatory attendance, were of little value in difficult situations whereas the advice and support from Fosterline had been invaluable. For prospective foster carers, both participants reported they had contacted some other agencies who were either unhelpful or did not respond at all.
Fosterline’s role in helping with the fostering task
Comments about Fosterline’s role in supporting foster carers are reported below under the themes of what Fosterline currently do well and future enhancements to their service that carers felt would make their task easier.
A number of existing foster carers valued the reassurance they had received from Fosterline that their problem could be overcome, would not result in long-term stigmatisation for them or their children and that someone could and would help them – in short, that they were not alone. This gave them a sense of feeling listened to, valued, empowered and being in control. This was especially true in crisis situations such as allegations when Fosterline was the only service that was reassuring to the extent that one participant said, ‘They reminded me that I am good enough to do this job.’
One participant emphasised how difficult it could be to place a call to a helpline and discuss your problems to the extent that it sometimes felt as if she was betraying a child in doing so. The importance of receiving an instant reply to her inquiry and an empathetic impartial response, such as that provided by Fosterline, was stressed. Another was grateful for the helpline’s support in helping her to ‘work safely within the system’ in terms of maintaining accurate records, describing Fosterline as ‘an invaluable service’. A number of participants stressed that it was difficult to talk to family or friends about their fostering concerns, especially when there were allegations, and that having Fosterline available as a service that understood carers’ concerns was crucial. The personal characteristics of the helpline advisors were an important factor that was mentioned. These included being non-judgemental, independent, friendly, knowledgeable, experienced and unbiased.
In terms of possible improvements to the service, one prospective foster carer felt there was currently too much bureaucracy involved in fostering and wanted Fosterline to ‘be a voice’ for foster carers in reducing that. This resonated with one existing foster carer who stated that foster carers needed ‘a new deal’ in terms of more flexible self-employment that allows them to register with a number of agencies. She felt that Fosterline could utilise its knowledge about fostering to advocate for carers’ rights in this regard. Another foster carer who had decided to leave fostering wanted the helpline to have a more significant influence on policy at a higher level. Although she felt the service that it currently provides was good, she would like it to influence change within the fostering system where she felt that social workers currently have ‘too much power’ that is not necessarily used most effectively for children’s benefit.
Other enhancements suggested by existing foster carers included increased promotion of Fosterline’s services so that people know how useful they can be and providing periodic gatherings/meetings for members of fostering membership organisations to share experiences. One participant wanted Fosterline to gain legislative powers, to be able to attend panel meetings and to have a more significant advocacy role, especially where there are allegations. Another wanted it to play a leading role in increasing the number of available foster carers.
Discussion
The sample of questionnaire participants (55 foster carers) and interviewees (12 foster carers) in this evaluation was relatively small given that there were 42,490 fostering households in England in 2014 (Ofsted, 2015). In addition, it is likely that foster carers who approach Fosterline are likely to include an above average proportion of carers who are dissatisfied with their IFA or LA or the professionals involved with them. Nevertheless, the sample in both cases included participants from across England and from a broad demographic profile and a range of fostering experiences.
Participants in this evaluation reported that the main challenges for them in their fostering role related to communication and relationships with LAs, IFAs and social workers, as well as the communication between them.
The range of concerns for which foster carers contact Fosterline is wide and varied, but many are associated with complex and sensitive situations that require knowledgeable, attuned helpline advisors who can listen and de-stigmatise foster carers’ concerns.
Fosterline’s role in the recruitment and retention of foster carers as reported by participants in this evaluation is to provide impartial and independent advice about a range of sensitive concerns and issues when carers feel they have no one else to turn to. Sometimes when they contact Fosterline they are at crisis point in terms of their fostering career and emotional resilience to cope with the situation.
Qualitative data from interviews highlighted that the influence of Fosterline in improving foster carers’ motivation to continue fostering is significant. However, it is only one factor of many that could make a difference and, as such, Fosterline’s ability to influence foster carers’ motivation is contingent upon their feeling valued by social workers, LAs and IFAs – an area where both social work and LA/IFA practices need to change.
Foster carers have suggested some improvements to Fosterline, such as the possibility of the service gaining legislative powers. This might not be practical or desirable and could serve to remove the impartial and independent characteristic of the service that foster carers rated so highly in this evaluation. The purpose and function of a helpline also needs to be considered and as already suggested in the literature review, there are practical limitations as to what can realistically be achieved. At the same time, evidence from the participants suggests that considerable advice, support and reassurance are achievable and that this is a particular strength of the Fosterline helpline service. The context of Fosterline’s services must necessarily be impartial and independent with a reporting and formal representation function to the DfE. It is also unclear how foster carers’ registration with more than one agency (as suggested by one foster carer) would be practical.
Implications for policy
Implications for policy arising from this independent evaluation relate to the way in which fostering is currently organised in terms of carers’ relationship with social workers, LAs and IFAs. The Government can take a leading role in improving working conditions for foster carers. Immediate concerns relate to the way in which carers are treated in allegation and conflict situations. The need for provision of funding for the services of Fosterline as an independent advice and support service is demonstrated in this evaluation. Foster carers’ reports of serious situations, such as allegations, suggest that these circumstances make them feel isolated, especially when social workers, LAs and IFAs do not communicate with them or one another in a way that carers find helpful. This has the potential over time to affect the motivation of individuals to enter or stay in fostering.
Future development and research opportunities
Several areas for future research and development require consideration following this evaluation. For example, a number of foster carers indicated that they were considering leaving foster care before contacting Fosterline. Future research could usefully examine the reasons for this as well as exploring where else foster carers go for independent advice and support in difficult times, and how effective these are in retaining foster carers. A study into more effective, collaborative and democratic ways for social workers, LAs and IFAs to communicate and work with foster carers would also seem worthwhile.
Conclusion
This article has drawn together findings from an independent evaluation of a national fostering helpline that gathered data from an online questionnaire for prospective and existing foster carers and interviews with a sample of them. The findings show that the provision of a helpline service to support foster carers by enhancing the services offered by LAs and IFAs helps with the recruitment and retention of carers. It is important that it maintains an independent, impartial role in this regard. Key to future practice in fostering is effective communication between social workers, LAs and IFAs and a more democratic way of working to ensure that carers feel valued, thereby increasing their motivation to enter or stay in the profession. Allegation situations need particular attention in relation to the way that foster carers are treated.