Abstracts

Adoption & Fostering abstracts are selected by Miranda Davies. Although care is always taken to be as exact as possible, the editors cannot guarantee the accuracy of material received from outside sources.

Fostering and adoption

BRUCE Molly, YOUNG David, TURNBULL Susan, et al.

Reactive Attachment Disorder in maltreated young children in foster care

Attachment & Human Development, epub ahead of print, July 2018, doi.10.1080/14616734.2018.1499211

Reactive attachment disorder (RAD) is one of the least researched and most poorly understood disorders. Very little is known about the prevalence and stability of RAD symptoms over time. Until recently it has been difficult to investigate RAD due to limited tools for informing a diagnosis. Utilising a newly developed observational tool, along with the Disturbances of Attachment Interview, this short-term prospective longitudinal study explored RAD symptoms in maltreated young children in Scotland (n = 100, age range = 12–62 months) over 12 months. Children were recruited as part of the Best Services Trial (BeST), in which all infants who came in to the care of the local authority in Glasgow due to child protection concerns were invited to participate. Prevalence of RAD was found to be 5% (n = 5, 95% CI [0.7–9.3]) when children were first placed in foster care. Following at least one year of improved care conditions, prevalence in the 76 children remaining in the study was 2.1% (n = 2, 95% CI [below 0–4.7]). RAD was associated with some mental health and cognitive difficulties. While levels of carer-reported RAD symptoms decreased significantly over time, observed symptoms did not. Findings suggest that RAD was resolved in a small majority of cases but further exploration in larger samples would be invaluable.

RANDLE Melanie

Through the eyes of ex-foster children: placement success and the characteristics of good foster carers

Practice 25(1), March 2013, pp. 3‒19

Most research focusing on foster placement success or the characteristics of good foster carers is based on the opinions of people currently involved in the foster care system, such as foster carers, social workers or children in care. The few studies that include former foster children tend to collect factual (usually quantitative) data to evaluate their pathways or achievements since leaving care, such as educational attainment or employment. This study differs in that it examines the perceptions and opinions of adults who were in foster care as children, in relation to the important issues of what constitutes a successful foster placement and the characteristics of the foster carers who are most likely to make this possible. For the most part, a successful placement was described by participants in terms of how they felt when they were there – happy, wanted, loved, listened to and safe. As well as the more commonly known characteristics of good foster carers, ex-foster children nominated important attributes as being fun-loving, good listeners and honest. This new perspective adds an important dimension to what we know about foster placement success and should be taken into consideration when making decisions about the delivery of foster care programmes.

MESSINA Roberta and D’AMORE Salvatore

Adoption by lesbians and gay men in Europe: challenges and barriers on the journey to adoption

Adoption Quarterly 21(2) March 2018, pp. 59‒81

Little, if any, psychological research has investigated the experiences of adoption by sexual minorities in Europe. This qualitative study is the first cross-national research within the European context giving the floor to LG (lesbian and gay) adoptive parents in order to explore the main challenges they encountered in the transition to adoptive parenthood. Sixty-two LG adoptive parents (16 lesbians and 46 gay men) living in Belgium (n = 14), France (n = 26) and Spain (n = 22) took part. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to gather information about two key steps in the adoptive path: the decision-making and the adoption process itself. Results revealed that while choosing to adopt, LG adoptive parents experienced numerous self-doubts and emotional conflicts driven by introjected heteronormative assumptions about family. During the adoption procedure they were confronted with a large number of challenges and legal roadblocks connected to their sexual minority status. Exploring the experience of the first generation of LG adoptive parents in Europe provides insight into the great impact that the sociological context has on their lives. Findings suggest the necessity of promoting practice geared not only to fight discrimination but also to provide better support to LG people throughout the adoption process.

Kinship care

MANFUL Esmeranda and CUDJOE Ebenezer

Is kinship failing? Views on informal support by families in contact with social services in Ghana

Child & Family Social Work 23(4), November 2018, pp. 617‒623

Traditionally, Ghanaian families facing difficulties address their problems by engaging kin, with the State being the last point of call. However, in recent times, more families facing difficulties are contacting social services to seek redress. So what contribution are kin and other informal social support networks providing to the care and safety of children of such families? This article presents findings from 15 families receiving services from the Department of Social Welfare in Sekondi, Ghana. Through semi-structured, in‐depth interviews, the families shared their views on the roles played by their kin and informal social networks in contributing to the care of their children. The findings suggest that kin still plays a vital role in the support of parenting through imbibing of norms and values; whereas the provision of casual support is provided by non-kin in one’s social support network on the basis of reciprocity. Therefore, it was concluded that in developing social welfare policies to ensure better outcomes for children in Ghana, attention also has to be placed on the supportive role of the community for families in danger of disruption as there is likely to be a limited familial safety net for support in child care.

ZUCHOWSKI Ines, GAIR Susan, HENDERSON Debbie and THORPE Ros

Convenient yet neglected: the role of grandparent kinship carers

British Journal of Social Work, epub ahead of print, October 2018, doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcy085

Grandparents are increasingly involved in the care and protection of grandchildren. The qualitative Australian study reported here explored how contact between grandparents and their grandchildren could be optimised after child safety concerns. Interviews and focus groups with 77 participants were undertaken in 2016. In total, 51 grandparents and aunties in grandparenting roles, 12 parents, six foster carers and eight child protection workers took part. Of the 51 participants in grandparent roles, 20 were kinship carers. This article specifically reports on findings related to this group. Key findings reveal that many grandparents were willing to step into the carer role and a number wanted to stay connected to grandchildren, although, overall, they received little support. The study identified the stresses and the fragility of the care arrangements and that at times providing kinship care could endanger carers. Overall, the results point to a perceived notion of kinship care implemented as a cost-effective alternative to foster care that leaves grandparents without the required support and resources. It is recommended that grandparents receive greater recognition as kinship carers, and that child protection systems increase family-inclusive practices that provide better support and resources to kinship carers.

Other

BERNARD Claudia and HARRIS Perlita

Serious case reviews: the lived experiences of Black children

Child & Family Social Work, epub ahead of print, September 2018, doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12610

Despite the many high‐profile black child deaths in England, race as a factor remains a largely under-explored element of serious case reviews (SCRs). Evidence from analysis of SCRs indicates that race receives limited attention or is virtually absent. Given that the main function of such reviews is to provide opportunities for learning lessons to improve practice, the way in which issues of race and culture may influence child protection processes for black children is of critical importance. In this article, content analysis is employed to examine the extent that race and cultural factors are considered in SCRs involving black children. It is argued that race is often an important factor influencing their experiences of abuse and neglect, as well as their encounters in the child protection system. This article therefore poses two key questions: (a) What questions are asked about race, ethnicity and culture in SCRs concerning black children?; and (b) How did the SCRs extract lessons to be learnt for improving practice to safeguard them? By extending the analysis of race and ethnicity in SCRs, this article furthers our understandings of the needs of black children in the child protection system.

DUNN Eric C, CRAWFORD Katherine M, SOARE Thomas W, et al.

Exposure to childhood adversity and deficits in emotion recognition: results from a large, population‐based sample

The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 59(8), March 2018, pp. 845‒854

Emotion recognition skills are essential for social communication. Deficits in these skills have been implicated in mental disorders. Prior studies of clinical and high‐risk samples have consistently shown that children exposed to adversity are more likely than their unexposed peers to have emotion recognition skills deficits. However, only one population‐based study has examined this association. The authors analysed data from children participating in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a prospective birth cohort (n = 6506). They examined the association between eight adversities, assessed repeatedly from birth to age eight (caregiver physical or emotional abuse; sexual or physical abuse; maternal psychopathology; one adult in the household; family instability; financial stress; parent legal problems; neighbourhood disadvantage) and the ability to recognise facial displays of emotion measured using the faces subtest of the Diagnostic Assessment of Non‐Verbal Accuracy (DANVA) at the age of eight-and-a-half years. In addition to examining the role of exposure (versus non-exposure) to each type of adversity, they also evaluated the role of the timing, duration and recency of each adversity using a Least Angle Regression variable selection procedure. Over three‐quarters of the sample experienced at least one adversity. We found no evidence to support an association between emotion recognition deficits and previous exposure to adversity, either in terms of total lifetime exposure, timing, duration or recency, or when stratifying by sex. Results from the largest population‐based sample suggest that even extreme forms of adversity are unrelated to emotion recognition deficits as measured by the DANVA, suggesting the possible immutability of emotion recognition in the general population. These findings emphasise the importance of population‐based studies to generate generalisable results.

GLYNN Natalie and MAYOCK Paula

‘I’ve changed so much within a year’: care leavers’ perspectives on the aftercare planning process

Child Care in Practice, epub ahead of print, October 2018, doi. 10.1080/13575279.2018.1521378

Increasing the participation of children and young people in matters related to their care and aftercare is regarded as international best practice. While research demonstrates that children and young people benefit from involvement in care-related processes, participation continues to pose challenges for social work practitioners. Studies to date have tended to focus on in-care engagement and so relatively little is known about the experiences of young people as they age out of care, particularly in terms of their perceived involvement and engagement in the planning-to-leave care process. This article examines young people’s experiences of the aftercare planning process in Ireland, drawing on data from the first phase of a qualitative longitudinal study of young people leaving care. Sixteen participants were recruited at baseline and interviewed in-depth. The approach to interviewing was flexible and encouraged participants to talk about their experiences of care and the aftercare planning process. The findings indicate considerable diversity in how young people experience and attach meaning to the transition out of care. They also reveal complexities surrounding youth participation in the leaving care planning process and uncover a number of distinct facilitators and barriers to participation. Conclusions are drawn and the implications for practice are discussed.

MANNAY Dawn, STAPLES Eleanor, HALLETT Sophie, et al.

Enabling talk and reframing messages: working creatively with care experienced children and young people to recount and re-represent their everyday experiences

Child Care in Practice, epub ahead of print, October 2018, doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2018.1521375

The educational experiences and outcomes of care experienced children and young people is of longstanding concern. The pervasive inequalities they face suggest that current policies have been unable to respond fully to the complex causes of the problem. This article reflects on a qualitative study into the educational experiences and aspirations of children and young people who are looked after in Wales. The project worked with care experienced peer researchers and drew on visual, creative and participatory techniques to explore 67 children’s and young people’s experiences of education and, importantly, their opinions on what could be done to improve it. This multimodal approach allowed space for participants to think through their subjective, mundane ‒ but important ‒ experiences that operate alongside, and interact with, more structural challenges. A range of films, magazines, artwork and music outputs were developed to ensure that the project recommendations could reach wide and diverse audiences. The authors argue that the voices of children and young people need to be given a platform to inform policy and practice. For this to happen researchers need to be creative in their approaches to both fieldwork and dissemination, harnessing the power of the arts to make positive changes in the everyday lives of children and young people.

MUNRO Eileen and HARDIE Jeremy

Why we should stop talking about objectivity and subjectivity in social work

British Journal of Social Work, epub ahead of print, June 2018, doi.org/10.1093/social/bcy054

In debates about knowledge in social work, the terms ‘objectivity’ and ‘subjectivity’ are frequently used with varying degrees of positive and negative connotations. Munro and Hardie argue that the terms have become so ambiguous that they should be avoided. In their place, they suggest focusing on the individual attributes associated with objectivity and subjectivity and consider how the desirable attributes can be strengthened and the undesirable ones avoided. This division differs significantly from the typical objective/subjective division. The authors examine three key social work issues: the contribution of empirical research; dealing with dissent; and the role of the personal. When the attributes of objectivity and subjectivity are examined in detail, it becomes apparent that they vary in how desirable and how feasible they are. A more precise use of language makes it easier to see the contributions of values, bias and power in social work policy and practice and reduces the risks of people over-claiming the reliability and neutrality of their assertions.

RICHASON Louden

Social work for separated children seeking asylum in the Republic of Ireland: setting the standard for child-centred care and protection

Child Care in Practice 24(4), 2018, pp. 402–412

In response to the unhealthy, threatening living arrangements separated children seeking asylum were provided with in Ireland in the early 2000s, the Social Work Team for Separated Children committed itself to replacing the inadequate care with care that truly meets the needs of children. However, the transition to the level of service provided today has only been achieved after years of criticism and a slow, steady commitment to transparency. Increased levels of discretion afforded to the social workers have led to an evolving definition of the best interest of the child and given rise to a child protection service that provides safe environments for children to thrive and grow. This report serves to briefly sketch the history of the service, outlines several of its distinctive features and places it in a broader European context.