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.

Adoption

BROWN Kim, LABRENZ Catherine A and FONG Rowena

From adoption to residential treatment centers

Adoption Quarterly. Published online, 24 November 2018, USA. doi.org/10.1080/10926755.2018.1488331

Although children who have been adopted are referred for mental health services more often than their non-adopted peers and might be over-represented within residential treatment centers (RTCs), little is known about adoptive families’ experiences with this form of specialist care. The present study sought to understand the experiences of families whose children were placed in residential treatment facilities after a finalised adoption. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a total of 10 families who had adopted 21 children. Of these, 13 children had been placed in an RTC after the finalised adoption. Most of the children in the sample were between zero and five years of age at placement. Adoptive families reported the need for in-the-trenches training and community-based services that could provide ongoing support post-adoption. Implications from these findings include increasing in-home services and other options within the adoptive families’ own communities. Future research could incorporate a larger sample to assess whether the experiences of families in this study are similar to other adoptive families.

FEUGE Eric Alain, CYR Chantal, COSSETTE Louise and JULIEN Danielle

Adoptive gay fathers’ sensitivity and child attachment and behavior problems

Attachment & Human Development. Published online, 20 December 2018, Canada. doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2018.1557224

Fathers’ sensitivity and child attachment security and externalising and internalising problems were investigated among families headed by two adoptive gay fathers. A sample of 68 fathers and their 34 children aged one to six years participated in the study. Fathers completed a socio-demographic questionnaire and the Child Behavior Checklist. Parental sensitivity and child attachment security were assessed by independent coders with Q-sort methodology during parent–child interactions at home. Results indicate that few children had low attachment security scores and behaviour problems in the clinical range. Fathers’ sensitivity within parenting couples appeared similarly high, as did children’s attachment security. In contrast to the weak association found in past studies among heterosexual fathers, a significant moderate correlation was found between paternal sensitivity and child attachment security. Also, children with higher levels of attachment security had less externalising problems.

LO Albert YH, GROTEVANT Harold D and MCROY Ruth G

Considerations in adoption research: navigating confidentiality and privacy across the adoption kinship network

Adoption Quarterly. Published online, 26 January 2019, USA. doi.org/10.1080/10926755.2018.1508530

Adoption research often includes multiple members of the adoption network, each of whom has distinctive perspectives. Participants may include adopted individuals and their siblings as well as adoptive parents, birth parents and adoption professionals. Due to these multiple informants and the sensitivity of the topics explored in adoption research, researchers encounter several unique ethical concerns when working with populations impacted by adoption. The current article addresses confidentiality and privacy issues that arise when conducting adoption research. Examples from a longitudinal study on openness in adoption are provided to highlight strategies that can be used to address these issues.

Fostering

BOYD Reiko

Foster care outcomes and experiences of infants removed due to substance abuse

Journal of Child Public Welfare. Published online, 7 November 2018, USA. doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2018.1536627

This exploratory study used administrative data from the 2015 foster care file of the Adoption and Foster Care Reporting System to examine the experiences and outcomes of infants who had substance abuse indicated as their reason for removal. Logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between removal for substance abuse and race/ethnicity, placement setting, case plan goal and discharge manner. T-tests were used to compare infants groups with respect to average placement duration. Separate analyses were conducted to compare outcomes for infants with substance abuse as their sole removal reason and for those with substance abuse included as at least one removal reason among others. Nearly 17% of infants had substance abuse indicated as their sole removal reason and over 50% had substance abuse included among multiple removal reasons. Infants removed due to substance abuse differed on a number of key outcomes compared to infants whose cases did not include substance abuse as a removal reason. Findings suggest that local child welfare systems would benefit from ongoing assessment of trends in substance abuse removals and that more attention to the long-term child welfare outcomes of children who were removed due to substance abuse as infants is warranted.

TONHEIM Milfrid and IVERSEN Anette Christine

‘We felt completely left to ourselves’: Foster parents’ views on placement disruption

Child & Family Social Work 24(1), February 2019, pp. 90‒97. Published online, 29 May 2018, Norway. doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12585

The purpose of this article is to explore the reasons for unintended placement disruptions in foster care. Based on a semi-structured survey, the article presents the views of 132 Norwegian foster parents who have experienced placement disruption between 2013 and 2015. Foster parents rated several relevant causes: the child’s behaviour, the need for care, concern for the well‐being of their biological children and lack of support from the Child Welfare Service (CWS). Although the child’s behaviour was the cause most often reported in the quantitative data, CWS‐related factors such as poor collaboration, not being valued and listened to, insufficient support and follow‐up, and a mismatch between the child’s needs and the foster carers’ capacity were reported most frequently in the qualitative data. Placement disruption appears to be caused by the sum and interaction of several coexisting causes. It may not be the child’s behaviour per se but rather the combination of challenging behaviour, concern for one's biological children, and insufficient support from CWS that lead to disruption. Good collaboration with the CWS in the form of respect, recognition, support and follow‐up appears to be of the utmost importance in reducing the risk of placement disruption.

Other

BRIGGS Stephen and WHITTAKER Andrew

Protecting children from faith-based abuse through accusations of witchcraft and spirit possession: understanding contexts and informing practice

The British Journal of Social Work 48(8), pp. 2157–2175. Published online, 1 December 2018, UK. doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcx155

Faith-based abuse relating to the practice of witchcraft and spirit possession is a controversial and not well-understood form of child abuse. From its ‘discovery’ in the UK as a cause of abuse, serious injury and death for children, in 2000 to the present, the recent history of witchcraft and spirit possession involves some high-profile cases, involving serious harm and death for some children, which attracted significant publicity. This article reviews research and commentary, including grey literature, and the emerging policy framework. It discusses the underpinning relationship between faith-based practices and abuse, and takes a post-colonial perspective to discuss the social explanations for the continuing practice of witchcraft and spirit possession in contemporary society. These discussions are then shown to inform practice. Practice priorities are: informed assessment of suspected cases through early and statutory interventions; care for survivors; and an important focus on community engagement to prevent this form of child abuse.

DIXON Jo, WARD Jade and BLOWER Sarah

‘They sat and actually listened to what we think about the care system’: the use of participation, consultation, peer research and co-production to raise the voices of young people in and leaving care in England

Child Care in Practice. Published online, 17 October 2018, England. doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2018.1521380

There has been increased recognition of the importance of hearing the views of children and young people in and from care about the services and decisions that affect their lives. The emphasis on young people’s voices aims to give weight to, and raise awareness of, their experiences and outcomes, and the need for policy and practice improvements. This article discusses the development of methodologies for hearing and acting upon the voices of care-experienced children and young people. It charts the journey towards increased levels of active involvement, from research participation and consultation to peer research and co-production. Using examples from our own empirical studies, the article outlines key features of these different techniques and the opportunities, challenges and impact they engender. It looks at the recent transition towards greater participation through co-production and peer research in which children and young people are active and equal agents in the production of services to address their needs, and in the design and production of research aiming to evaluate those services. Finally, we provide our reflections and those of some of the young people we have worked with on how to achieve meaningful and authentic engagement with care-experienced children and young people.

GARSTANG Joanna and GRIFFITHS Frances

Working together to understand why infants die: A qualitative study of professionals’ experiences of joint agency investigation of sudden unexpected death in infancy

Child Abuse Review 27(6), pp. 429–445, 2018. Published online, 22 November 2018, England. doi.org/10.1002/car.2515

A comprehensive Child Death Review programme commenced in England in 2008; police, healthcare and social care professionals now work together, using a joint agency approach (JAA) to investigate unexpected child deaths. The aim of this article is to explore professionals’ experiences of the JAA investigation of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI). This was part of a mixed‐methods study evaluating the JAA investigation of such deaths. Professionals participated in qualitative interviews and case notes were scrutinised. Data were analysed using a framework approach. A total of 23 of a possible 113 eligible SUDI cases were recruited. Twenty‐six professionals involved in investigating 12 of the 23 cases were interviewed giving theoretical saturation of data. The overarching theme was the conflict between the need to investigate deaths while remaining sensitive to families. Other themes were working together, supporting parents, and the benefits and difficulties of joint working practices. All professionals were positive about the JAA, especially joint police and paediatric interviews and home visits. The difficulties included non‐engagement by social care and poor liaison with coroners. The JAA seems to be a thorough investigative process but could be improved by closer joint agency working and information sharing, and more support and training for professionals.

MCGREGOR Caroline, DALIKENI Colletta, DEVANEY, Carmel, et al.

Practice guidance for culturally sensitive practice in working with children and families who are asylum seekers: learning from an early years study in Ireland

Child Care in Practice 25. Published online, 9 January 2019, Ireland. doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2018.1555137

This article is based on a study of two early years services in the West of Ireland which was attended mostly by asylum seekers. Using a sample of the findings for illustration, we discuss how the study captured an example of culturally sensitive practice that demonstrated an ability to counteract some of the negative effects of being an asylum seeker through the particular philosophy and practice model. Eight specific guidance points for practice are drawn out and considered within the context of the ecological model (Bronfenbrenner and Morris, 2006). We argue that it is essential to pay attention to agency, recognising the importance of the actions of each individual, and structure, recognising the inherent power differences, structural inequality, social injustice and prejudice involved. We make the case for an approach to ‘cultural competence’ that emphasises the importance of interactions at the micro level. While we are focused in this article on the early years sector, there is also wider applicability from this specific study to general practice in the field of social care and social work with diverse populations.