Fostering Now: Messages From Research

Cover......Page 1
Fostering Now:\rMessages from Research......Page 5
Contents......Page 7
FOREWORD\r......Page 11
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS\r......Page 13
THE OVERVIEW PROCESS\r......Page 15
The policy and research background to the studies......Page 17
What are the core studies?......Page 20
How confident can we be about the conclusions?......Page 22
How does this report relate to other research?......Page 24
How have we written up the results?......Page 25
Introduction......Page 27
Reasons for being looked after......Page 28
The children’s views of returning home......Page 29
The likelihood of returning home......Page 30
The outcomes of those returning home and those remaining......Page 31
Can foster care offer a permanent alternative to care at\rhome?......Page 32
The acceptability and outcomes of other long-term options......Page 34
Introduction......Page 39
Shared care and through care......Page 40
Treatment foster care......Page 42
Relative foster care......Page 44
Long-stay foster care......Page 47
Conclusion......Page 49
Introduction......Page 51
What did the children want?......Page 52
What did the children need?......Page 53
Close relationships......Page 55
Coherence......Page 56
Conclusion......Page 57
Introduction......Page 60
How are placements made?......Page 61
What do the children feel about the process?......Page 62
What do carers feel about the process?......Page 63
Do carers, children and parents feel consulted?......Page 64
Does the way placements were made influence outcomes?......Page 65
Conclusion......Page 66
The children......Page 69
Child difficulties......Page 70
Child motivation......Page 71
Other predictive factors......Page 72
Factors which do not predict breakdown......Page 73
Conclusion......Page 76
Is it easy to identify good foster carers?......Page 78
Other children in the placement......Page 79
Parenting styles......Page 81
Responsiveness in action......Page 82
Good and bad spirals......Page 83
Carer strain......Page 84
Does training influence outcomes?......Page 85
Does support influence outcomes?......Page 86
Conclusion......Page 88
Introduction......Page 90
Characteristics of contact......Page 91
The effects of contact......Page 93
Conclusion......Page 96
Introduction......Page 98
Evidence from the core studies......Page 99
Conclusion......Page 100
Recruitment......Page 103
Stress, support and ceasing to foster......Page 106
Tailoring support to the carer’s situation......Page 108
Providing high quality support......Page 109
Dealing with events......Page 113
Conclusion......Page 114
Training......Page 117
Support from social workers......Page 118
Other professionals......Page 119
Organisational structure and practice......Page 120
Conclusion......Page 121
The principles......Page 124
The quality of foster care......Page 126
The needs of carers......Page 127
Conclusion......Page 128
APPENDIX A: THE RESEARCHERS\' SUMMARIES OF THEIR PROJECTS\r......Page 129
APPENDIX B: THE ADVISORY AND IMPLEMENTATION GROUP\r......Page 168
REFERENCES\r......Page 169
INDEX\r......Page 171