Foster Care | Better Care Network

Foster Care

The term “foster care” is used in a variety of ways, and, consequently, it often causes confusion and miscommunication. In the industrialized world it is generally used to refer to formal, temporary placements made by the State with families that are trained, monitored and compensated at some level. In many developing countries, however, fostering is kinship care or other placement with a family, the objective(s) of which may include the care of the child, the child’s access to education, and/or the child’s doing some type of work for the foster family.

Such care is informal and unregulated by the State. Foster care can also be understood as formal care, typically provided by adults who are not related to the child, but may include formalized kinship care. It is usually for a limited period until the child can return home or move into a more permanent placement such as adoption.

In emergency situations, such as armed conflict, informal fostering often occurs spontaneously when a family takes in an unaccompanied child. Also, in some emergency situations, agencies have organized a quasi-formal type of foster care to ensure immediate, family-based care for unaccompanied children. Such foster care should be formally arranged by the local authority or child protection organisation and include assessing each child’s best interests; screening, training, and monitoring of caretakers; and planning for the longer term needs of each child.

Foster care can provide the advantages of family-based care within a child’s own community. In some situations, particularly spontaneous care initiated during an emergency, it can become de facto adoption in settings where State child protection services and formalization of care arrangements are very limited or do not exist.

Foster care plays an important role in a situation where a child’s own family is not providing adequately for his or her care. It can provide protection and care for the child while the family situation is improved, with the eventual aim of family reunification.

It is vital that children are provided opportunities to express their wishes and concerns regarding with whom they live and have contact. The appointment of a legal guardian is a means of ensuring their opinions are taken into account.

Foster caretakers often receive support to meet the child’s needs and prevent placement breakdown. This may include parenting guidance and access to basic services for the child. Payment for care requires thoughtful consideration and should not encourage the separation of children from their families, or the use of a child for financial gain. All placements should be regulated to ensure the standards of care protect the child and encourage her development.

This body of literature provides examples from around the world of spontaneous, informal and formal fostering. It includes guidance on standards of care and child care policy.

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30 Days to Family Study: Achieving Results for Children, Families, and Child Welfare

Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition, 2019

This brief from the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition in the United States provides an overview of the 30 Days to Family® program in the U.S. state of Missouri, an intense, short-term intervention developed by the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition to: 1) increase the number of children placed with relatives/kin at the time they enter the foster care system; and 2) ensure natural and community supports are in place to promote stability for the child.

Permanency with lifelong connections: Casework practices to support positive relationships between carer and birth families

Wright, Amy Conley; Collings, Susan - Developing Practice: The Child, Youth and Family Work Journal, 2019

In Australia, the emerging model of child welfare policy and practice emphasises 'permanency and lifelong connections with birth families'.

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Looked After Children/Children in Care: Annual Report

Kathryn Higgins, Dr Melanie Bracewell, Dr Vicki Walker, 2019

This report presents a summary of key achievements and future plans for Nottinghamshire County CCGs (excluding Bassetlaw) and Nottingham City CCG in the UK to fulfil their duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of looked after children

Knowledge translation in child welfare—improving educational outcomes for children at risk: study protocol for a hybrid randomized controlled pragmatic trial

Thomas Engell, Ingvild Barbara Follestad, Anne Andersen, Kristine Amlund Hagen - Trials, 29 Dec 2018

The present study is part of a knowledge translation project in collaboration with local CWS with the aim to develop, implement, and evaluate Enhanced Academic Support (EAS) for primary school children in Child Welfare Services (CWS) in Norway.

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Heuristic decision-making in foster care matching: Evidence from a think-aloud study

Kirti Zeijlmans, Mónica López López, Hans Grietens, Erik J. Knorth - Child Abuse & Neglect, 24 Dec 2018

This research explores how decision-making heuristics are used by practitioners to determine which foster family is the best fit for a child.

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Human trafficking victimization among youth who run away from foster care

Natasha E. Latzman, Deborah A. Gibbs, Rose Feinberg, Marianne N. Kluckman, Sue Aboul-Hosn - Children and Youth Services Review, 23 Dec 2018

This paper uses administrative data to describe the characteristics and experiences of a population of youth in the child welfare system considered to be at particularly high risk of victimization: youth who have run away from foster care.

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Identifying effective interventions for promoting parent engagement and family reunification for children in out-of-home care: A series of meta-analyses

Christine Maltais, Chantal Cyr, Geneviève Parent, Katherine Pascuzzo - Child Abuse & Neglect, 19 Dec 2018

The aim of this meta-analysis is to identify the most effective interventions to promote parental engagement and family reunification in high-income countries.

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An examination of child protective service involvement among children born to mothers in foster care

Andrea Lane Eastman, Emily Putnam-Hornstein - Child Abuse & Neglect, 13 Dec 2018

This study identified children born to mothers in foster care and documented Child Protective Service (CPS) involvement among children.

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‘Just another person in the room’: young people’s views on their participation in Child in Care Reviews

Clive Diaz, Hayley Pert, Nigel Thomas - Adoption & Fostering, 11 Dec 2018

This article discusses a key meeting for children in care – the Child in Care Review – and examines the extent to which children and young people are able to participate and exert a level of control over their lives. The research, conducted in England, formed part of a wider exploration of the views and experiences of all those involved in such reviews, namely Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs), social workers, senior managers and – the focus of this article – the young people concerned.

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Children in immediate danger: Emergency removals in Finnish and Irish child protection

Tuuli Lamponen, Tarja Pösö, Kenneth Burns - Child & Family Social Work, 11 Dec 2018

This paper presents a qualitative analysis of front‐line practices regarding emergency removals in Finnish and Irish child protection.

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