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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Long-term Head Start Impact on developmental outcomes for children in foster care

Kyunghee Lee - Child Abuse & Neglect, 11 Jan 2020

This study examined the long-term effects of the Head Start early childhood program on foster children's developmental outcomes from ages 3–4 to 8–9.

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“I wish someone would explain why I am in care”: The impact of children and young people's lack of understanding of why they are in out‐of‐home care on their well‐being and felt security

Jo Staines & Julie Selwyn - Child & Family Social Work, 09 Jan 2020

Drawing on a large‐scale online survey of looked after children's subjective well‐being, this paper demonstrates that a significant number of children and young people (age 4–18 years) did not fully understand the reasons for their entry to care.

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“I wish someone would explain why I am in care”: The impact of children and young people's lack of understanding of why they are in out‐of‐home care on their well‐being and felt security

Jo Staines & Julie Selwyn - Child & Family Social Work, 09 Jan 2020

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A report on the deaths of looked after children in Scotland 2012-2018: An overview from notifications and reports submitted to the Care Inspectorate

Care Inspectorate, 02 Jan 2020

This report draws attention to themes emerging from notifications of the deaths of 61 care experienced children and young people over seven years from 2012 to 2018.

upEND Movement

Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) and the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, 2020

The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) and the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work have collaborated to create the upEND movement, a grassroots advocacy network designed to tap into work already being done and spark new work that will ultimately create a society in which the forcible separation of children from their families is no longer an acceptable solution for families in need.

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ICWA Downunder: Exploring the Costs and Benefits of Enacting an Australian Version of the United States' Indian Child Welfare Act

Marcia Zug - Canadian Journal of Family Law, 2020

This article from the Canadian Journal of Family Law finds that an Australian version of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of the United States is feasible and could significantly reduce Indigenous child removals and the break up of Indigenous families and communities in Australia.

The opinions of foster parents on the personal level of cooperation with teachers in the context of children’s special educational needs. A scientific report

Katarzyna Ćwirynkało, Urszula Bartnikowska - Interdisciplinary Contexts of Special Pedagogy, 2020

This report presents the opinions of foster parents in Poland on their cooperation with teachers.

Youth-Centered Transition Planning for Students With Disabilities Who Experience Foster Care

Robin Harwick - Special Education Design and Development Tools for School Rehabilitation Professionals, 2020

This chapter describes a youth-centered approach to transition planning for this vulnerable population and highlights essential elements to consider during the process such as disability, mental health, trauma, resilience, self-determination, culture, and how trauma impacts mental health.

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National Standards for Foster Care in Ghana

UNICEF Ghana, Department of Social Welfare of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, 2020

These Standards for Foster Care are available to all stakeholders engaged in the protection, care and support of children where foster care provision may be required. These Standards are intended to guide social workers and other service providers in monitoring foster care services.

Continuing Care and the Welfare Assessment: Practice Note

Kenny McGhee (CELCIS), Julia Donnelly (Clan Childlaw), Alison Jamieson (Care Inspectorate), 2020

This Practice Note clarifies the legislative requirements in Scotland when undertaking a Welfare Assessment to support planning for a looked after young person to ‘stay put’ in a care placement under Continuing Care arrangements.