bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Looked after Children Who Move Placement Frequently
Authors: Beck Alison
Published: March 2013

Research has revealed high levels of mental health need among children who are looked after. The aim of this study, reported by Alison Beck, was to compare the mental health needs of looked after children who move placement frequently with the mental health needs of those who do not and to consider how these differences may be addressed in terms of mental health service planning. Two questionnaires (including the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire — SDQ) were sent to the carers of 747 young people (aged over three years) looked after by one inner-London local authority, to the young people themselves if they were aged over 11 years and to a selected sample of teachers. A third (30 per cent) of young people had a ‘probable’ psychiatric diagnosis using the SDQ. Eleven per cent had moved placement three or more times in the last year and they were three times more likely to have a ‘probable’ psychiatric diagnosis. They were also significantly more likely to report deliberate self-harm in the last six months compared to those who had moved placement less frequently.

Although young people who move placement frequently are far more likely to develop psychiatric disturbance than other looked after children, they are much less likely to access mental health services. The barriers to service access and practice implications of these findings are discussed.
Family Foster Care: Development or Decline?
Authors: Maluccio Anthony N , Ainsworth Frank
Published: March 2013

As seen in recent evaluative studies, family foster care is in crisis in Australia, the UK and the USA, as in other Western countries. Although it has the potential to provide children and young people with nurturing substitute families, such a service cannot be expected to serve adequately all youth at risk of abuse, neglect and separation from their birth families. Anthony Maluccio and Frank Ainsworth argue that in order to promote the effectiveness of family foster care, we need to engage in further research, particularly in regard to what fostering can and cannot do, how agencies can reduce stress on foster carers and how to enhance policies and programmes dealing with the consequences of multiple placements, placement disruptions and problematic patterns of parental contact.
Delivering Effective Substitute Care: Lessons from Practice
Authors: Cairns Kate , Kalsbeek Annemieke
Published: March 2013

Kate Cairns, an experienced foster carer, discusses the fundamental questions about the success and limitations of substitute parenting raised in the preceding three articles (Bullock et al, 2006; Hare and Bullock, 2006; Maluccio and Ainsworth, 2006). She describes how she and her husband tried to address them when caring for separated children. It is argued that while parenting foster children is different in some ways from parenting birth children, it is possible to provide separated children with a sense of permanence and a foundation for healthy and fulfilling development. The article is based on an interview with Annemieke Kalsbeek.
Respect or Empowerment?: Alternative Understandings of ‘Listening’ in Childcare Social Work
Authors: McLeod Alison
Published: March 2013

Alison McLeod describes a research project that explored the effectiveness of communication between social workers and young people in care. Interviews with young people revealed that, even though their social workers had described making significant efforts to listen to them, the young people did not feel their voices were heard. It is argued that this contradiction arises because the adults and the children understood something different by the term ‘listening’. The adults saw it more in terms of paying respectful attention to what the young people had to say. The young people, in contrast, felt that listening was demonstrated by delivering services that accorded with their expressed wishes. The two also had different conceptions of the social worker's role. While the adults regarded emotional support and therapeutic intervention as key elements of the social work role, few young people shared this view. Although they appreciated reliable social worker availability, what they valued most was practical support combined with promotion of their self-determination. The implications of these findings for childcare social work are discussed.
Closing the Gap: Investigating the Barriers to Educational Achievement for Looked after Children
Authors: O'Sullivan Angela , Westerman Rob
Published: March 2013

By tracking the records of individual looked after children from GCSE back through Key Stages 3, 2 and 1, Angela O'Sullivan and Rob Westerman were able to show a steady widening of the gap between their attainment and that of children not in care. Despite weaknesses in local authority data, the evidence is clear that the frequency and timing of placement and school moves play a crucial part in preventing children in care from achieving the levels predicted by their earlier Key Stage grades. The article concludes with practical suggestions for change.
The Educational Outcomes of Young People 4–5 Years after Leaving Care: An Australian Perspective
Authors: Cashmore Judy , Paxman Marina , Townsend Michelle
Published: March 2013

Judy Cashmore, Marina Paxman and Michelle Townsend focus on the educational and employment pathways and outcomes for young people after leaving care in Australia, based on a longitudinal study of young people ‘ageing’ out of care in New South Wales. Consistent with the findings of other research on the educational performance and attainment of children and young people in care, the young people leaving care in this study were less likely to have completed their secondary schooling than others their age in the general population. Four to five years after leaving care, they were much less likely than their peers to be in full-time work and/or education. Many had a history of part-time and casual work in poorly paid and low-skill jobs, and over half the young women had had children. Those who had completed Year 12, however, were more likely to be employed or studying, and to be faring well across a number of areas compared with those who did not complete Year 12. The more stable and secure they had been in care, the more years of schooling they completed, and the better they were faring 4–5 years after leaving care.
Foster Care and Higher Education
Authors: Jackson Sonia , Ajayi Sarah
Published: March 2013

Sonia Jackson and Sarah Ajayi report findings from the first UK study of young people in care who go to university. They suggest that foster care could play a major role in enabling more looked after children to access higher education and complete their courses successfully
Boarding School Care
Authors: Morgan Roger
Published: March 2013

The UK Government is currently piloting and evaluating the possible development and expansion of placement of children in council care in ‘mainstream’ (other than special) boarding schools, and the establishment of boarding school as one of the range of possible placements to be considered for looked after children. Roger Morgan reports on a small-scale consultation with children and young people already placed in such schools — some in care and others termed as having ‘boarding need’. The article is based on Boarding School Placement: A children's views report (Commission for Social Care Inspection, 2006).
Websites Featuring Children Waiting for Adoption: A Cross-Country Review
Authors: Freundlich Madelyn , Gerstenzang Sarah , Holtan Meredith
Published: March 2013

With the growth in the number of children in government systems who are in need of adoptive families, the USA, Canada and the Russian Federation have implemented national internet-based photolisting programmes. In their examination of these website programmes, Madelyn Freundlich, Sarah Gerstenzang and Meredith Holtan found similarities but also unique features that may reflect social and cultural factors, level of government support and length of operational time. Differences are noted in the ways that featured children are presented and how families may search and access information on the websites. The implications of these differences are discussed as a basis for better understanding of current practice in the photolisting of children and the issues that may need to be considered in defining best practice in this area.
Permanence Planning in Northern Ireland: A Development Project
Authors: Kelly Greg , Haslett Priscilla , O'Hare Jacqueline
Published: March 2013

Greg Kelly, Priscilla Haslett, Jacqueline O'Hare and Karen McDowell discuss a permanence planning project in a Northern Ireland Health and Social Services Trust. The project recruited and trained dual (foster care/adoption) approved carers and placed children with them before the children were freed for adoption. The carers who were recruited in the first year of the project (1999) are described, as are the early outcomes of the placements. All the children (n = 52) placed with the carers were subsequently adopted and no placements have disrupted in the three to six years since. The children were placed with their permanent carers earlier than in conventional practice. The carers, for the most part, thought the reward of having their child placed earlier and younger compensated for the anxiety and uncertainty generated by the legal proceedings to free the children for adoption. They were essentially people who wanted to adopt (three-quarters were childless couples) and the project provides positive evidence of the capacity of this population to offer ‘modern’ adoption placements to looked after children.
Developing Group-Based Parent Training for Foster and Adoptive Parents
Authors: Golding Kim
Published: March 2013

Parent training interventions are among the best-researched strategies to improve the adjustment of children within their families. In 2006, group-based parent training interventions were further promoted by the publication of guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the revised edition of Drawing on the Evidence (British Psychological Society, 2006). This guidance endorses parent training based on Social Learning Theory as an intervention to help children with conduct disorder. It provides helpful advice on the process of parent training that might also be applicable to training for foster and adoptive parents. Kim Golding explores the development of parent training for helping parents and carers of children living in foster care and adoptive homes. The difficulties that some of these children display are complex and enduring. Parent training programmes, as part of a package of care, may be a helpful intervention for children demonstrating challenging behaviours within the context of neurodevelopmental difficulties and poor early attachment experience.
Parents' and Mental Health Workers' Perceptions of the Therapeutic Needs and Experiences of Services for Dutch Children Adopted from Romania
Authors: Rijk Catharina , Hoksbergen René , ter Laak Jan
Published: March 2013

While it is established that international adoptive families are over-represented in mental health care, little is known about their experiences of mental health services. Catharina Rijk, René Hoksbergen and Jan ter Laak describe the experiences of eleven adoptive families and 12 mental health workers involved with severely deprived Romanian children adopted from institutions. Parents and mental health workers were interviewed. Reasons for applying for help, diagnoses, treatment method and evaluation are discussed. Most parents reported difficulties in finding appropriate care and had consulted several therapists before arriving at the current mental health service. Diagnoses often included cognitive delays, autistic symptoms and attachment difficulties. Different treatment methods were applied, in both outpatient and residential settings. Parents were more positive about the treatment outcome than were the mental health workers, the latter often having to consult colleagues about appropriate treatment. While the workers agreed that knowledge about adoption and the effects of deprivation are essential for suitable treatment, most of them felt that they lacked expertise for such work.
Parent-to-Parent Mentoring: Oxfordshire's Pioneering Buddy Scheme for Adopters
Authors: Gilkes Liz , Capstick Louise
Published: March 2013

Parent mentoring schemes have been found to be successful in providing peer support for families with young children in times of need. Parent mentors can often be a more acceptable form of help to fellow parents than professionals. In response to a request from local adoptive parents and following the establishment of a parenting skills training programme for all its adopters, Oxfordshire County Council, in partnership with Parentline Plus, have pioneered a parent mentoring scheme that has been tailor-made for adopters and uses trained adoptive parents as ‘buddies’ to newer adopters. Liz Gilkes and Louise Capstick report on how the scheme was set up and run as a partnership between an adoption agency and a local service provider. The buddy scheme was evaluated by means of a questionnaire and was found to be effective in providing the type of support requested by new adopters. It has now become an established part of the county's adoption support services and is highly valued by those who use it.
The Importance of Cultural Identity in Adoption: A Study of Young People Adopted from Romania
Authors: Beckett Celia , Hawkins Amanda , Rutter Michael , Castle Jenny , Colvert Emma , Groothues Christine , Kreppner Jana , Stevens Suzanne , Sonuga-Barke Edmund
Published: March 2013

This article by Celia Beckett, Amanda Hawkins, Michael Rutter, Jenny Castle, Emma Colvert, Christine Groothues, Jana Kreppner, Suzanne Stevens and Edmund Sonuga-Barke examines attitudes regarding cultural and national identity in a group of 165 young people adopted from Romania. The attitudes of their adoptive parents are also explored. The adoptive parents were interviewed over three or four time periods, when their children were 4/6, 11 and 15 years, and the adopted young people at the age of 11 and 15. The majority of the adopted young people had an interest in Romania and expressed a wish to visit their country of origin. However, there was no association between this interest in Romanian identity and levels of self-esteem. The majority of the adoptees saw themselves as English or Anglo-Romanian. A small minority saw themselves as Romanian; these adoptees had both lower self-esteem and a higher level of deprivation-specific problems. The degree of sustained interest shown by adoptive parents in the importance of Romanian identity was associated with the adopted young people's interest in Romania. However, parental interest in this issue had significantly declined by the time the children were 11 years old, by which time fewer adoptive parents than young people had plans to visit Romania in the future.
Service Use by Looked after Children with Behavioural Problems: Findings from the England Survey
Authors: Vostanis Panos , Bassi Guv , Meltzer Howard , Ford Tamsin , Goodman Robert
Published: March 2013

Panos Vostanis, Guv Bassi, Howard Meltzer, Tamsin Ford and Robert Goodman examine data from the England survey on the use of services by looked after children with behavioural problems (or conduct disorders — CD). Of the total 1,039 looked after children who participated, 384 (37%) fulfilled criteria for CD, of whom 57 (or 17% of children with CD) had an additional hyperkinetic and 46 (or 12% of the CD group) an additional emotional disorder. Children had high rates of multiple and overlapping contacts with social care, health, education and youth justice services. Children with additional emotional and hyperkinetic disorders had particularly high rates of contact with primary care, specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), child health and special educational services. In conclusion, looked after children and young people with behavioural problems are likely to require access to a range of services, but these should be clearly defined and co-ordinated, with local care pathways and referral criteria, in order to maximise the use of resources. Although CAMHS involvement should not automatically be requested for all behavioural problems, looked after children with underlying mental health or developmental disorders would particularly benefit from specialist CAMHS input.
Schooling and Looked after Children: Exploring Contexts and Outcomes in Standard Attainment Tests (SATS)
Authors: Davey Dolores , Pithouse Andrew
Published: March 2013

Dolores Davey and Andrew Pithouse outline the findings from a longitudinal case study which ran from 2002 to 2006 and explored the educational achievement of all the young people looked after (in foster and residential care) in one local authority in South Wales. Among this group were 14 young people at a point one year before taking their Standard Attainment Tests (SATS), which are applied universally in UK schools. They were then followed up to the age at which they could complete any General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) exams. Hence, the young people's school history was tracked from the beginning of school Year 9 (sample age 13 years), at the end of which they took their SATS, through to the end of school Year 11 (sample age 15 years), at which point GCSEs are normally taken. This article focuses mainly on the outcome of the SATS and the looked after arrangements of the 14 young people in the year leading to these important tests. The authors' concluding comments refer briefly to their Year 11 outcomes in order to indicate continuities and changes in attainment.

The SATs results are presented in a context of school attendance, the type and stability of care placements and education moves. Associations between schooling and separation are explored using an analysis of trajectories and outcomes that reveal how and why some young people clearly achieve while others do not. In doing so, the article seeks to add to studies and policy pronouncements in this field that too often represent looked after children by their collective statistical failure rather than by notable differences in educational outcomes and related circumstances.
Improving the Health of Looked after Children in Scotland: 1. Using a Specialist Nursing Service to Improve the Health Care of Children in Residential Accommodation
Authors: Hunter Donna , McCartney Gerry , Fleming Susan , Guy Fiona
Published: March 2013

The first of two studies reported here by Donna Hunter, Gerry McCartney, Susan Fleming and Fiona Guy investigated whether a specialist nursing service could improve the health care of 162 children in residential care in Renfrewshire, West Dunbartonshire and Argyll & Bute. It found that after the introduction of the service, the proportion of children with completed carer-held health records (BAAF health record booklets) increased from three per cent to 77 per cent; the proportion receiving a ‘pre-admission medical’ increased from 38 per cent to 48 per cent; the proportion adequately immunised increased from nine per cent to 56 per cent; the proportion with at least one outstanding medical referral decreased by at least four per cent; the number registered with a dentist increased from 14 per cent to 62 per cent and the proportion who received a ‘comprehensive health assessment’ increased from 17 per cent to 58 per cent. Thematic analysis of free text journals suggested that universal health services were much more accessible in Argyll & Bute due to well-developed interagency working, low numbers of children in residential care and low rates of staff turnover. In the more urban areas, the main advantage of the service was thought to be in the facilitation of interagency working. The service was received positively by residential care workers and children in residential establishments. This study suggests that the provision of a specialist nursing service can improve the health care of children in residential accommodation.
Falling Between Minds: The Effects of Unbearable Experiences on Multi-Agency Communication in the Care System
Authors: Conway Paula
Published: March 2013

Why does well-intentioned policy fail to translate into positive outcomes for children in care? The Government has made significant investment to improve educational attainment and placement stability for looked after children, yet gains have been disappointing and children in care are still achieving far below their peers. Multi-agency working and better communication between professionals are seen as a prerequisite for improving outcomes. Paula Conway explores why this commendable policy recommendation often results in splits, divisions, rivalries and, paradoxically, a failure to communicate within and between services for vulnerable children, sometimes with devastating consequences. Complaints abound and a culture of blame is endemic. Without a deeper understanding of how traumatised young people communicate their disturbance, and how the individuals and systems around the child respond, this well-intentioned policy will always be at risk of breaking down at vulnerable ‘fault lines’; in the system, with children's needs falling into the gaps. It is suggested that, for the project of multi-agency work to be effective in improving outcomes for looked after children, the psychoanalytic concepts of splitting and projection need to be integrated and applied at all levels of policy development and service provision.
Towards a Better Understanding of the Needs of Children Currently Adopted from Care: An Analysis of Placements 2003–2005
Authors: Randall John
Published: March 2013

John Randall summarises the findings of an in-house study undertaken by Families for Children, a voluntary adoption agency based in the southwest of England. It took a consecutive sample of 103 children placed from care for adoption between 2003 and 2005, using Matching Needs and Services, a method designed for analysing need in child care populations and developing services best suited to meeting them. The study identified nine need groups of varying degrees of complexity and looked at the service responses to those identified needs. The children placed came from 41 local authorities ranging from nearby local authorities to the wider southwest, London and the southeast, the Midlands and the north of England. The sample offers a snapshot of the contemporary challenges presented by children placed for adoption from care.
What's the Problem with Kinship Care?
Authors: Argent Hedi
Published: March 2013

This article by Hedi Argent is based on her recent book, Ten Top Tips: Supporting kinship placements (BAAF, 2009). Here she explores the barriers to best practice in family and friends placements. Her experience of working with children and families in both local authorities and voluntary agencies goes back nearly 40 years and follows the journey of kinship care from being an informal private arrangement to becoming the statutorily acknowledged first consideration for all children who need alternative family placements.
Kinship Care: Current Scottish Dilemmas and Some Proposals for the Future
Authors: Black Anne
Published: March 2013

Kinship care in Scotland has been receiving considerable attention recently as part of the Scottish Government's strategic plan for children. The strategy Getting it Right for Every Child focuses on the child in their community and family and what services need to be provided to help every child achieve their potential and to grow into responsible adults. In this article Anne Black describes the development of an assessment and approval process for kinship carers for looked after children. She also considers what kinds of supports and skill development kinship carers want and need. She shares the work of a task group set up in 2008 as part of the Getting it Right for Every Child in Kinship and Foster Care strategy. The group saw the focus of assessment being on the child's plan and how kinship carers can meet the identified needs of the child and with what supports. The need for simplification of the benefits maze for kinship carers is acknowledged, as some kinship carers are likely to be less well off if they receive allowances from the local authority than if they continue to receive universal benefits. The task group developed a vision for kinship care, including a reduction of the numbers of children living in kinship care families who are subject to statutory measures of care. The vision also includes access to universal services at the time the kinship carers need them and recognition of the value and skills of kinship carers.
Living in Kinship Care: A Child-Centred View
Authors: Aldgate Jane
Published: March 2013

Jane Aldgate describes findings from a Scottish research study on kinship care. Her article is drawn from a commissioned study which informed a government review of children looked after by local authorities in Scotland in 2006. The article presents the perspectives of the 30 children in the study on living in kinship care. It explores children's understanding of the reasons for their placements and their views on the future, as well as on the roles and tasks of social workers. Children speak of both the negative and positive challenges of living in kinship care, including maintaining contact with parents and siblings. Children's everyday lives, including experiences of school, peers and activities are recounted. The article ends by describing the Scottish Government's new policy for improving services for children in kinship care.
Exploring Kinship Care through Practitioner Collaborative Enquiry
Authors: Warren-Adamson Chris
Published: March 2013

Chris Warren-Adamson reports on the proceedings of a collaborative enquiry group of eight social workers from one English local authority considering kinship or family and friends care practice. Facilitated by an academic, the group met once a month for the best part of a year to enquire into the implications for practitioners of the authority's strong policy of encouraging kinship placement for looked after children. The article briefly acknowledges the context of ‘kinship care’ and the collaborative enquiry process, before concentrating on a consideration of the challenges to kinship practice. The article concludes with a discussion about two inter-related sets of findings: first, technical or structural proposals about kinship practice; and second, enduring issues for social work practice, namely the overwhelming nature of complexity, the ill-management of anxiety and the questionable appropriateness of the agency office as a site for kinship care practice.
When Family Becomes the Job: Fostering Practice in Denmark
Authors: Kjeldsen Christian Christrup , Kjeldsen Marianne Bruhn
Published: March 2013

This article by Christian Christrup Kjeldsen and Marianne Bruhn Kjeldsen discusses the provision of foster care in Denmark and considers the results of recent domestic studies of foster carers as well as current debates and changes concerning the substitute care of children. It suggests that Denmark's emphasis on preventative services and the low use of adoption influence the characteristics of children who enter the care system because the separation from their families of children who are at risk of harm is delayed. It is also the case that despite Denmark's reputation as a welfare-oriented state, the fostering system displays many tensions and difficulties similar to those reported in the UK and US. Some of these problems can be attributed to the role afforded to foster carers, especially the requirement not to get too attached to the children, and the division of responsibility between professionals and carers. As a result, it is argued that some children in need of long-term emotional care miss out and their placements disrupt unnecessarily.
Managing Behaviour with Attachment in Mind
Authors: Holmes Ben , Silver Miriam
Published: March 2013

Ben Holmes and Miriam Silver report on a group intervention that combined aspects of established parenting groups with attachment theory, developed to help adoptive parents and foster carers understand and manage their child's behaviour. Participants were provided with an understanding of the principles of attachment theory, how this related to their child's development and behaviour, and how they could improve the relationship with their child through greater empathy and the provision of a safe, structured home environment. Analysis of pre- and post-questionnaire measures indicated significant improvements in the parent–child relationship. Additionally, parent/carer observations indicated a reduction in the perceived severity and impact of the problems or concerns about their child's behaviour.
The Challenges in Planning for Permanency
Authors: Selwyn Julie
Published: March 2013

Julie Selwyn highlights the importance of recognising children's positive relationships and ensuring that children are connected to adults who will offer a long-term commitment.
Contact between Looked after Children and Their Parents: A Level Playing Field?
Authors: Triseliotis John
Published: March 2013

Contact between looked after children and their parents has assumed in recent years a much higher profile than ever before, as have judgements about its merits. Important decisions regarding the continuation of contact and the granting of care, placement or adoption orders now rely heavily on evidence of its likely benefits to the child. Yet, as John Triseliotis asserts in this article, there is a dearth of empirically-based theory and of agreed criteria and guidelines when making judgements about whether there should be any contact at all, its frequency and the assessment of its quality.
Adoption: Future Legal Issues
Authors: Masson Judith
Published: March 2013

In a climate of increasing financial constraints, Judith Masson identifies some of the challenges still surrounding adoption since the implementation of the Adoption and Children Act 2002, in particular the need to simplify current adoption systems in order that children for whom adoption is the plan can be placed in a permanent family without delay.
Thirty Years on: The Achievements of a Voluntary Membership Organisation
Authors: Hall Tony , Simmonds John , Collier Felicity , Holmes David
Published: March 2013

Tony Hall, Felicity Collier, David Holmes and John Simmonds, all of whom have been closely involved with BAAF since its foundation in 1980, review the organisation's achievements and frustrations with regard to improving the welfare of separated children.
Improving Foster Children's School Achievements: Promising Results from a Swedish Intensive Study
Authors: Tideman Eva , Vinnerljung Bo , Hintze Kristin , Isaksson Anna Aldenius
Published: March 2013

Eva Tideman, Bo Vinnerljung, Kristin Hintze and Anna Aldenius Isaksson report on the results of a Swedish project aimed at improving foster children's school achievements. Standardised psychological and pedagogical instruments were used for assessing each individual foster child's potential, her or his educational service needs, and for tailoring the individualised educational and psychological support that was provided for two years. After this period, the 25 children included in the project were re-tested with the same instruments. Post-intervention test results were compared to preintervention scores for assessing outcomes. Results showed significant gains in IQ (as measured by WISC-III), reading and spelling skills, but weaker, non-significant improvements in maths skills.
Improbable Agents of Empire: Coming to Terms with British Child Migration
Authors: Rundle Kristen
Published: March 2013

Prompted by the occasion of Gordon Brown's parliamentary apology to British child migrants in February 2010, Kristen Rundle reflects upon the experience of her grandfather who was sent to Australia as a child migrant in 1934. Integrating research from family records, government documents and her own background as a legal scholar, she explores the social and political architectures that facilitated the child migration scheme during her grandfather's time, and which constituted distinctive conditions of vulnerability from which some families of child migrants are yet to recover.
Exploring Foster Carer Perceptions and Experiences of Placements and Placement Support
Authors: Samrai Amandeep , Beinart Helen , Harper Peter
Published: March 2013

Amandeep Samrai, Helen Beinart and Peter Harper report on a study exploring foster carers' experiences of placements and placement support, including their views of current services. Eight foster carers employed by a local authority, with fostering experience ranging from two to 22 years, were interviewed. The qualitative method of Grounded Theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967) was used to analyse verbatim data from eight semi-structured interviews. Six main categories emerged through the analysis. The theory constructed from the data suggests that support formed the basis of a successful placement and that there are interactions between the support the foster carer received and their relationship with social workers and the child. Successful placements occurred when both relationship cycles worked effectively in the context of appropriate support. Related clinical and service implications are discussed and suggestions for future research outlined.
Meeting of Minds: Using the Tavistock Model of Child Observation and Reflective Group Work in the Advanced Training of Foster Carers
Authors: Ironside Leslie
Published: March 2013

The task for foster carers is complex and emotionally demanding on many levels. A crucial aspect of maintaining a successful placement is that carers have developed the metacognitive skills for thinking about the foster child's mind, to mentalise and resist their own impulses to react ‘unthinkingly’ in the face of sometimes extreme provocation. Leslie Ironside describes a training for foster carers, rooted in clinical practice, which promotes this reflective state of mind. The effectiveness of this training is enhanced by group work and is therefore also efficient in the use of a child mental health clinician's time. This article describes the theoretical underpinning of the training and uses a case example to illustrate how experiential learning in a group can powerfully bring the practical and psychological challenges of the fostering task into the reflective space. The cohesion and mutual trust within the group are shown to be of critical importance for enabling personal exploration. The model is potentially replicable in any local area where there is the availability of suitably experienced child mental health professionals.
Teaching Family Placement
Authors: Hazel Nancy
Published: March 2013

To the untutored eye a green field is “grass”. To a less naïve beholder the field will contain a vast array of small plants and insects or may even be something quite different from grass, for example young corn. Other skills make visible traces of former land use or interesting geological data beneath the surface. If fostering is a green field, most of us see it as “grass”.
The 1991 Criminal Justice Act: Research on Children's Testimony
Authors: Westcott Helen L
Published: March 2013

The 1991 Criminal Justice Act introduced new legislation governing the way children may testify in courts in England and Wales. Helen Westcott reviews these legislative reforms in the light of recent research on child witnesses, and highlights some of the difficulties which will still remain for children called to testify.
Romania — Moving towards Family Based Care
Authors: Lowe Marion
Published: March 2013

The Romanian Orphanage Trust, in partnership with the Romanian government, is developing a model foster care programme. Marion Lowe, following a recent visit to Romania, describes the work of the Trust and the scale of the challenge facing those attempting to build services for families and children.
The Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption
Authors: Duncan William
Published: March 2013

The process of implementing the Hague Convention on intercountry adoption now begins. William Duncan outlines the Convention's key provisions and points to some of the difficult decisions confronting the UK.
Romania, Overseas Adoption and the White Paper
Authors: Watkins Dawn
Published: March 2013

In the 1993 White Paper on adoption, one of the Government's stated objectives is that the wishes of parents here to adopt a child from overseas should be respected and in all suitable cases supported and facilitated. The need for balanced and objective assessments is emphasised, as is the need to comply with the principles of the 1993 Hague Convention (yet to be ratified). Dawn Watkins argues that it is vital that we learn from the Romanian experience in determining exactly which cases are suitable for the purposes of intercountry adoption.
Legal Routes to Permanence—Recent Developments
Authors: Richards Margaret
Published: March 2013

The White Paper's recommendation that adoption should be based upon a clear and significant advantage to the child will continue to be played out through the courts. Margaret Richards examines trends in post-Children Act permanence.
Learning from Each other — Professional Gypsy Foster Parents in Hungary
Authors: Diósi Ágnes , Buchanan Ann
Published: March 2013

Throughout the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, a large ethnic minority group, generally known as Gypsies, has for generations suffered from severe discrimination and social ostracism. Ann Buchanan learnt, during visits to child care establishments in the region, that up to ninety per cent of children in state care were children of Gypsy origin. The tragedy is that these children have little chance of obtaining work on leaving care and, as Ágnes Diósi reports here, may not be offered any care at all.
Due Consideration to Race, Religion, Language and Culture?
Authors: Smith Chris , Pellew Graham
Published: March 2013

Is the good practice developed in some agencies around the placement needs of Black children under threat from the the Adoption Law Review? Chris Smith and Graham Pellew report on some of the concerns raised at a study day held in the Midlands.
Permanence Revisited— Some Practice Dilemmas
Authors: Smith Sheila
Published: March 2013

Over the past year, BAAF staff have been working on a strategy to address some of the current concerns around effective permanence planning for children. Sheila Smith describes how thinking has developed around the range of options available for children and comments on aspects of current practice issues.
Openness and Opportunities—Review of an Intermediary Service for Birth Relatives
Authors: Feast Julia , Smith Janet
Published: March 2013

In Adoption & Fostering 17 2, Julia Feast and Janet Smith considered some of the issues raised by The Children's Society's intermediary service for birth relatives. Here they describe how they have evaluated this work, and how it has influenced The Children's Society's policies and procedures.
Recruiting Adoptive Parents for Older Children
Authors: Lunken Tony
Published: March 2013

British adoption agencies are having increasing difficulty in finding placements for older children. In this article, based on a survey into the efficacy of current recruitment methods, Tony Lunken examines ways in which this worrrying trend might be reversed.
Legal, Policy and Practice Issues for Intercountry Adoptions in the United States
Authors: Carstens Carol , Juliía María
Published: March 2013

The last twenty years has seen a steady increase in the number of intercountry adoptions, with the United States as the major receiving country in the world. Carol Carstens and María Julía analyse this phenomenon and suggest certain legal and policy changes for the protection and benefit of intercountry adoptees and their families.
Permanency Action through Concurrent Planning
Authors: Katz Linda
Published: March 2013

The introduction of legislation in favour of ‘permanency planning’, in 1980, led to a marked decline in the number of North American children entering the public care system for much of that decade. In recent years, however, the number of children in care in the USA has been steadily rising. A major cause of this reversal is the country's drug epidemic, which has also had a significant affect on the type of child most likely to enter the system. Linda Katz highlights a failure to respond to these and other changes, outlined below, and argues for a radical upheaval of what she sees as a grossly outdated and underfunded child welfare system. On the basis of fifteen years' experience leading the Permanency Planning Programme at the Lutheran Social Services, she strongly advocates a commitment to concurrent planning — defined here as ‘the process of working toward family reunification while at the same time establishing an alternative plan’, usually in the form of permanency with a relative or secure foster/adoption placement. Such views are supported by increasing demands for information and training on concurrent planning, both in the USA and overseas.
A Ghost in My Own Country
Authors: Sjögren Ji Sun
Published: March 2013

Ji Sun Sjögren was born in Korea and brought up in Belgium, where she was adopted by her Swiss mother and Swedish father at the age of two. The following account, inspired by the experience of visiting her native Korea for the first time, aged 26, is a moving testimony of what it can feel like to be caught between two worlds, despite a loving and largely happy upbringing. Above all she speaks up for the right of every child to know her or his origin and to be the rightful owner of a birth certificate.

Ji Sun's account was written with the help of her adoptive father, Eric Sjögren, who is a journalist living in Brussels. Twenty years earlier, he himself had written a ‘misty-eyed, infatuated’ account of the first few years of living with his adopted daughter. It is partly in the light of the huge sympathetic response to that article that he encouraged Ji Sun to tell her own story.
Understanding Birth Parents Lessons from Attribution Theory
Authors: Munro Eileen
Published: March 2013

A large part of the success (or failure) of any given placement rests on the quality of relationship between birth parents, foster carers and professionals. Breakdowns in communication — perhaps due to conflicting attitudes towards a child's behaviour, or intolerance or misunderstanding of a birth parent's circumstances — can make an already sensitive situation even more problematic for all concerned. Eileen Munro draws from psychology and, in particular, the insights provided by attribution theory to show how such difficulties might be avoided or at least resolved should they arise. She advocates training both foster carers and social workers toward developing a more tolerant view, where possible, replacing blame with compassion based on appreciation of the social and psychological forces that are outside a person's conscious control. Central to this process is the sharing of clear and accurate information so that carers can be fully aware of what they are taking on and social workers, in turn, have a realistic perception of the child's well-being, including relations with his or her birth family.
Ascertaining Children's Wishes and Feelings in Relation to Adoption
Authors: Selwyn Julie
Published: March 2013

The last two decades have seen a welcome increase in the recognition of children's rights, in terms of both public opinion and legislation. When it comes to adoption, however, are children's wishes and feelings being truly heard? Julie Selwyn discusses the findings of her recent study into this question. After assessing the duties of social workers and guardians, as defined by current legislation and guidance, she reveals the extent to which children's views sometimes fail to be ascertained during the adoption process. Taking a random sample of files, particular attention is paid to the contents of section O of Schedule 2 reports in which a social worker is specifically required to record a child's ‘wishes and feelings in relation to adoption and the application, including any wishes in respect of religious and cultural upbringing’. The role of guardians is also examined.
Recapturing the past Alternative Methods of Life Story Work in Adoption and Fostering
Authors: Harper Juliet
Published: March 2013

Life story work has long been established as a highly effective means of helping children separated from their birth families to come to terms with a history of abandonment, rejection and loss. However, the traditional method of using photos, drawings, writings and memorabilia from the child's past to create a life story book may not always be possible or appropriate. Juliet Harper presents four case studies in which, for various reasons, it was necessary to pursue alternative methods of life story work, for instance through play and the exploration of dreams. She underlines the importance of truthfulness, sensitivity and flexibility on the part of the therapist, and the need to constantly watch out for clues from the child. In following their lead, she asserts, the most constructive path towards rebuilding their sense of self will be found.
Adoption Reform: Which Way Forward? MPs from Three Political Parties Declare Their Positions
Authors: Burns Simon , Coffey Ann , Maddock Diana
Published: March 2013

With a General Election about to take place and continuing debate about the Government's Adoption Bill, spokespersons of the three largest political parties in Parliament were invited to provide an account of their respective positions on policy with regard to adoption. Their responses are set out below for the interest of readers. They are included here without editorial amendments or comment. The contents refer mainly to England and Wales.
Dream's End
Authors: Sjögren Ji Sun
Published: March 2013

Born in Korea, Ji Sun Sjögren grew up in Belgium where she was adopted by her Swiss mother and Swedish father at around the age of two. In ‘A ghost in my country’ ( Adoption & Fostering 20:2, 1996), Ji Sun gave a moving personal account of transracial adoption and the disturbing feelings of being ‘caught between two worlds’. That original testimony was inspired by the experience of visiting her native Korea for the first time, aged 26, when she was invited to to exhibit at an international art exhibition. This follow-up account tells of another, quite different journey to Korea when, after an intensive search, Ji Sun finally met up with her birth parents. Like ‘A ghost in my own country’, it is written in collaboration with her adoptive father, Eric Sjögren, who is a journalist living in Brussels.
Nature and Nurture Lessons from Swedish Adoption Surveys
Authors: Bohman Michael
Published: March 2013

The following article by Professor Michael Bohman begins with a brief historical analysis of child development theory in relation to adoption and fostering after the end of the Second World War. The author goes on to review research findings from a series of Swedish adoption surveys which began under his supervision in the 1960s and continue to this day. Much attention is given to the significance of genetic and environmental factors towards shaping the development of adopted children into adulthood. Problems of social and psychological adjustment are discussed, as are the genetic aspects of criminality and alcohol misuse in a group of adult adopted people.