bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Pitfalls of the International Aid Rationale: Comparisons between Missionary Aid and the International Aid Network
Authors: Wright David W.
Published: March 2013

Mission agencies have borrowed a politically oriented aid rationale that was born in the immediate post-World War II years with the Marshall Plan and fine-tuned during the long ideological struggle of the cold war. The goals and principles of this rationale are antithetical to mission purposes. Mission aid conducted on this basis leads to dependent ecclesiastical development and creates theologies of reaction. Mission agencies need to modify the aid rationale by restoring mutuality to the aid relationship, developing contextual standards for the definition of need/aid, moderating the effects of the bureaucratization of aid, and creating full webs of meaning in which to situate aid relationships.
To the Hebrews/To the Muslims: Islamic Pilgrimage as a Key to Interpretation
Authors: Cockerill Gareth Lee
Published: March 2013

Hebrews has a message appropriate for converts from Islam which can be best communicated to them through the idea of religious pilgrimage. The message is appropriate because Muslim converts face pressure to deny their faith similar to the pressure felt by the recipients of Hebrews. Both groups share many religious ideas. The prominence of the hajj in Islam and the use of the pilgrimage motif as a description of the Christian life in Hebrews form a communication bridge. The hajj can be used to explain Hebrews' description of the Christian life and the various rituals which constitute the hajj can help explain the Christology which supports the description.
Zinzendorf at Esopus: The Apocalyptical Missiology of Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf—A Debut to America
Authors: Westmeier Karl-Wilhelm
Published: March 2013

The arrival of the Protestant immigrants on Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf's Saxony estate in 1722 must be understood as one of the most significant events in the history of Protestant missions. Heirs of an ancient Czech church which dated back to pre-Reformation times, they attracted Zinzendorf's attention to such an extent that he blended his own Lutheran-Pietist understanding of Christianity with the convictions of the immigrants and became one of the greatest pioneers of Protestant world missions. His missions outreach to the Native North Americans (Shekomeko 1740) supplied him with the raw material that would give shape to his own incarnational missiology.
Missionary Language Learning in a World Hierarchy of Languages
Authors: Smalley William A.
Published: March 2013

Languages are organized into a hierarchy of multilingualism based on patterns of learning and use. Native speakers of English, at the top of the hierarchy, find the popularity of English to be convenient. However, it is also detrimental to the work of English-speaking missionaries, as many are inhibited by hierarchical assumptions from gaining the level of skill which they need in the languages of the people to whom they want to minister. Missionary language competence therefore seems to be decreasing throughout the world as English increases, and only conversion of the typical Anglo missionary worldview can reverse the decline.
Correlating Images of Church and Images of Mission in the New Testament
Authors: Senior Donald
Published: March 2013

Images of church and images of mission are closely linked and have profound mutual influence. The foundations of this correlation can be found in the Scriptures. Three dominant images of church in the New Testament are correlated with images of mission in a variety of biblical traditions: the church as a community of disciples sent into the world; as a community of visible witness; and as a community of healing and reconciliation. Exploration of these correlations documents the pluralism of New Testament theologies and mission. It suggests that constructing appropriate and diverse theologies of mission today demands thoughtful dialogue both with the biblical text and the theological tradition, on the one hand, and a particular culture and a historical context on the other.
Images of Church and Mission in African Independent Churches
Authors: Thomas Norman E.
Published: March 2013

African independent/indigenous churches (AICs) are integral to the mainstream of Christianity, rather than an aberration. This article is an analysis of the images of church and mission of AICs of the pentecostal/prophet-healing type—many of which provide a renewed emphasis on apostolic church images.

Six images of the church are described with illustrative cases: the church as Mt. Zion, the church as the place where the Spirit dwells, the church as diverse gifts but one Spirit, the church as a place of power to protect and heal, the church as a disciplined community, and the church as the deliverer from poverty.

Four images of mission follow: experiencing the Spirit's power, commissioning all believers for mission, healing, and restoring God's creation.
The “Interference Factor” in Christian Cross-Cultural Communication: With Special Reference to South-Central Africa
Authors: Wendland Ernst R.
Published: March 2013

This study examines the common problem of skewing or distortion (“interference”) that frequently occurs when communicating the biblical message from a Western linguistic and conceptual perspective into another cultural setting. Four specific areas of concern are surveyed: evangelism crusades, theological education, sermon preaching, and Bible translation. Four potential strategies of interference-reduction are also suggested, that is, with respect to the processes of program indigenization, staff instruction, team interaction, and subject investigation.
Joy in Receiving: A Reflection on Mission Motive and Modality
Authors: Poitras Edward W.
Published: March 2013

The search for more adequate metaphors describing mission could be helped by consideration of the place of joy in mission and of mission as a witness within receiving. Joy can emerge even in the context of suffering, while joyful response to God's liberation can provide an alternative to mission motives of obligation and relieving need, opening the way for a mutuality of receiving from God and others in mission. Mission images will then become less linear and intrusive, while appealing beyond liberation to a life of joy with God and a world diffusion of the welcoming of grace.
Behind Japan's Resistant Web: Understanding the Problem of Nihonkyo
Authors: Lundell Peter N. , Lundell Peter N.
Published: March 2013

When facing the persistent conundrum of evangelical missions in Japan, one pervasive, though largely hidden, factor emerges in the resistance of the Japanese to the gospel: the web-like interconnection of worldview assumptions collectively known as Nihonkyo (“Japanism“), as distinct from Japanese culture per se. Developing sociologically in the Edo Period and ideologically in the Meiji Period, the fabrication of Nihonkyo changed attitudes toward cultural elements such that a nation once very open to the gospel has become very closed. Principles of the problem and its discernment are widely applicable.
Mission Studies Past, Present, and Future
Authors: Escobar J. Samuel
Published: March 2013

Mission studies have made significant strides during the most recent decades, accompanying the growth of missionary activity that flourished after World War II. Some key questions posed at the height of Western missionary activity in the beginning of this century have been reformulated and have guided research and dialogue. This study presents five important books dealing with different aspects of missionary activity: biblical basis, history, women's involvement, theology of mission, and cultural history. Content analysis is related to the missionary experience of authors that represent a variety of continents and traditions, showing how their pilgrimage encapsulates some of the most important trends in the development of mission experience and mission studies during our century.
Key Issues in Biblical Studies and Their Bearing on Mission Studies
Authors: Soards Marion L.
Published: March 2013

This paper seeks to present and to summarize the importance of four areas of current New Testament studies for the work of missiologists: the beliefs and practices of first-century Judaism, the life of Jesus, Pauline studies (life, work, and theology), and the character of the early church. Contemporary New Testament studies have dramatic implications for interfaith dialogue and for the self-understanding of Christianity. Moreover, the article suggests that mission studies also remind biblical scholars that the documents they study originated in and addressed the work of early Christian missions.
Western Protestant Ministry in the Former Soviet Bloc: Are There Lessons That Could Apply to China?
Authors: Elliott Mark
Published: March 2013

It would seem that a great deal could be learned from both winsome and wasted efforts in post-Soviet ministry, so that should China become free, the best approaches could be borrowed and the worst offenses could be avoided.
Syncretism, Contextualization, Orthodoxy, and Heresy
Authors: Heideman Eugene S.
Published: March 2013

Syncretism and contextualization are often heard by Third World and marginalized Christians as code words of power designed to maintain the traditional authority of missionaries and leaders of Western Christianity, with its roots in the trinitarian dogma established in the fourth century. In our times, when the Christian faith has to be thought out and lived in many non-Western cultures, it is important to focus more carefully on the second and third centuries, when the Christian apologists defended their faith and sought means to formulate liturgical and theological language in an age of pluralism, syncretism, and ritualism.
Re-Foundation of Mission a Latin American Study
Authors: Irarrazaval Diego
Published: March 2013

A reconstruction of missiology, in the Latin American context, is due to inter-religious dialogue; new paradigms; and theologies of mestizo, indigenes, and black peoples. The Spirit is renewing and transforming each community, culture, and religion for the sake of a joyful humanity in the Earth, where the Spirit creates life. In this sense, missiology goes beyond colonial and neo-colonial structures so that once more we may accept the good news of liberation.
The Parable of the Talents in Missionary Perspective: A Call for an Economic Spirituality
Authors: Carpenter John B.
Published: March 2013

Recently a missions agency executive in charge of censoring articles in his field country in Africa scribbled “Why?” to the assertion, in a proposed article, that missionaries ought to be concerned about the economic growth of their host nations. He decided to ban the article because, he wrote, Christians should be concerned about the “spiritual” things. As has been commonly recognized, the parable of the talents shows us that we will be judged for the faithfulness of our endeavoring. However, Christians have reflexively confined the object of our endeavoring to what is narrowly defined as spiritual. There is no basis for this from the parable of the talents. Instead, it points us to a spirituality that calls all areas of life spiritual, since we will be judged for our faithfulness toward everything that has been entrusted to us. That certainly does not exclude what the parable is specifically about: money. The principle of the parable should be applied to the missionary enterprise, shaping policies and practices, including the missionary message and the way it is contextualized. If we really believe the point of the parable, that people are judged for their stewardship, then we must be concerned about inculcating the values of the good and faithful servant into every people group.
Trickling down or Shaking the Foundations: Is Contextualization Neutral?
Authors: Ingleby Jonathan
Published: March 2013

Contextualization means, by definition, the need to pay careful attention to the context. Yet what if there are many contexts within the same location? How then do we choose among them? This article suggests that the missionary enterprise has always struggled with this issue and has frequently come up with the wrong answer. Choosing the dominant culture has appeared a natural strategy because it gains the cultural “high ground.” Yet it is possible that this very strategy has distorted the gospel and created long-term difficulties. Can we accept a “trickle down” methodology in mission, or is something more radical required?
Beyond a Post-Modern Critique of Modern Missions: The Nineteenth Century Revisited
Authors: Hiebert Frances F.
Published: March 2013

The nineteenth century was the great century for Western Christian missions. Missionaries were held in high esteem for their contribution to the “enlightenment” of non-Western peoples. But in the twentieth century, missions became the whipping boy of secular post-modern critics. In a drastic swing of the pendulum, the social sciences began to deny their own Enlightenment theories about “civilizing” the so-called primitive cultures. Absolute cultural relativism and cultural absolutism became the order of the day. Changing another culture in any way, especially the religion, was deemed cultural genocide. Missionaries came in for an exceptionally large share of the blame. Now, however, going beyond the post-modern critique, scholars who are converts of the modern missionary movement and others are calling for a more objective, fair evaluation of it. The history of missions has moved from respect to reproach to reinterpretation.
Is This the Gospel? An Evaluation of the Legalism Present in Churches in a Tegucigalpa Barrio
Authors: Baker Mark D.
Published: March 2013

This article is based on an ethnographic study of evangelical churches in a Honduran barrio. It reveals the legalism present and analyzes how this legalism affects the people themselves, how it affects their relations with others, and how it affects their concept of God. The article demonstrates that churches officially state a doctrine of grace, but live out a theology of works righteousness. This situation calls us to ask what went wrong and to evaluate our own preaching and teaching. The final section begins to explore what we can learn from this study and how we can address the problems described.
A Note on the Expected Biases in Conventional Iterative Health State Valuation Protocols
Authors: Ternent Laura , Tsuchiya Aki
Published: March 2013

Background. Typical health state valuation exercises use tradeoff methods, such as the time tradeoff or the standard gamble, involving a series of iterated questions so that a value for each health state by each individual respondent is elicited. This iterative process is a source of potential biases, but this has not received much attention in the health state valuation literature. The issue has been researched widely in the contingent valuation (CV) literature, which elicits the monetary value of hypothetical outcomes. Methods. The lessons learned in the CV literature are revisited in the context of the design and administration of health state valuations. The article introduces the main known biases in the CV literature and then examines how each might affect conventional iterative health state valuations. Results. Of the 8 main types of biases, starting point bias, range bias, and incentive incompatibility bias are found to be potentially relevant. Furthermore, the magnitude and direction of the bases are unlikely to be uniform and depend on the range of the value (e.g., between 0 and 0.5). Limitation. This is an overview article, and the conclusions drawn need to be tested empirically. Conclusions. Health state valuation studies, like CV studies, are susceptible to a number of possible biases that affect the resulting values. Their magnitude and direction are unlikely to be uniform, and thus empirical studies are needed to diagnose the problem and, if necessary, to address it.
Responding to Irish ‘invisibility’: Anti-discriminatory social work practice and the placement of Irish children in Britain
Authors: Michael Paul
Published: March 2013

Irish people are the largest ethnic minority in Britain, yet social work has failed to incorporate an Irish dimension into the discourse of anti-discriminatory social work practice. Paul Michael Garrett argues that, despite this ‘invisibility’, Irish children are likely to have specific needs which arise from their experience. After underlining the importance of understanding the historical context for Irish children in need of placements, he discusses how legislation and some guidance documentation provide a foundation for evolving a more culturally responsive service. Despite an inchoate backlash against a professional sensitivity to the ‘race’ and ethnicity of looked after children, he concludes that it is still possible to promote changes which might better meet the needs of Irish children.
Waiting for Court Decisions: A Kind of Limbo
Authors: Beckett Chris
Published: March 2013

One of the specific objectives of the Children Act 1989 was to reduce the duration of care proceedings, since it was recognised that a long period of uncertainty was likely to be harmful to children. But care proceedings have in fact been increasing steadily in length since the Act was implemented in 1991. Chris Beckett presents the evidence for this, reviews the available literature on the possible reasons and suggests that further attention needs to be given to the effects on children of such delays, which could be considered a form of ‘system abuse’.
Infant Adoption in England: A Longitudinal Account of Social and Cognitive Progress
Authors: Castle Jenny , Beckett Celia , Groothues Christine
Published: March 2013

In many ways, within-country infant adoptions are becoming a thing of the past. However, several factors arising from this study of social and cognitive progress in children adopted as babies may be equally salient for older-placed children, especially in middle childhood and early adolescence. From a sample of 52 children in the same number of families, placed before the age of six months, Jenny Castle, Celia Beckett, Christine Groothues and the English and Romanian Adoptees (ERA) study team looked at outcomes such as adoptive parents' marital and emotional adjustment, evaluation of the adoption and children's cognitive attain-ment in two phases — at age four and six years. Overall, the study confirmed earlier research to suggest that infant adoptions tend to lead to very good social and intellectual progress in children, as well as high parental satisfaction.
Male Foster Carers: What Do We Mean by ‘Role Models’?
Authors: Newstone Simon
Published: March 2013

In the last issue of Adoption & Fostering Robbie Gilligan set out the need to focus on the roles of male foster carers. Simon Newstone continues the debate with an examination of how male foster carers perceive their responsibilities, often referred to as providing a ‘positive male role model’ to children. Discussions and interviews with men who foster reveal divergent views about what this role model comprises. A review of literature and research suggests that ‘involved’ male carers can contribute to better outcomes for children, including fostered children. Involved men may offer a ‘nurturing’ or a ‘traditional’ male role model to youngsters. Outcomes in areas such as health, education, and self-care will be improved for looked after young people if male foster carers model good practice, and are actively involved in the children's lives. Agencies need to review the roles they expect male carers to play, and improve the ways in which they acknowledge and support men.
Partnership Reviewed: Words of Caution, Words of Encouragement
Authors: Hill Malcolm
Published: March 2013

The concept of partnership with birth parents has been one of the key principles to inform British child welfare policy and practice in the last decade. Malcolm Hill focuses on the research evidence in the UK to examine in what ways and to what extent child welfare agencies, particularly local authorities, have worked towards co-operation with parents in relation to family placements. He discusses the implications of the research evidence under review in terms of a spectrum of co-operation and, given the complex balancing of interests, views and perspectives involved, emphasises the need for honesty about how much co-operation is desirable or even feasible when the primary goal is to promote the welfare of the child.
Allegations against Foster Carers and the Implications for Local-Authority Training and Support
Authors: Bray Sheila , Minty Brian
Published: March 2013

This article presents findings of a small in-depth study of allegations made against foster carers in six agencies: how the allegations were experienced by foster carers, the consequences for them and the children involved, the antecedents of the allegations, and the implications for the support and training of foster carers. Sheila Bray and Brian Minty found that, although less than ten per cent of allegations were substantiated, no children removed during an investigation were returned to their foster carers. Foster carers were investigated in the same way as birth parents accused of child abuse, but without their legal safeguards, and they were sometimes denied support by their agencies. They manifested considerable stress symptoms as a result of the allegations, sometimes aggravated by insensitive methods of investigation. Although, for many, the allegation followed a period of difficulties between child and foster carer, the majority of carers were astonished at, and devastated by, the allegations.
Promoting the Education of Children and Young People in Public Care
Authors: Hibbert Helen
Published: March 2013

This article by Helen Hibbert provides a summary and analysis of the education of children and young people in public care in England and Wales, with reference to last year's publication of the Guidance on the Education of Children and Young People in Public Care (DH/DfEE, 2000). The article summarises the most important features of the Guidance, and identifies key implications for practice. These include joint working between departments of education and social services, data collection and planning, the role of the Designated Teacher, target setting and achievement, exclusion and raising expectations. The author comments on implications of the Guidance for local authorities, young people, carers and teachers.
Kinship Care: Supporting Children in Placements with Extended Family and Friends
Authors: Broad Bob
Published: March 2013

There is little written about children living in kinship care placements, either generally about the role and work of social services in supporting such placements or specifically about kinship care from carers' and users' perspectives. For a child in need who can no longer live with their birth parents(s), being supported by social services to live with a member of her or his extended family can be another appropriate placement option. Given that a good-sized proportion of looked after children, at least equivalent to those in residential care, are placed with a relative or friend, it is argued here that kinship care merits much more discussion, research and development than has hitherto been the case. Based on an ongoing research project, Bob Broad seeks to begin to redress this balance. After reviewing the kinship care literature, as well as the legislative and policy context, research findings from an ongoing research project are presented. The views of kinship carers are given, which suggest they value the support of social workers and require further support, financial payments, information and recognition from social services. Questions are also raised about the over-representation of black children in such placements.
The Placement of Looked after Children in Wales: A ‘Top–Down’ Perspective
Authors: Pithouse Andrew , Crowley Anne
Published: March 2013

Andrew Pithouse and Anne Crowley outline key findings and themes arising from an All Wales survey of local authority placements commissioned by the National Assembly for Wales. Their paper highlights the number and key characteristics of looked after children and the placements they occupied on a ‘census date’ in early 2000. The authors go on to discuss the ways in which needs and outcomes are typically understood by providers and comment on the pressing problems they face in this area. Finally they identify the main challenges to the looked after system in providing quality placements and comment upon the strategic issues ahead for local authorities.
‘A Life More Ordinary’: What Children Want from Foster Placements
Authors: Sinclair Ian , Wilson Kate , Gibbs Ian
Published: March 2013

Based on findings from their recent study, Ian Sinclair, Kate Wilson and Ian Gibbs discuss the criteria which foster care needs to meet if it is to fulfill the requirements of looked after children. Analysis of 150 postal questionnaires from foster children showed five main preoccupations: the care they received from their foster families; the relationship between their feelings for their foster and their birth families; their contact with and prospects of return to their birth families; the predictability of their care careers and their own say in them; and the ‘ordinariness’ or lack of it of their lives. Despite these common preoccupations, the children varied widely in what they wanted (eg whether they wanted to return home).
Placement with Grandparents: The Issues for Grandparents Who Care for their Grandchildren
Authors: Pitcher David
Published: March 2013

This article by David Pitcher describes research undertaken to understand the needs of grandparents who take on the care of their grandchildren following abuse or neglect. Thirty-three families were interviewed between February and April 1999. Most of them had substantial involvement with social services in placement, assessment and support. The study concluded that many grandparent carers experience a sense of isolation from their families and friends, and feel that social services have left them to get on without clear channels for help. It also revealed the real delight many carers have in their grandchildren, and suggested that this is a special quality of these placements. The article ends by describing local developments that have resulted from the study.
Adoption after Bereavement
Authors: Hopkirk Eve
Published: March 2013

This article by Eve Hopkirk explores a particular aspect of adoption practice: those who apply to adopt after the death of their birth child. These applications can prompt professional concern that such parents are seeking to ‘replace’ their deceased child through adoption. The author describes her own study which investigated the thinking on this subject of a range of key professionals in the adoption process. The study also examined the views of a small number of bereaved families who had successfully adopted. The themes raised by the adoption workers differed from the views and experiences related by the families. The paper challenges received wisdom about bereaved parents as prospective adopters and children who could be suitably placed with them.
The Impact of Fostering on Foster Carers' Own Children
Authors: Watson Angie , Jones Denis
Published: March 2013

Findings from a questionnaire survey of over 100 foster carers' own children, by Angie Watson, are presented in the context of a literature review of what is known about the impact of fostering on foster carers' own children. A mixture of findings are described, some very positive and some extremely negative, raising cause for concern. This paper, written in collaboration with Denis Jones, highlights the need for support for this group of children, and for training to ensure that social work and family placement staff are able to provide it.
Is it worthwhile?: Motivational Factors and Perceived Difficulties of Foster Caring in South Australia
Authors: Delfabbro Paul , Taplin John , Bentham Yvonne
Published: March 2013

Despite numerous anecdotal reports, very few Australian data are available concerning the characteristics of foster carers and the problems associated with foster caring. In this study by Paul Delfabbro, John Taplin and Yvonne Bentham, 48 South Australian foster carers were interviewed and asked to provide details of their motivations, family structure and concerns. The results showed that intrinsic factors such as being interested in children's well-being and future appear to be more likely reasons for caring than more extrinsic factors such as needing money or companionship. The carers' main concerns related to their frustration with the foster care system, in particular their inability to have a say in the child's future, and the lack of support from agencies and social workers. Many also expressed significant concerns about children's behaviour and the sadness associated with the child leaving. The implications of these findings for the retention of foster carers are discussed.
The Educational Expectation of Looked after Children
Authors: Elliott Amber
Published: March 2013

Until recently, educational issues for looked after children have been a largely neglected area of research. The current study by Amber Elliott aimed to investigate one factor that may contribute to the under-achievement of children in care. A group of high school teachers were selected to participate in the study to examine whether there were differences in teacher expectations of looked after children and their peers, as measured on seven educational factors. Participants were divided randomly into two groups and given one of two questionnaires. One asked about children with whom the teacher generally had contact, the other asked specifically about looked after children. There was found to be a significant difference in teacher expectations on questions measuring the likelihood of handing in homework consistently and the propensity to be the victim of bullying. Teachers did not have significantly different expectations of looked after children and non-looked after children on three other measures of behaviour: academic performance, attendance and being the perpetrator of bullying behaviour.
Constructing Mental Health Services for Looked after Children
Authors: Street Eddy , Davies Mike
Published: March 2013

Recent years have seen a welcome series of government measures aimed at meeting the mental health needs of looked after children. However, as Eddy Street and Mike Davies argue in this paper, there remains a clear lack of integration of models of ‘good practice’ among childcare and mental health professionals. Taking into consideration the ‘tiered model’ recommended by the NHS Health Advisory Service report (1995), the authors advocate a developmental approach through the implementation of a multi-disciplinary service that combines the best of psychiatric, psychological, social work and childcare perspectives.
Private Fostering: Old Problems, New Urgency
Authors: Holman Bob
Published: March 2013

Private fostering has a long history but few studies have been made of it. Bob Holman traces the development of private fostering in the last 50 years and then analyses what is known about it at present. He shows that, contrary to popular conception, far from being confined to West African children in Britain, private fostering now includes a number of different groupings. The evidence suggests that some private foster carers provide satisfactory care, but there is little doubt that numbers of private foster children are vulnerable to abuse. Black children are usually placed with white foster carers and their cultural and racial needs may not be met. Local authorities already possess considerable duties and powers concerning private fostering but few fully apply them. Proposals are made as to how private foster children can be properly safeguarded.
Accepting the Reality of Adoption: Birth Relatives' Experiences of Face-to-Face Contact
Authors: Neil Elsbeth
Published: March 2013

The extent to which birth relatives are able to adjust to the reality of changed roles and relationships following their child's adoption may be crucially linked to the usefulness to the child of ongoing post-adoption contact. In the study described by Elsbeth Neil, 19 birth relatives of 15 young adopted children were interviewed about their experiences of having a child adopted and about having face-to-face contact with this child after adoption. In most cases birth relatives related how face-to-face contact had helped them to accept their child's adoption, largely because contact reassured them of the child's welfare and emphasised the position of the adopters as the psychological parents.
Adoption and Looked after Children: A Comparison of Legal Initiatives in the UK and the USA
Authors: Sargent Sarah
Published: March 2013

Increasing adoption placements for looked after children is the focus of recent initiatives to reform adoption law in both the UK and the USA. Developments in the law are aimed at providing permanent homes for looked after children by encouraging both increased adoptions and quicker decisions to move a child to adoption when the child cannot return home. New forms of permanent placement, in the form of a new type of guardianship, have also been created. Sarah Sargent compares and contrasts the initiatives in the USA and the UK.
The Outcomes of Late Permanent Placements: The Adolescent Years
Authors: Rushton Alan , Dance Cherilyn
Published: March 2013

Using interview and questionnaire data based on a sample of 133 late-placed adoption and permanent foster care placements, Alan Rushton and Cherilyn Dance report on the outcomes of their prospective study as the children arrive at their teenage years (range 11–16). After a year, the young people remained with their new families in 92 per cent of cases and six years later 71 per cent of families were still together, a rate which is largely consistent with similar research samples. The disruptions took place at all points, but on average occurred at 34 months after placement. The reasons for placement endings were examined and differences between the disrupted and the ‘continuing but unhappy’ placements were explored. In the continuing placements, the parents' views of their experiences fell into three groups: the happy throughout, the happy now but not always so, and the largely negative responses. Most of the parents in the latter group were still being severely tested by developmental and behavioural problems, including aggression, destructiveness and over-activity.
Changes in Birth Father Involvement in Stepfamily Adoption in the Republic of Ireland
Authors: Loftus Celia
Published: March 2013

The majority of domestic adoption applications in the Republic of Ireland today concern the adoption of children into their stepfamilies. These adoptions are processed under the Adoption Act 1952 and the adoption severs connections with the child's non-custodial birth parent, usually the birth father. Birth fathers had no legal entitlement to inclusion in any decision about the proposed adoption of their children until the Adoption Act 1998. This Act allows for the legal notification/consultation of a birth father where his child is placed for adoption. It does not grant him the right to consent or object to the adoption. This study by Celia Loftus relates to the impact of legal change on the practice of involving birth fathers in the stepfamily adoption decisions relating to their children. It formed part of the documentary research and analysis of 269 confidential Adoption Board files on stepfamily adoptions during the years 1985, 1992 and 1999. The findings of the study are related to changing behaviour and expectations in fatherhood as evidenced in other research.
The Health Needs of Children Aged 6–12 Years in Foster Care
Authors: Anderson Lisa , Vostanis Panos , Spencer Nick
Published: March 2013

It is well established that looked after children have high levels of health needs that are not usually met by existing services. Lisa Anderson, Panos Vostanis and Nick Spencer report on a study which aimed to establish the perceptions of health needs among children aged 6–12 years and their foster carers. Fifty-six children and their carers from two local authorities completed a health checklist, the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Despite their young age, children were broadly aware of what constitutes and promotes good health. In contrast, they gave a range of definitions of mental illness. Children were reported to be registered with general practitioners and to be up to date with immunisations, while their contacts with primary and specialist health services were related to a variety of relatively minor problems. High levels of mental health issues were established among this group, which were significantly associated with recent admission to public care and short-term placements. The findings are discussed in the context of guidelines on the health assessment of looked after children and the need for development of accessible and designated mental health services.
Living a Provisional Existence: Thinking about Foster Carers and the Emotional Containment of Children Placed in Their Care
Authors: Ironside Leslie
Published: March 2013

Foster carers can find themselves placed in a situation of extreme difficulty and trauma when looking after abused, deprived and neglected children and their ability to manage can be tested to an intolerable degree. Leslie Ironside examines the sometimes extraordinary states of distress that can result from this experience. In particular, he describes a state of being that he calls ‘living a provisional existence’, in which foster carers feel ‘locked in’ and forced to parent in a way that feels very contrary to their hopes and ideals. It is a state filled with contradiction and confusion and the foster child is experienced as having ‘got under the skin’ of the foster carer in a very destructive way. This article explores how this state of being can be understood and usefully conceptualised in terms of emotions evoked in the foster carers through the child's projection of intolerable feelings. The foster carer may then become filled with the very feelings that the child cannot deal with and the foster carer's emotional reaction can be understood in terms of the child successfully imparting his or her feelings to those who are charged with their care.
‘The Best of Times, the Worst of Times’: Young People's Views of Care and Accommodation
Authors: Ward Harriet , Skuse Tricia , Munro Emily R
Published: March 2013

There is much evidence of instability in the care system and poor developmental outcomes for looked after children, but looked after children are far from being a homogenous group. Their lives, needs and experiences vary immensely. Harriet Ward, Tricia Skuse and Emily R Munro present the findings from a recent study of children's views of the care system in England (Skuse and Ward, 2003). They explore what children and young people did and did not like about being looked after, why some found it a beneficial experience while others did not, and discuss the reasons for their largely positive responses. Ordinary features of everyday life that peers would usually take for granted, such as having someone to talk to or doing ordinary family things like going to the cinema, were identified as benefits of the care system. These views and the expectations of looked after children need to be considered in the context of their past life experiences.
Joining a New Family: The Views and Experiences of Young People Placed with Permanent Families during Middle Childhood
Authors: Dance Cherilyn , Rushton Alan
Published: March 2013

Cherilyn Dance and Alan Rushton report on the views of a group of young people who had joined adoptive or foster families some six years previously when they were between five and 11 years old (the Maudsley Follow-Up Study). The report focuses on the experience of joining a new family, family relationships and feelings of belonging. It was striking that it could take some young people a considerable length of time to feel settled; however, by the follow-up stage the great majority felt very much a part of their family. Several described their placement as an opportunity for a ‘new start’. A small minority was less settled and expressed continued discomfort with their adoptive status. The authors discuss the direction of current practice and policy developments with reference to these findings.
Children and Young People's Participation and Non-Participation in Research
Authors: Murray Cathy
Published: March 2013

Cathy Murray considers the involvement of children and young people in research in the field of adoption and fostering in the UK, based on a review in 2004 of the Quality Protects bibliographic database1. The database comprises details of 182 research studies conducted since 1991, of which 72 were categorised as relevant to adoption and fostering. Of these, 38 (53 per cent) involved children and young people in the process. Three aspects of participation and non-participation in research are considered. First, researchers' reasons for involving children and young people are outlined. Secondly, the role of gatekeepers is examined. When embarking on the review, it had been anticipated that ethical and methodological concerns would be the key challenges to involving children and young people in research. However, gatekeepers emerged from the research outputs as equally significant. It is argued that while gatekeeping is played out in specific research projects as an apparently individualised response, it reflects the pervasiveness of a protectionist model of children and young people over a citizen-with-rights model. Thirdly, the strategies that researchers employed to increase the likelihood of children and young people's participation are reported.
Disabled Children Who Need Permanence: Barriers to Placement
Authors: Cousins Jennifer
Published: March 2013

Disabled children wait longer than other children for permanent new families and some never achieve a family for life. Jennifer Cousins explores the barriers that make disabled children's pathway to a family so problematic. It is argued that only with this knowledge can the necessary changes be made on behalf of this vulnerable group of young people.

Over several months during 2003 and 2004, BAAF's Opening Doors Disability Project ran a series of workshops across England to explore this complex subject with practitioners and carers. This paper includes the many ideas that emanated from these workshops, plus research material and the author's own views. Problems and barriers emerged in the recruitment, assessment and support of families; in the profiling and placing of children; at management level in the training and development of staff; in departmental structures and in diminished resources. All pervasive is the negativity and discrimination which affects people with impairments. It is argued that everyone engaged in children's services and family placement has a responsibility to promote the interests of disabled children by tackling the barriers identified here. In so doing, the placement chances for all children will be enhanced.
Part-Time Fostering: Recruiting and Supporting Carers for Short-Break Schemes
Authors: Statham June , Greenfields Margaret
Published: March 2013

Although most local authorities provide or commission home-based short-break services to support families with a disabled child, such schemes have been much slower to develop as a form of support for families where children are in need for reasons other than disability. June Statham and Margaret Greenfields draw on a study of barriers to the development of ‘support care’ schemes in England, focusing in particular on the motivation and experiences of those who undertake this part-time fostering work and the skills and support they require. Since childminders can now be registered to provide overnight care, and some already provide daytime care for children placed with them by social workers, the potential for childminders to expand their service into short-break care is also considered. The paper concludes that although local authorities have sometimes been reluctant to develop short-break schemes because they fear diverting potential carers from mainstream fostering, in practice such fears are not well founded. Support care schemes can offer a way for those who might be interested in fostering to ‘dip a toe’ in the water, as well as helping to retain existing foster carers who might otherwise leave the service. This kind of service also fits well with the current policy emphasis on early intervention to support children and families who are experiencing difficulties and on promoting flexibility in the social care workforce.
The Impact of Abuse and Trauma on the Developing Child: An Evaluation of a Training Programme for Foster Carers and Supervising Social Workers
Authors: Allen Jeanette , Vostanis Panos
Published: March 2013

Jeanette Allen and Panos Vostanis describe the set-up and preliminary evaluation of a seven-week training programme for foster carers and supervising social workers based on attachment theory. It has long been recognised that parenting children with complex and challenging needs in a family setting is extremely demanding, with research indicating that foster carers' lack of confidence in managing such demands is a significant factor in placement breakdown. This study suggests that attachment theory provides a useful model to help carers understand and respond to the complex difficulties presented by children with a history of abuse and trauma, and that the provision of a conceptual framework may be a significant factor in improving foster carers' confidence to manage the difficulties presented by the children in their care. The clinical implications of this evaluation are discussed.
A European Survey of the Number and Characteristics of Children Less than Three Years Old in Residential Care at Risk of Harm
Authors: Browne Kevin
Published: March 2013

Research evidence increasingly suggests that young children in residential care without parents are at risk of harm in terms of attachment disorder, developmental delay and normal brain development. This damage caused by early privation of parenting has been shown to have long-term consequences. Kevin Browne and colleagues* report on a survey of 33 European countries that was conducted to identify the number and characteristics of children aged less than three years placed in residential care without their parents for more than three months during the year ending 31 December 2003. Ministries of Health in Europe were asked for official data.

For the 31 countries who responded it was estimated that 23,099 children (11.2 per 10,000) aged less than three years were living in institutions. There was great variation between countries for the proportion of young children in institutions and family foster care. Although residential care was shown to cost on average three times as much as foster care, 33 per cent of countries had more young children in institutions than fostered. Those countries with lower GDP and health expenditure had larger proportions of young children in institutions associated mainly with abandonment, disability and medical problems. Only four per cent of children were biological orphans with deceased parents.

It is recommended that no child less than three years should be placed in residential care without a parent. Even when high-quality institutions are used as an emergency measure, research has suggested that a child should be moved into family foster care as soon as possible.