Social Pedagogy in Fostering

The Fostering Network has launched a programme called Head,  Heart, Hands which aims to promote social pedagogy in fostering in the UK. Downloadable resources associated with the programme can be accessed via the link above. Read more about it in the Guardian.

Corporate Parenting

"Since 2010 the Scottish Government has been funding Who Cares? Scotland to develop and deliver a national corporate parenting training programme. This training course is due to complete in March 2013 and there is the potential for a second phase of the programme. The Scottish Government commissioned an independent evaluation of the National Corporate Parenting training programme, with a focus on the impact of the programme to date. Qualitative and quantitative research was conducted among participants. The research was carried out between December 2012 and February 2013. "
Research Report:
Granville, S. & Mulholland, S. (2013). National Corporate Parenting Training Programme Evaluation. Scottish Government.

Fostering in Scotland unfair?

Sarah Lurie, director of Fostering Network Scotland writes in the Guardian, crticising the current lack of regulation by the Scottish Government in fostering, which has left local authorities and independent fostering providers to set their own fostering allowance rates, and foster carers potenitally being asked to care for higher numbers of children than in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, where the limit for unrelated placements is 3 at one time. This year the Scottish Government conducted a consulation exercise for the proposed Children and Young People's Bill. The new bill will hopefully bring Scotland into line with the rest of the UK in the above areas. Additionally Lurie is hopeful that proposals for payment for foster carers in line with the remuneration of staff in residential children's care will increase recruitment and retention of foster carers.

Maltreatment in Foster Care

University of York Social Policy Unit, in conjuction with the Fostering Network, have published the following paper:
Biehal, N. & Parry, E. (2010). Maltreatment and allegations of maltreatment in foster care: a review of the evidence. This paper is available via Care Knowledge.

Two new E-documents

Shaw, C. (2010). Research into private fostering. Department for Children Schools and Families. This research aimed to collect information into the practices and procedures of local authorities in relation to private fostering arrangements and to improve the understanding of the needs of privately fostered children, especially in regard to safeguarding issues.

Hart, D. (2010). Children and young people in breach: a scoping report on policy and practice in the enforcement of criminal justice and anti-social behaviour orders. NCB. This research is the first phase of a project undertaken by NCB to increase understanding of policy and practice in relation to breach proceedings, wih particular focus on young people who are incarcerated as a result of breach of bail conditions or ASBOs.

British Journal of Social Work

The latest issue of the British Journal of Social Work, April 2010 Volume 40, no. 3 is now available on line via the library catalogue. This months articles include:
Selwyn, J. (2010). The views of young people on being cared for by an independent foster-care provider.
Parker, J. (2010). When things go wrong! Placement disruption and termination: power and student perspectives.
Glavani, S. (2010). Working with alcohol and drug use: exploring the knowledge and attitudes of social work students.

Adoption - using VAAs and kinship care detectives in the USA

A recent report published by the Policy Exchange, Groves, J. No Place Like Home: improving adoption services in England, asserts that the life chances of looked after children are being affected by local authority decisions not to use Voluntary Adoption Agencies, which they perceive as being more expensive than seeking placement via their own or other local authority services. In addition to this, permanent placments are being delayed as the annual cost of fostering is lower than the one-off cost of an adoption, with local authorities making decsions based on short term budgetary considerations. See also Guardian, January 31, 2010.
Across the Altantic in St. Louis, the Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition uses detective work to seek kinship carers for children in foster care, who are in desperate need of family ties. New York times January 30, 2010.

Adoption research paper from the Social Policy Research Unit, University of York

Characteristics, outcomes and meanings of three types of permanent placement - adoption by strangers, adoption by carers and long-term foster care. September 2009.