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Foster Carers

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Title: Foster Carers


1
Foster Carers and Natural Mothers views and
experiences in sustaining connections for
children and young people in foster care
  • Ros Thorpe
  • Chris Klease
  • School of Social Work Community Welfare
  • James Cook University, Queensland
  • Paper presented at
  • 2006 ACWA Conference, Positive Futures, Sydney.

2
Working to sustain connections for children in
care is acknowledged to be one of the more
challenging aspects of present day fostering
3
  • This paper is based on two research studies
    conducted in North Queensland.
  • Each canvassed the issue of what works well in
    sustaining connections

4
The Queensland context
  • An inclusive model of fostering
  • key principles of
  • reunification where possible
  • continuing contact in long term care regardless
    of the probability of reunification
  • emphasis on identity and stability
  • care of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
    children within their own communities
  • 1999 Child Protection Act

5
The Foster Carer Study
  • 2002-2003 Mackay/Whitsunday region, Qld
  • comprehensive, semi-structured in-depth
    interviews
  • 115 foster carers from 76 foster caring families
  • 74 general carers
  • 19 relative and 17 known to child carers
  • 22 Indigenous carers
  • 71 female and 44 male
  • 66 long term and 49 never long term

6
The Natural Mother study
  • Small Honours study to complement the large
    foster carers study
  • Interviews with six Townsville women with
    children in foster care.
  • mothers views canvassed inter alia on
  • the qualities they valued most in foster carers
  • their insights into the fostering role
  • the barriers they confronted in maintaining
    meaningful connections with their children
  • Note Natural mother is the term preferred by
    women whom many writers call birth mothers

7
Our key message
  • Findings from the two research studies highlight
    the centrality of empathy and compassion between
    foster carers and natural parents in sustaining
    meaningful connections with their children

8
Research antecedents re Empathy
  • Where adopters had a high capacity to take the
    perspective of others and show empathy for both
    a child and his or her birth relatives then
    contact with birth relatives is more likely to
    be comfortable and sustained Neil 2002, 14
  • Critical factors are
  • Adopters understanding of the long term value of
    contact to the child
  • Respect for birth relatives

9
  • Empathy is the capacity to understand
    accurately the perceptions and emotions of
    another person in such a way that this
    understanding can be used in responding to the
    other persons situation (Hugman 2005)
  • Compassion is A response of active concern
    towards the misfortune of another person that
    is, empathic understanding PLUS positive regard
    for the well being of the other (Hugman 2005)

10
In the context of foster care/adoption
  • Empathy is
  • A high capacity to take the perspective of others
  • (Neil 2002)
  • Compassion is
  • Openness of attitude generous and inclusive
  • (Fratter 1996)

11
The foster carer study Attitudes to a foster
childs family
  • 37 predominately positive
  • 40 predominately mixed
  • 36 predominately negative
  • N113 2 foster carers made no evaluative
    comments.
  • Note no significant differences between
    categories of foster carers

12
THE WELFARE PRINCIPLE AND THE RIGHTS OF CHILDREN
  • Welbourne (2002) identifies a tension in child
    welfare practice in which the welfare principle
  • the need for permanence / stability
  • is pitted against the rights of children
  • the right to identity and family

13
Foster Carers and Empathy
  • Empathy with the childs right to identity and
    family
  • together with (in some carers)
  • empathy with the natural parents
  • are important factors in positive relationships
    between foster carers and the childs family.
  • Empathy with a childs need for stability
  • but without
  • empathy with the natural parents
  • are important factors in negative relationships
    between foster carers and the childs family.

14
Negative relationships with a childs own family
  • Foster carers emphasise
  • Stability
  • Negative effect on child of neglect or abuse
  • Negative impact of contact
  • Negative impact on child of the Departments
    focus on natural parents, contact, reunification
  • BUT sometimes also
  • Reluctant acknowledgement of childs interest in
    contact (the mixed sub group of foster carers)

15
Negative relationships with a childs own family
  • can result in assertions that the natural parents
    will
  • never change (reform)
  • are not worthy, or at the very least, should have
    conditions imposed before any attempt at
    reunification is permitted (e.g. Rehab, Parenting
    Programs, constant supervision)
  • foster carers see themselves as advocates for the
    child, to the exclusion of the childs own
    family
  • lobbying for permanency to provide safety and
    security for the child
  • lobbying against reunification
  • lobbying for no contact

16
Negative or Mixed attitudes to a childs natural
family
  • Negative
  • Id like to see that contact didnt continue,
    being that neither of em will ever be accepted
    as candidates to have her back again. So I think
    its just a torment.
    non-Indigenous Relative carer
  • Its the child that the government should look
    at it should be stable. The child must be
    stable.
    non-Indigenous Limited carer
  • Mixed
  • . . . most people think that because theyve
    been abused by their families that they wont
    really want anything to do with them. But they
    do they seem to put their parents on a pedestal.
    Its the weirdest thing that you deal with in
    foster caring it doesnt matter how much love
    you give these children, theyre still going to
    idolise their parents, and thats where they
    wanna be.
  • non-Indigenous General carer

17
Emphasis on a childs need for Stability without
empathy with the natural parents
  • Can result in
  • foster carers feeling spurned by foster child
    continuing to love natural parents despite
    disappointments
  • foster carers feeling that the Department favours
    natural parents needs over their needs as foster
    carers
  • conflicts about money, hair cuts, choice of
    schools, sporting activities, clothing etc
  • foster child left with divided loyalties between
    own and foster family
  • foster child losing their sense of identity and
    belonging

18
Positive relationships with childs own family
  • Foster carers
  • Understand that children do love their parents,
    despite
  • Understand that children need foster carers to be
    positive about their parents
  • Understand the need to share love and care with
    natural parents

19
Positive relationship with childs own family
  • Foster carers
  • Actively recognise contact is important to the
    child re
  • Emotional security reassurance of parents love
  • Reassurance that parents are OK
  • Understanding why they are in care
  • Sense of belonging and identity
  • Helps child to make up own mind
  • Recognise reunification as a goal in the childs
    best interests
  • Find a good relationship with parents helps them
    to better understand the child

20
Empathy with and compassion for natural parents
  • Understanding Walking in their shoes
  • Tolerance and non-judgement
  • Understanding natural parents loss, and need for
    contact Imagine how they feel
  • Understanding natural parents hope for
    reunification
  • Share love for the child
  • Understanding natural parents difficulties in
    working with (around) the Department
  • Cultural awareness value contact with the
    overlapping layers of extended family PLUS
    knowledge of country, spirituality, ceremonies,
    protocols etc

21
Empathy with and compassion for natural parents
  • I felt really bad when we had to meet the twins
    parents when we were at the hospital. We were
    just upset seeing the mother hand the baby over
    to us, like that was like I was stealing their
    babies and that made me cry and my partner cry,
    and he gave that lady a cuddle. That was
    stressful, yeah.
  • Weve spoken to the foster childrens parents,
    like we just let them know that their child will
    be looked after really well and well care for
    them and love them just as our own until they get
    their lives sorted out.
  • Indigenous General carer

22
Positive relationships with natural parentswhat
works well
  • Reassure children that natural parents do love
    them
  • Talk up the family to the child
  • Help children understand
  • Work to establish good relationship with natural
    parents
  • Work towards reunification
  • Persist with contact despite difficulties, and
    also when reunification is unlikely
  • Act as a role model / mentor / friend to natural
    parents
  • Advocate with the Department on behalf of parents
  • Find creative ways of working with challenging
    situations

23
Good practice in challenging situations
  • It was a sexual abuse issue so the kids werent
    allowed to be alone with him. They had to have a
    supervised visit. I think that from the first
    time we did that, it was a bit hard, making
    conversation with natural father but hes mad
    about cars and motorbikes so my partner was
    able to make him feel a bit more comfortable and
    now they talk cars, and bikes and the kids love
    it that they see us as old friends.
  • I think that its easy to judge people. Yes,
    they did terrible things to their children . . .
    but to try to look for the good points for the
    kids sake. You know, to encourage a good
    relationship with them. And maybe sort of then
    that helps the kids work through the bad things
    too.
  • non-Indigenous General carer 310

24
Implications for education, training, support
and professional supervision for foster carers
  • Not simply knowledge, but also
  • Thinking Strategies providing a framework to
    think through the complexities of Inclusive
    foster care
  • Neil 2002 Beek and Schofield 2006
  • Emotional Support, so that carers feelings and
    own needs dont dominate their responses
  • Neil 2002 Schofield and Beek 2006
  • Professional Supervision/consultation, to
    encourage critical reflection and increased self
    knowledge, as a pathway to developing and
    sustaining empathy, compassion and professional
    values of inclusion
  • Ingram
    2005

25
Natural mothers re foster carer roles what
works well
  • Positive and respectful relationships between the
    mothers and the foster carers were key
    ingredients
  • Two mothers spoke of the importance of building a
    friendship and encouraging open communication.

26
Natural mothers re foster carer roleswhat works
well contd
  • What worked well for Nicole was conducting a
    business-like relationship and respecting the
    carers boundaries around contact
  • Maggie and Leigh appreciated being kept informed
    of their childrens progress through regular
    contact

27
Natural mothers views of what makes a good
foster carer?
QUALITIES OF A GOOD FOSTER CARER HOW TO BE A GOOD FOSTER CARER
Caring, committed, compassionate Encourage, facilitate and maintain contact
Child centred, nurturing Work towards reunification
Friendly, approachable Be a good communicator
Non-judgemental, respectful Show empathy
28
Respect
  • always be aware that they are the natural parents
    of the children, respect for them in that sense
    and respect the natural parents rights and
    obligations and you know, also give them an
    involvement with the kids, you know, where the
    kids are not fretting for them Simone

29
Natural mothers empathy with foster carers
  • Denise and Leigh both had empathy for their
    childrens foster carers and argued that carers
    were often as powerless as the parents.
  • Im being made an example of. I dont think its
    the foster carers fault. She even tells me that
    she doesnt know half of what is going on.
  • The carers pretty much dont have a say endlessly
    when it comes to these children. The Department
    treats some of these carers like theyre nothing.
    Like they are there, yep, you work with the
    kids, deal with it.

30
Implications re working with natural parents
  • Recognise the strengths of parents
  • Acknowledge parents loss grief
  • Understand their feelings of anger and
    frustration are natural
  • Recognise the value of treating all stakeholders
    with common courtesy and respect

31
Implications cont.
  • offer support in a way that can be accepted.
    Parents want their stories to be heard without
    blame to be consulted on their childrens future
    and to have a chance to meet up with parents who
    have similar experiences. ONeill 2005
  • shift from power over to power with to
    transform relationships from parents fighting CP
    services, or feigning co-operation (playing the
    game) Dumbrill 2003

32
In conclusion
  • The findings from both our studies bear out
    those from similar studies by Masson et al
    (1997) Schofield et al (2000) and Scott
    Honner (2004) who found that mutual respect and a
    sense that both parties are working together in
    the childs best interests underpin constructive
    relationships between parents and foster carers.

33
  • If you build a good relationship with the
    parents, you almost always have a good
    relationship with the children

  • Ellen Player in Hilpern 2006
  • Rosamund.Thorpe_at_jcu.edu.au 07 4781 4192
  • chris_klease_at_hotmail.com

34
REFERENCES
  • BEEK, M. and SCHOFIELD, G. (2006) Attachment for
    Foster Care and Adoption A Training Program.
    London British Association for Adoption and
    Fostering.
  • DUMBRILL, G. (2003) Child Welfare AOPs nemesis?
    In Shera, W. (ed) Emerging Perspectives on
    Anti-Oppressive Practice. Toronto Canadian
    Scholars Press Inc.
  • FRATTER, J. (1996) Adoption with Contact. London
    BAAF.
  • HILPERN, K. (2006) Ellens calling beats the
    selfish gene. Foster Care Issue 125 pages 12-13.
  • HUGMAN, R. (2005) New Approaches in Ethics for
    the Caring Professions Basingstoke Palgrave
    Macmillan
  • INGRAM, A. (2005) Supervision with Foster Carers.
    Challenging Practices The Third Conference on
    International Research Perspectives on Child and
    Family Welfare. Mackay Centre for Research on
    Community and Childrens Services. August.
    www.croccs.org.au
  • MASSON, J., HARRISON, C. and PAVLOVIC, A. (1997)
    Working with children and "lost" parents, Putting
    partnership into practice. York Joseph Rowntree
    Foundation.

35
REFERENCES
  • NEIL, E. (2002) Contact after Adoption the
    contribution of adoptive parents empathy for
    children and birth relatives. Presented
    International Society for the Study of
    Behavioural Development, Biennial Meeting,
    Ottawa, Aug 2002.
  • O'NEILL, C. (2005) Christmas without the kids
    Losing children through the child protection
    system. Children Australia, 30 (4)11-18.
  • QUEENSLAND (2005) Child Protection Act 1999
    Reprint No. 3F. Brisbane Office of the
    Queensland Parliamentary Counsel. 30 April
  • SCHOFIELD, G., BEEK, M., SARGENT, K. and THOBURN,
    J. (2000) Growing Up in Foster Care. London
    British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering
  • SCHOFIELD, G. and BEEK, M. (2006) Attachment
    Handbook for Foster Care and Adoption. London
    British Association for Adoption and Fostering.
  • SCOTT, T. and HONNER, J. (2004) "The Most
    Enduring of Relationships" - Engaging Families
    who have children in substitute care. Paper
    presented at Knowledge Into Action. Effective
    Practice for Child and Family Services.
    Australian Childrens Welfare Agencies (ACWA)
    Conference,, Sydney 2-4 August, 2004.
    http//www.acwa.asn.au/Conf2004/acwa2004papers/20_
    HONNER_EnduringRships.pdf
  • WELBOURNE, P. (2002) adoption and the Rights of
    Children in the UK, International Journal of
    Childrens Rights 10, 269-89.

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