scholarly journals Family Foster Care: Can it Survive the Evidence?

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Ainsworth ◽  
Patricia Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Family Foster Care ◽  
South Wales ◽  
The Unemployed ◽  
Children In Care

The media coverage of foster care in Australia is replete with adoration for foster carers who look after disadvantaged and difficult children and youth. As this article is being written, New South Wales is holding a ‘foster care week’ with enhanced media coverage and praise for foster carers, the recruitment of new foster carers and acclaim for the ‘foster carer of the year’. Yet, there is another side to foster care that offers less than ideal circumstances for children in care. There is the worrying issue of multiple placements, the problem with children and young people running away from foster care before they reach the legal age for discharge, and evidence of increased incidence of poor educational attainment and involvement in juvenile offending for young people in foster care. In addition, there are cases of foster children being abused by foster carers. As adults, former foster-care children and youth are over-represented among the homeless, in adult correction centres, the unemployed and the users of mental health services. This article documents these negative outcomes of entering the foster-care system, and asks whether family (or non-relative) foster care can survive this evidence. For too many children and young people, family foster care may not provide better outcomes than less-than-optimal parental care from which the children were removed. An alternative is to reduce the use of family foster care and increase intensive support and parenting education services for birth parents who have limited parenting capacity. The aim should be to limit the number of children being taken into care.

scholarly journals Keeping secrets: how children in foster care manage stigma

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Dansey ◽  
Danielle Shbero ◽  
Mary John
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Foster Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Birth Parents ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Children In Foster Care ◽  
Previous Edition ◽  
Current Article ◽  
Children In Care ◽  
The Impact

This article follows on from ‘How children in foster care engage with loyalty conflict: presenting a model of processes informing loyalty’ ( Dansey, John and Shbero, 2018 ), published in the previous edition of this journal. This model highlighted the themes of stigma and secrecy for children in care, which it was felt warranted further consideration in their own right. The current article shares further quotations from the children in relation to these themes, which add to the evidence of what children are saying in relation to stigma and bullying. Most importantly, it presents this topic in a manner that stimulates thought around the implications of what children are saying for their broader mental health and resilience and what might therefore be most supportive.  Children in foster care are subject to stigma in relation to being in care and not living with their birth parents. The impact of this is important to explore, especially for those who already experience higher levels of disadvantage than other children. Themes of stigma and secrecy emerged from a recent grounded theory study that was conducted with 15 children and young people in foster care ( Dansey, John and Shbero, 2018 ). These quotations highlighted how stigma was being internalised by children, how they had experienced, or believed that their care status would lead to, bullying and how some of them described keeping their foster care status a secret as a result. This article seeks to share the voices of these children, look at the existing literature in this area and consider the possible impact that stigma and secrecy may have on them. Implications for practice are discussed and the need for more targeted research is highlighted.

scholarly journals Measurement invariance of the short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale and latent mean differences (SWEMWBS) in young people by current care status

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Anthony ◽  
Graham Moore ◽  
Nicholas Page ◽  
Gillian Hewitt ◽  
Simon Murphy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Research Network ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Short Version ◽  
Living Situation ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Mean Differences ◽  
Children In Care

Abstract Purpose Studying mental wellbeing requires the use of reliable, valid, and practical assessment tools, such as the Short version of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS). Research on the mental wellbeing of children in care is sparse. The current study aims to: (1) examine the unidimensionality of SWEMWBS; (2) assess measurement invariance of SWEMWBS across children and young people in care compared to their peers not in care; and (3) investigate the latent factor mean differences between care status groups. Methods We used data from the 2017 School Health Research Network Student Health and Wellbeing (SHW) survey, completed by 103,971 students in years 7 to 11 from 193 secondary schools in Wales. The final data include a total of 2,795 participants (46% boys), which includes all children in care and a sub-sample of children not in care who completed the SWEMWBS scale fully and answered questions about their living situation. Results Confirmatory factor analysis supported the unidimensionality of SWEMWBS. The SWEMWBS is invariant across groups of young people in foster, residential and kinship care compared to children and young people not in care at configural, metric and scalar levels. Findings from latent mean comparisons showed that young people in care reported lower mental wellbeing than their peers, with those in residential care reporting the lowest scores. Conclusions Findings suggest that SWEMWBS is a valid scale for measuring differences in mental wellbeing for young people in care similar to the population.

scholarly journals On the bright side: Young people’s most positive memories of family foster care

2020 ◽  
pp. 135910452097869
Author(s):  
Anne Steenbakkers ◽  
Steffie van der Steen ◽  
Hans Grietens
Keyword(s):  
Foster Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Family Environment ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Normal Family ◽  
Traumatic Experiences ◽  
Family Foster Care ◽  
Continuous Support ◽  
Positive Memories ◽  
Negative Memories

This study explored what contributes to successful family foster care from the perspective of young people by asking them about their most positive memory of family foster care. Forty-four Dutch adolescents and young adults (aged 16–28) participated in this study and shared their most positive memory in a short interview. Their answers were qualitatively analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, supplemented with an analysis of the structure of their memories. The thematic analysis resulted in the themes Belongingness, Receiving support, Normal family life, It is better than before, and Seeing yourself grow. The structural analysis showed that young people both shared memories related to specific events, as well as memories that portrayed how they felt for a prolonged period of time. In addition, young people were inclined to share negative memories alongside the positive memories. These results highlight that, in order to build a sense of belonging, it is important that of foster parents create a normal family environment for foster children and provide continuous support. Moreover, the negative memories shared by participants are discussed in light of a bias resulting from earlier traumatic experiences.

scholarly journals MAINTAINING CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH IN THE RISKS OF THE 21st CENTURY

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-86
Author(s):  
Sergii Boltivets
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Social World ◽  
Young Person ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Living Things ◽  
The Social ◽  
Mental Abilities

Among the threats and dangers of the future, our duty to the younger and future generations is to develop the instincts, feelings and self-preservation of children and young people, who by their very birth suffer from inventions, conflicts and crises inherited by all previous older generations. The dominants of future self-preservation are in the mental development of children and youth, the main of which we consider mental abilities, development of feelings and especially - a sense of empathy for all living things, as well as - the imagination of every child and young person. her own life and the lives of others. Our common methodology should be to understand that the social world is not simplified, but complicated, and we have a duty to prepare our children and young people to solve these complications.

Indigenous Children and Young People in Residential Care: A Systematic Scoping Review

2019 ◽  
pp. 152483801988170
Author(s):  
Kathomi Gatwiri ◽  
Lynne McPherson ◽  
Natalie Parmenter ◽  
Nadine Cameron ◽  
Darlene Rotumah
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Residential Care Facilities ◽  
Indigenous Children ◽  
Trauma Informed ◽  
Colonial Histories ◽  
Children In Care

In Australia and internationally, Indigenous children are seriously overrepresented in the child welfare system. This article provides an overview of literature investigating the needs of Indigenous children in residential care facilities. The provision of culturally safe and trauma-informed therapeutic care to Indigenous children and young people in residential care recognizes that the trauma and violence that they have experienced is exacerbated by their Indigeneity due to the colonial histories presenting. Utilizing a systematic scoping review methodology, the study returned a total of 637 peer-reviewed articles that were identified and reviewed for inclusion. The process of exclusion resulted in the inclusion of eight peer-reviewed studies and 51 reports and discussion papers sourced from gray literature. Findings from this study, though dearth, indicate that trauma-informed and culturally safe interventions play a significant role in Indigenous children’s health and well-being while in care. Their experiences of abuse and neglect transcend individual trauma and include intergenerational pain and suffering resulting from long-lasting impacts of colonization, displacement from culture and country, genocidal policies, racism, and the overall systemic disadvantage. As such, a therapeutic response, embedded within Indigenous cultural frameworks and knowledges of trauma, is not only important but absolutely necessary and aims to acknowledge the intersectionality between the needs of Indigenous children in care and the complex systemic disadvantage impacting them.

With us, not to us Towards policy and program development in partnership with children

2009 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 24-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Vicary ◽  
Mike Clare ◽  
Judy Tennant ◽  
Tine Hoult
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
New South ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Advisory Groups ◽  
Rights Of The Child ◽  
South Wales ◽  
United Nations Convention ◽  
Western Australian

Internationally, there is a growing trend for children and young people to participate in decisions affecting their lives (Bellamy 2002; Hart 1997). The active participation of children and young people is clearly articulated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). However, despite the international movement towards children's participation, there are precious few opportunities for Australian children and young people to contribute to policy and research debate in a sustainable manner. A review of the literature demonstrates that there are few ongoing research or policy advisory groups made up of children and young people, and those that are operational are generally auspiced by Children's Commissioners (e.g. New South Wales) and policy offices addressing the issues of children and young people.In Western Australia, when children and young people are consulted, the dialogues tend to be short-term and issue-specific in nature. This paper will briefly discuss a number of techniques employed to engage Western Australian children and young people in dialogues about important issues affecting their lives. Using these examples, the barriers that challenge efficacious children's and young people's participation are discussed; finally, some suggested ways forward are delineated.

A Voice for Children and Young People in the City

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Wilks ◽  
Julie Rudner
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Urban Design ◽  
Environmental Planning ◽  
Civic Participation ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Planning And Design ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Urban And Environmental Planning

AbstractA major challenge for researchers and urban planning practitioners is how to obtain meaningful and influential contributions on urban and environmental planning activities from children and young people within the constraints of adult policy and practice. The key elements of this challenge concern traditional methods of communication between ‘experts’ and children and young people in rationalist planning settings, versus emerging research in relation to children's and young people's views and agency around civic participation. This article will address the work of a number of researchers and practitioners who have grappled with the inherent tenions of making planning practice and urban design more inclusionary, while facilitating and respecting children and young people's civic participation. This article also advocates the advantages and strengths of their participation in planning and urban design processes.With a focus on two exploratory programs developed by the authors in the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria, this article will demonstrate how the sharing of knowledge and skills between planning and design professionals and children and young people can lead to more meaningful and influential contributions from them. The programs examined were informed by leading practice both in Australia and internationally, and have assisted to develop children and young people's sense of spatial competence, and their confidence and efficacy in their local environment, contributing ultimately to their wellbeing. They have also supported the establishment of youth leadership groups with the confidence and skills to contribute to ongoing local government urban and environmental planning activities.

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