Academic literature on the topic 'Fostercare'

Recent policy reforms have substantially changed state responses to child abuse in Aotearoa New Zealand (ANZ). These reforms draw on two related discourses: vulnerability and social investment. Shaped by a neoliberal political context, these discourses influence constructions of children and parents. Children are constituted in individualistic ways; as vulnerable victims requiring intervention to optimise future functioning, dichotomised against their irresponsible and invulnerable parents. This has different consequences for children in and outside of the permanent fostercare system.

Synopsis:The aim of this paper is to present Family Support as the optimal choice for the long-term well being of children of families in great stress. (This may be the primary professional resource or may be in combination with alternative care).These families are described elsewhere as “multi deficit”, “multi problem”, “hard to reach”, “hardcore” and “excluded families”, meaning excluded from the day to day services of our community. Not only do these families fear rejection and failure so do not attempt to use ordinary community services and resources such as community houses, libraries, maternal and child health nurses etc., but these services feel uneasy and poorly equipped to handle these families and their perceived needs.A multi-service agency is required to effect change where there has been an inter-generational cycle of deprivation which gives rise to a “poverty of experience.”We will demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach through a case study where long-term fostercare seemed a likely outcome.This paper presents a distillation of the knowledge about families and methods of working with them, that has grown and developed over the past 10 years at Careforce Outer East.

Resumo: Este artigo carateriza o sistema português de acolhimento familiar, que apresenta uma das taxas mais altas de colocação de crianças em acolhimento residencial, em comparação com outros países europeus. Descreve a sua evolução histórica, o quadro legal em vigor, e o papel dos principais atores envolvidos no processo de acolhimento. Procura, igualmente, identificar os fatores que estão na génese de um sistema de acolhimento que permanece centrado, e até tem reforçado, nos últimos anos, a utilização do acolhimento residencial. Este estudo baseia-se na análise do enquadramento jurídico e político, e destaca, na investigação científica realizada em Portugal, no século XXI, um conjunto de testemunhos de crianças, acolhedores e famílias que interpretam, em primeira pessoa, os avanços, as dificuldades e os desafios associados ao acolhimento. Termina com uma identificação dos desafios que se colocam na prática, e ao decisor político, para se desenvolver um processo de desinstitucionalização bem-sucedido e entre os quais se incluem: (i) a divulgação e promoção da cultura do acolhimento familiar; (ii) a seleção e a formação de novas famílias de acolhimento; (iii) a disponibilização e o aperfeiçoamento da informação que permitam uma efetiva monitorização do sistema; (iv) e a reclassificação dos tipos e modalidades de acolhimento familiar.Palavras-chave: Acolhimento familiar. Portugal. Evidências. Desafios.Abstract: This article characterizes the Portuguese family foster care system, which has one of the highest rates of placement of children in residential care, compared to other European countries. It describes its historical evolution, the legal framework in force, and the role of the main actors involved in this type of family placement. It also seeks to identify the factors that are at the origin of a care system that remains centered, and has even reinforced, in recent years, the use of residential care. This study is based on the analysis of the legal and political framework, and highlights in the scientific research carried out in Portugal in the 21st century a set of testimonies from children, caregivers and families who interpret in first person the advances, difficulties and challenges associated with foster care. It ends with an identification of challenges that are posed in practice, and to the decision maker, to develop a successful deinstitutionalization process, and among which are included (i) the dissemination and promotion of foster care culture; (ii) the selection and training of new fostercare families; (iii) the availability and improvement of information that allows an effective monitoring of the system; (iv) and the reclassification of types and modalities of foster care.Key Words: Foster care. Portugal. Evidence. Challenges.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka socialtjänstens tillvägagångssätt för att ta reda på och försäkra sig om att familjehemmen utför ett bra arbete. Metoden för undersökningen var kvalitativ och intervjuerna bestod av tre socialsekreterare och två familjehems par, i två olika kommuner. Barn placeras i familjehem dels på grund av bristande omsorg eller avvikande beteendemönster. För att uppnå god kvalité krävs goda och säkra insatser av kommunerna i form av utredningsmetoder, uppföljning samt handledning. I resultatet av denna studie framgår det att rekrytering av familjehem blir allt svårare. Orsakerna uppges bero på att många placerade barn har beteendeproblem och blir därför svårhanterliga.Utredningsmetoden för nyrekryterade familjehem inom socialtjänsten är främst Kälvestens modellen. Det är djupgående intervjuer med de blivande familjehemmen, som uppges ta 3 till 6 timmar. Resultatet visade på att socialsekreterarna har begränsad med tid för att träffa barnen utöver de uppföljningsmöten som utförs fyra gånger årligen. Handledningarna görs vid behov och beror på att det inte finns tillräckliga resurser samt att socialsekreterarna inte hinner med vissa arbetsuppgifter på grund av överbelastning. Nyckelord: familjehem, familjehems placerade barn, fosterbarn, fosterföräldrar, fostervård.
The purpose of this study was to investigate how the social services assure that foster homes provide the best care possible. The investigation consisted of interviews with three social workers and two foster home couples, in two different communities. Children placed in foster homes partly because of lack of care or abnormal behavior patterns. In order to maintain quality standard as a foster home it is necessary that communities investigate and do regular follow up meetings. The study shows a decreasing amount of foster homes. Reasons include that a lot of children are difficult to handle due to behavioral problems. The investigation method of recruiting new foster homes in the social services is primarily Kälvestens model. The interview with new foster home candidates is thorough and takes 3 to 6 hours. Results show that social workers have limited amount of time due to work load and are only able to meet for four follow up meetings per year. These guides are made when necessary and because there are insufficient resources and social workers do not have time for certain tasks because of overload.Keywords: children in fostercare, fostercare, fosterchildren, fosterhome, fosterparents.

As youth in foster care mature into adulthood, they face enormous challenges (Jaudes, 2012). They lose help and support as they change into their independent live style. A lot of youth do not get the proper help they need. For example research supports that 47 percent of youth aged out of the system had health insurance coverage. One study reported that 40% of foster care youth endorsed some type of maltreatment while in foster care (Salazar,Keller, & Courtney, 2011). Yet, services that address the unique ongoing mental healthcare needs of foster care youth are not systematically required, and only a fraction of foster care youth who evidence clinically significant psychiatric symptoms receive mental health care (Burns et al., 2004; Valdez, 2015). Youth like this need someone to help them with their mental state when entering the transition to adulthood. A benefit they lack is support from family, or a mentor. In this research study, we examine what happens to the children who aged out of the foster care system, and how they continue with their life now that they are on their own. We will present the prevalence of services utilized, and outcomes experienced pertaining to the transition from being in state custody from state and national fostercare

This study aims to examine how professionals in the field of foster care works with recruitments, assessment and education of family homes for unaccompanied children. The intention is to find out in case there are specific needs that justify specific approach to ensure that the child's best interests are indicative and satisfied. The survey was conducted based on a qualitative method and empirical data gathered through semi-structured interviews with employees in the social services. The result shows that there is a need for more and specific education for families receiving unaccompanied children. It is motivated by the needs and conditions that are often common for this group. Remarkable in this study is the situation that emerge around unaccompanied children placed in the network, which are described here as network families. Despite finding that they do not take part of the education for the second family is obligatory. The front will also need more and clearer guidelines about the investigation process in relation to network families, as the respondents believes that neither the law, assessment procedure or basic demands tailored to this group.
Studien syftar till att undersöka hur professionella inom området familjehemsvård arbetar med rekrytering, utredning och utbildning av familjehem inför mottagandet av ensamkommande barn. Avsikten är att ta reda på i fall det finns särskilda behov som motiverar specifika tillvägagångssätt för att säkerställa att barnets bästa blir vägledande och tillgodoses. Undersökningen har genomförts utifrån en kvalitativ metod och empirin har inhämtats genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med familjehemssekreterare och socialsekreterare. En gemensam efterfrågan visade sig vara anpassad utbildning för familjehem som tar emot ensamkommande barn. Det motiveras med de behov och förutsättningar som barnen ofta har gemensamt. Det mest utmärkande resultatet i denna studie är de brister professionella vittnar om då det kommer till barn som placeras i sitt nätverk, vilka här benämns som nätverksfamiljer. Bristerna består i för lite resurser samt otillräckliga regelverk och rutiner runt utredningsprocessen. Det framkom också att nätverksfamiljer inte tar del av den utbildning som för andra familjehem är obligatorisk. Respondenterna menar att varken lagstiftning, utredningsförfarande eller grundkrav är anpassade efter denna grupp. Det ställer höga krav på den enskilde respondenten då det är där de svåra besluten ofta hamnar.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka ett antal familjehemsföräldrars erfarenheter av att befinna sig i en juridisk process, där det placerade barnets biologiska förälder gjort en hemtagningsbegäran och yrkat på att vården enligt LVU skall upphöra. Mer specifikt avser studien att beskriva hur familjehemsföräldrarna upplever den juridiska processen avseende de placerade barnens känslomässiga, beteendemässiga och sociala utveckling, sin egen relation med barnen, kontakten med barnens biologiska föräldrar samt kontakten med barnets omgivande professionella nätverk. Studien bygger på kvalitativa halvstrukturerade intervjuer med åtta familjehemsföräldrar i fyra olika familjehem. Familjehemmen är geografiskt åtskilda och belägna på olika platser i Sverige. Som teoretiska ramverk har ett anknytningsteoretiskt perspektiv och teorier om barn och trauma använts. Tidigare studier och forskning visar på att de familjehemsplacerade barnen är en särskilt utsatt grupp i samhället och att barnens rättsskydd är mycket begränsat. Resultatet i denna studie utgör inget undantag. Intervjupersonerna beskriver att barnen under den juridiska processen är utsatta för mycket stark psykisk stress. Barnen uppvisar svåra psykiska symptom som tydligt följer den juridiska processens faser. I den stund de nås av hotet om uppbrott så ökar barnens symptom med dissociation, tilltagande mardrömmar samt svårigheter att hålla urin och avföring. Studien bekräftar således tidigare forskning som visar på att placerade barn ständigt omges av en oro och osäkerhet kring placeringens varaktighet och stabilitet i tillvaron. Även familjehemsföräldrarnas situation är utsatt. Flera av intervjupersonerna beskriver att de mått mycket dåligt under de omständigheter som den juridiska processen medför. Familjehemsföräldrarna upplever en känsla av maktlöshet och att de sviker barnen. Maktlösheten uppkommer också utifrån familjehemmens svaga rättsliga ställning som innebär att de inte är någon part i de rättsliga processerna och kan således inte driva barnens intressen. Resultatet visar också på brister i stödet, både till familjehemmen och barnen. Barnen som är i stort behov av terapeutisk behandling förvägras detta då det terapeutiska arbetet förutsätter stabilitet, vilket paradoxalt nog är det som saknas i dessa barns tillvaro. Utifrån ett anknytningsteoretiskt perspektiv så innebär otryggheten och avsaknaden av förutsebarhet under placeringen att barnen varken får möjlighet att knyta an till familjehemsföräldrarna eller hjälp med att separera från de biologiska föräldrarna.

This research critically engages with the history and practice of Maatua Whangai within Aotearoa/New Zealand. Specifically it focusses on Maatua Whangai O Otepoti, examining the discourses of care-givers within this context. Further, this research is constructed within a Maori world view of both traditional fostercare practices and State interpretations of those practices. Case studies of the discourses of caregivers within the Maatua Whangai Programme are described and articulated in terms of kaupapa Maori research methods. The data generated identifies the discourses of the caregivers and their desire to have their voices heard. In contrast, the discourse of the state is examined in the light of reports such as Puao-Te-Ata-Tu (1986), and the work of Bradley (1994) and Ruwhiu (1995). It is argued that any shift in the current dominance of power relationships surrounding the Maatua Whangai Programme and fostercare practices in relation to Maori would entail a strengthening of ties between service providers, Iwi and the Crown. This would go some way towards redressing Crown dominance of Maori fostercare practices. Keywords: Maatua Whangai, Fostercare, Tamaiti Whangai, Maori, Iwi, Power, Dominance.

In 1924 a new law stated that every Swedish municipality had to create one authority containing al the boards that handled child issues. Before 1924 children often was put into fostercare without supervision or auctioned out to the lowest bidders and was used as farmworkers or for housekeeping.This essay will adress the fact that the authorities diden´t always know how well or unwell the children was being treated in fostercare. Many times people with good social and economic status could demand having a fosterchild without the authorities asking to many questions. With the material from Ljungbys local archives containing documents from the early 20th century, newspaper articales and other research this essay will compare and discuss how the authorities acted in different cases based on gender and social class. In this discussion we will focus manly on the children but also on the biologicalparents, the fosterparents and the members of the childrensboard. We will discuss if the authorities really did treat people different in mather of the fact that they are male, female, poor or rich.
Nej

The purpose of this study is to highlight the situation for youths leaving foster care and entering adult life. The study examines the services provided by the social service in the Stockholm area when a youth is leaving foster care, and if a recent change in the legislation has had any impact on the operating procedures of the social service. The study includes interviews with youths who recently left foster care, as well as information collected from social service offices through a survey, supplemented by interviews with practicing social workers. All the assembled data have been analyzed using Ecological Systems theory with focus on the child perspective and the term significant others. The study shows that the respondent youth have trouble identifying the formal ending with social services, as well as the support they received or were offered. As assembled from the survey, the few supporting services that are being arranged in connection with leaving care are similar between different social service offices. The general opinion is that they offer the required extra support that the new legislation aims to strengthen. The majority of the social service offices has therefore not changed their existing leaving care procedures. In this process, a lot of responsibility tends to be delegated to the foster homes, and due to insufficient resources social workers feel inadequate in those cases were the youth’s need for help is not met by the former foster home.

Syftet med uppsatsen var att undersöka socialsekreterarnas arbete med att följa upp det familjehemsplacerade barnet, vårdnadshavarna och familjehemmet. För att besvara undersökningens syfte användes kvalitativ metod. Studien grundade sig på intervjuer med fyra barnhandläggare och fyra familjehemsekreterare som arbetar inom åtta olika kommuner. I tidigare forskning framkom att socialtjänsten brister i sin uppföljning av det familjehemsplacerade barnet, vårdnadshavarna och familjehemmet. För att understryka socialnämndens ansvar under pågående familjehemsplacering har regeringen infört detaljerade bestämmelser i 5 kap 1b § Socialtjänstförordningen. Litteraturen som ingår i studien redogör dels för handlingsutrymmet som existerar inom socialsekreterarnas arbete och hjälper till att få en djupare förståelse för kontexten inom organisationen. Tolkningsramen innefattas även av den diskussion som förs angående socialsekreterarnas kompetens inom uppföljningsarbete. Resultatet från intervjuerna visade att socialsekreterarna i varierande omfattning utför det uppföljningsarbete som lagen föreskriver men att i socialförvaltningarnas organisationer prioriteras inte uppföljningsarbetet. Respondenterna i studien anser sig ha bristande kompetens och att de har svårt att se sitt eget handlingsutrymme i uppföljningsarbetet.

The purpose of this paper is to research how social workers manage to follow up cases with children placed in foster homes, their guardians and the foster homes. To meet this purpose a qualitative method has been used. The study is founded upon eight different interviews. Four with social workers who deal with children exclusively and four with social workers who deal with foster homes, within eight different districts/municipalities. Earlier research has shown shortcomings in the way social welfare follow up cases with children placed in foster homes, the guardians and the foster home. The government has introduced regulations in chapter 5, first section of the Swedish security law to stress the responsibilities that the social welfare committee has during an ongoing foster care placement. The background literature included in this study describes what possibilities social workers have in their work situation, and helps to gain a deeper understanding of the context within the organization. It also includes the ongoing discussion about social workers’ knowledge of how to follow up cases in a correct way. The interviews that this study is founded upon shows that the social workers meet the regulations, that the law prescribes for this area, of varying degree. To follow up cases in a correct way is not prioritized in the organization of the social welfare administrations. The respondents in this study do not believe that they have enough knowledge and have difficulties seeing what possibilities their work situation gives them when it comes to following up cases.

The aim of this study is to enhance the understanding of the possibilities and limitations of using the swedish law; SoL 5 kap. 2 §, among child- welfare workers and social workers within foster- care. The purpose of this law is to be able to prohibid or limitate inadequate foster-homes from taking care of foster-children. Qualitative interviews were conducted with three child-welfare workers and three social workers within foster-care, from three different municipalities. We have used hermeneutic interpretation to look at the empirical material and the theoretical framework of the study consists of Michael Lipskys theory about street-level bureaucracy. We also took part of previous research and other relevant literature in the field of foster-care to analyze the material. The result we found was that the knowledge and use of the law; SoL 5 kap. 2§ was limited. Some of our respondents had never heard about the law and none of our respondents had experience of using the law in their cases. Our respondents then, started to resonate about why they think that they have little knowledge about the law, and connected it to that there are deficiencies within the organization that create limitations in the social secretary's work in foster-home care. This limitations results in the social-workers having little knowledge about the law and not using it, even though they have high discretion in their everyday- job. To limitate inadequate foster-homes from having- and receiving placements, the social workers moved the child from the foster-home, and later gave negative references if other municipalities called, when they were thinking of placing a child in that specific foster-home. Our results show that this was not an optimal way of trying to limitate inadequate fosterhomes. Our respondents had experiences of other municipalities placing children in fosterhomes that they had given bad references about.

Social workers in this study describes various experiences of the assessments of interventions for children and adolescents. Social workers experience of the many different situations where an assessment of best effort must be made on the basis of BBIC, which is the Social Services investigation records. To make this assessment, the Social workers need social assistance and support of their colleagues and manager. Knowledge mixed with experience is also an important part when it comes to being professional and not let emotions control that could otherwise be happened when the social worker meets and builds relationships with clients. Social workers are also those who will decide which achievement the client needs from the needs. We use systems theory, Hasenfeld´s theory of human services organizations  and Lipsky´s grassroots bureaucrats to analyze how social worker work with clients of different experiences, knowledge and some of their own personal values for the various operations. The efforts in our work we have examined is traditional familycare and MTFC (Multi dementional Treatment Foster Care), we have found that there are different arguments for different actions, but the assessments are made virtually the same assessment model. There are requirements that govern the operation of which is matched with the objectives and resources administration. Social worker also believes that social work is a game where we do not know how the results will be.