[Download] "Supporting Informal Kinship Care (Report)" by Adoption & Fostering * Book PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Supporting Informal Kinship Care (Report)
- Author : Adoption & Fostering
- Release Date : January 22, 2008
- Genre: Family & Relationships,Books,Nonfiction,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 240 KB
Description
Background When children cannot remain with their parents, the Children Act 1989 encourages local authorities to place them with a relative, friend or other suitable person, unless that would not be reasonably practicable or consistent with their welfare (section 23(6)(b)). The Government has expressed a preference for kinship care in such circumstances, claiming that this is 'much better for most children than entering care' (Department for Education and Skills, 2006a). This assertion is supported by research which has found that kinship care arrangements are more stable than placements with unrelated foster carers and that kin carers show greater commitment to the children (Rowe et al, 1984; Rowe et al, 1989; Aldgate and McIntosh, 2006; Farmer and Moyers, 2008). Kinship care is particularly helpful in providing secure long-term placements for adolescents (Rowe et al, 1989). Children placed with relatives or friends are likely to do as well as those placed with unrelated foster carers despite facing similar difficulties and often receiving less support (Sinclair et al, 2005; Farmer and Moyers 2008). Moreover, kinship care might enable better matching with regard to culture and ethnicity, and can help to preserve a sense of belonging because usually the young people already know and love their carer (Broad et al, 2001; Farmer and Moyers, 2008). An overview of kinship care studies (Hunt, 2001) emphasised that there are also benefits for society, as kinship care helps to meet the rising demand for out-of-home placements while limiting the cost of public services.