Displaying 1 - 5 of 5
Abstract
The literature on alternative care focuses overwhelmingly on formal, court-ordered placements; voluntary care placements are discussed less frequently. Least attention of all has been given to informal kinship care placements, where a child is cared for by relatives but is not formally in the legal care of state authorities. In Ireland, these placements, when facilitated by state authorities in lieu of a care order or voluntary care agreement, are known by professionals as ‘private family arrangements’. This article explores evidence which shows that the use of such arrangements…
Abstract
A notable development in child welfare provision in recent decades has been growth in certain jurisdictions of formal kinship care as a type of placement for children needing ‘out of home’ care. This trend raises the question of why formal kinship care has emerged in such a marked way in this period in some contexts. This paper sets out to explore this issue by investigating the emergence and development of formal kinship care in two neighboring jurisdictions in Europe where it now accounts for a substantial proportion of all care placements in Scotland and Ireland. The paper sets…
Abstract
Children who enter the care system have suffered abuse and/or neglect, and because of that, they are more likely to have a range of complex needs. Carers (either being foster, kinship, birth or adoptive parents) might struggle caring for these children if they are not appropriately and timely supported. This might lead to placement disruption and instability, and in turn affect the wellbeing of the children (as well as the carers themselves). Article 18.2 in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that ‘States Parties shall render appropriate assistance to…
First published in 1999, this work draws together a multi-national collection of papers, and aims to stimulate the development of policy and practice in this often neglected area. It aims to offer examples of good social work practice, informed by relevant theoretical insights; to give a voice to kinship foster carers and young people so that practice can be informed by an understanding of their experience; to share the results of current research; to highlight issues for policy makers; and to place the issues in the wider international context of developing social policy, ideology and social…
This article is part of a special edition of the journal Psychosocial Intervention (Volume 22 No.03 December 2013) focused on the state of child protection in a wide variety of countries with special attention to out-of-home care placements, principally family foster care and residential care, tough several aspects related to adoption were included as well.
This fascinating paper provides a brief overview of the looked after system in the UK and the equivalent care system in Ireland…