Adoption & Fostering

Specialist fostering is among several new forms of foster care being introduced in Spain. It recently provided the focus of an evaluative research study carried out by the autonomous administration in Catalonia and the University of Barcelona. Pere Amorós, Montse Freixa, Nuria Fuentes and Mari Cruz Molina provide a summary of the principal advances in foster care, as well as an analysis of the problems encountered, and outline proposals for the improvement of the specialist service.

The concept of trauma is relevant for a number of children adopted from abroad. When diagnostic criteria for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are applied to such children, research has shown that quite a few show symptoms consistent with PTSD. René Hoksbergen and Cor van Dijkum argue that adoptive parents and healthcare professionals should be familiar with behavioural and long-lasting difficulties which appear as sequelae of trauma and should be prepared to provide timely and appropriate intervention.

This article by Helen Hibbert provides a summary and analysis of the education of children and young people in public care in England and Wales, with reference to last year's publication of the Guidance on the Education of Children and Young People in Public Care (DH/DfEE, 2000). The article summarises the most important features of the Guidance, and identifies key implications for practice. These include joint working between departments of education and social services, data collection and planning, the role of the Designated Teacher, target setting and achievement, exclusion and raising expectations. The author comments on implications of the Guidance for local authorities, young people, carers and teachers.

There is little written about children living in kinship care placements, either generally about the role and work of social services in supporting such placements or specifically about kinship care from carers' and users' perspectives. For a child in need who can no longer live with their birth parents(s), being supported by social services to live with a member of her or his extended family can be another appropriate placement option. Given that a good-sized proportion of looked after children, at least equivalent to those in residential care, are placed with a relative or friend, it is argued here that kinship care merits much more discussion, research and development than has hitherto been the case. Based on an ongoing research project, Bob Broad seeks to begin to redress this balance. After reviewing the kinship care literature, as well as the legislative and policy context, research findings from an ongoing research project are presented. The views of kinship carers are given, which suggest they value the support of social workers and require further support, financial payments, information and recognition from social services. Questions are also raised about the over-representation of black children in such placements.

Greg Kelly and Dominic McSherry describe the timescales involved in achieving freeing orders for 23 children in Northern Ireland between 1996 and 1999. There was delay at all stages in the process. The delays were particularly pronounced in social services and social services/legal services processes. The authors conclude that if adoption is to be made available to more children from state care, current arrangements, including legislation, will need revision and reform.

Annick-Camille Dumaret and Dominique Rosset present a synthesis of research findings based on a study conducted in France between 1990 and 1996. The project aimed to establish a clearer understanding of why infants with Down's Syndrome were given up for adoption, to evaluate the extent of the phenomenon and its evolution over the long term. It also analysed the impact of the diagnosis on the parents' decision about whether to keep the baby or not and highlighted the determining factors in babies being given up for adoption.