Fostering Adolescents (Supporting Parents)

258 Pages·2004·1.14 MB·English

by  Elaine Farmer

Fostering Adolescents
Supporting Parents
This important series is the result of an extensive government-funded research
initiative into how we can best support parents and carers as part of an integrated
serviceforchildren.UnderpinningcurrentpolicydirectivesincludingtheChildren’s
National Service Framework, the titles in the series are essential reading for
practitioners,policymakersandacademicsworkinginchildcare.
Othertitlesintheseries
SupportingParents
MessagesfromResearch
DavidQuinton
ISBN1843102102
FosterCarers
WhyTheyStayandWhyTheyLeave
IanSinclair,IanGibbsandKateWilson
ISBN184310172
FosterPlacements:WhyTheySucceedandWhyTheyFail
IanSinclair,KateWilsonandIanGibbs
ISBN1843101734
FosterChildren
Wheretheygoandhowtheygeton
IanSinclair,ClaireBaker,KateWilsonandIanGibbs
ISBN1843101726
ParentinginPoorEnvironments
Stress,SupportandCoping
DeborahGhateandNealHazel
ISBN184310069X
SupportingSouthAsianFamilieswithaChildwithSevereDisabilities
ChrisHatton,YasmeenAkram,RobinaShah,JanetRobertsonandEricEmerson
ISBN1843101610
of relatedinterest
ImprisonedFathersandtheirChildren
GwynethBoswellandPeterWedge
ISBN1853029726
Fostering Adolescents
Elaine Farmer, Sue Moyers and Jo Lipscombe
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
London and Philadelphia
Table2.1fromJoiningofNewFamilies:AstudyofadoptionandfosteringinmiddlechildhoodbyDavid
Quinton,AlanRushton,CherilynDanceandDeborahMayes(p.37)Copyright© JohnWiley
andSonsLtd1998.ReprintedwithpermissionofJohnWileyandSonsLtd.
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FirstpublishedintheUnitedKingdomin2004
byJessicaKingsleyPublishers
116PentonvilleRoad
LondonN19JB,UK
and
400MarketStreet,Suite400
Philadelphia,PA19106,USA
www.jkp.com
Copyright© ElaineFarmer,SueMoyersandJoLipscombe2004
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Farmer,Elaine.
Fosteringadolescents/ElaineFarmer,SueMoyers,andJoLipscombe.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN1-84310-227-7
1. Fosterhomecare--GreatBritain--Casestudies.2. Teenagers--GreatBritain--Interviews. I.
Moyers,Sue,1948-II.Lipscombe,Jo.III.Title.
HV887.G5F372004
362.73'3'0941--dc22
2004001078
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
ACIPcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
ISBN-13: 978 1 84310 227 4
ISBN-10:1843102277
ISBN pdfeBook: 1 84642 014 8
PrintedandBoundinGreatBritainby
AthenaeumPress,Gateshead,TyneandWear
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 8
1. Introduction 9
2. Background and Research Literature 19
3. How We Designed and Carried Out the Study 41
4. Description of the Young People and the Foster Carers
in the Sample 53
5. Planning and Preparation for the Placements 75
6. The Young People’s Behaviour in the Placements 92
7. Foster Carer Strain 118
8. Support for the Foster Carers 130
9. The Parenting Approaches of the Foster Carers 155
10. The Young People’s Contact with Family Members 177
11. Predicting Placement Outcome 197
12. Implications for Practice and Policy 222
REFERENCES 240
SUBJECTINDEX 248
AUTHORINDEX 255
List of Tables
2.1 Maccoby and Martin’s classification of parenting 37
3.1 Number of interviews and questionnaires completed at each stage 49
3.2 Status ofthe placements after one year 51
4.1 Birth parents’ problems 55
4.2 History of abuse 55
4.3 Reason for being looked after in this care period 58
4.4 Residence before placement 59
4.5 Reason for current placement 60
4.6 Emotional and behavioural difficulties 61
4.7 Educational provision 63
4.8 Number of categories of adversity experienced 65
4.9 Number of behavioural difficulties presented prior to placement 66
4.10 Local authority or agency training received by main foster carers 72
5.1 Circumstances ofthe placements 76
5.2 Planned or emergency placements 77
5.3 Information given to the foster carers before the placement 81
5.4 Social workers’ views ofthe purpose of the placements 84
5.5 The involvement of the foster carers, young people and their parents
in discussions about the placement 86
5.6 Social workers’ views ofthe impact of their help on the foster carers 90
6.1 The impact of the fostered young people on other
children in the household by follow-up 94
6.2 Frequency and severity ofbehavioural and emotional difficulties
reported by the carers as occurring within or outside the home 95
6.3 Types of conduct difficulties demonstrated within the home 96
6.4 Scores used to classify the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire 102
6.5 The foster carers’ scores on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire
at the first and second interviews 103
6.6 The young people’s educational provision in the placement 106
6.7 Participation in activities 108
7.1 The impact of emotional and conduct difficulties on the foster family 120
7.2 General Health Questionnaire – Changes over time 122
7.3 The relationship between the strains reported by the foster
carers and the results ofthe GHQ 123
8.1 Availability of useful support 142
8.2 Foster carers’ overall perception of support at the first interviews 146
8.3 Foster carers’ overall levels of support at the second interviews 150
9.1 Changes in parenting behaviours during the one year follow-up 170
10.1 Parents with whom the young person had lived before being
looked after 178
10.2 Changes in the quality of contact over the one year follow-up 185
11.1 Principal reasons for placement disruptions 198
Figure
6.1 Number of types of difficult behaviour shown by the young
person within the home 97
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the Department of Health as part of the
research initiative on Supporting Parenting. We are very grateful for this
assistance and for the help of our research liaison officers, Dr Carolyn
Davies and Dr Caroline Thomas.
We are indebted to the fourteen local authorities and two
independentfosteringagenciesandtheirstaffwhomadeitpossiblefor
us to undertake the research. They gave their valuable time to refer
youngpeopletothestudy,tofacilitateourcasefilescrutinyandtotalkto
us about their policies and practice. We are particularly grateful to the
youngpeople,theirfostercarersandtheirsocialworkerswhoagreedto
talktousatlengthontwoseparateoccasionstoenableustolearnabout
the issues involved in fostering adolescents.
Regular meetings with our Research Advisory Group kept us on
trackandhelpedustosolvesomeof thedifficultiesalongtheway.We
areverygratefulforthehelp,adviceandsupportfromHelenJones,Jane
AlberryandCarolineThomasfromtheDepartmentofHealth,Professor
David Berridge, Professor David Quinton, Professor Ian Sinclair,
ProfessorKateWilson,DrIanGibbsandDrJeanPackman,foracademic
andpracticaladviceandtoEnaFryfromtheFosteringNetworkforher
knowledge of the issues.
Annualmeetingswithresearchersworkingonotherprojectswithin
the Department of Health Initiative were also timely and invaluable in
temporarily removing us from the day-to-day work of conducting the
researchandinhelpingustoclarifyourthinkingandlookatthewider
issues.
WeareparticularlyindebtedtoProfessorDavidQuintonwhogave
us valuable advice and assistance throughout the project.
Lastly, but most importantly, we are extremely grateful to Patricia
Lees,ourresearchsupportofficer,whosetupthedatabaseandentered
thecodedmaterialfromthecasefilestudyandtheinterviewsandcoded
the standardised questionnaires. In particular we thank her for her
meticulous and accurate work in preparing the report and this book.