‘A little piece of my heart goes with each of them’ – foster carer reflections on current fostering practice

Blackburn, Carolyn and Matchett, Elaine (2022) ‘A little piece of my heart goes with each of them’ – foster carer reflections on current fostering practice. Adoption and Fostering. ISSN 0308-5759

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Abstract

In the UK foster care is the main way of looking after children in care. Foster carers have been reported to be motivated to foster by an intrinsic desire to nurture and improve the lives of children and young people. However there are challenges in fostering related to relationships with other professionals involved in children’s lives and a lack of support for children and young people with complex needs. The number of allegations against foster carers increases the potential for foster carer stress and exit from fostering. This article reports on findings from an online survey of more than 420 foster carers and eight interviews during a global COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in the closure of schools and other social settings and services for prolonged periods of time. The findings highlight two key themes of transformative professional relationships and translations of professional love. Recommendations for professional training across disciplines are suggested.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.1177/03085759221135203
Dates:	Date Event 8 February 2022 Accepted 30 November 2022 Published Online
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Fostering; foster carers; children; social workers; stress
Subjects:	CAH00 - multidisciplinary > CAH00-00 - multidisciplinary > CAH00-00-00 - multidisciplinary CAH15 - social sciences > CAH15-04 - health and social care > CAH15-04-01 - social work CAH15 - social sciences > CAH15-04 - health and social care > CAH15-04-02 - childhood and youth studies
Divisions:	Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences > Centre for Study of Practice and Culture in Education (C-SPACE)
Depositing User:	Carolyn Blackburn
Date Deposited:	08 Feb 2022 16:34
Last Modified:	08 Dec 2022 13:48
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/12779

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