Fostering Network urges better support for children of carers

Foster care placements are breaking down because services are ignoring the needs of the children of foster parents, the Fostering Network warned today.

In a report , the charity found that there was “neither widespread nor consistent” support offered by fostering services to the children of foster carers.

It said social workers should be trained to give specific help and advice to sons and daughters and called for a “change of attitude” within foster care teams. It also recommended that the views of the children be considered at each stage of the fostering process.

Giving up on placements

Fostering Network’s deputy chief executive, Raina Sheridan, said foster carers were more likely to give up on a placement if their own children were struggling to cope. “Sometimes young people do unfortunately get to see things that most don’t get to see. If the placement is particularly difficult, then they may see their parents being verbally abused.”

Providing support groups for the children of foster carers should be a priority, she added. “They work best where they are consistent,” she said. “It doesn’t work where they set up something and six months later it stops because there’s no funding. We’re really calling for consistent funding for groups.”

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