Archive

By Terry Philpot and Bob Broad.
Children and Families Research Unit, De Montfort University
ISBN 1874436061
Free 

This informative and well-written monograph on kinship care should be required reading for everyone with an interest child welfare in general and kinship care in particular.

The authors have pulled together findings from a range of research studies in the UK and the US. It is good to see so much emphasis given to the views of children and families. Young people are identified as describing that kinship care offers them a sense of "emotional permanence".

It also helpfully sets current policy and practice issues within a wider context and explores a range of key issues that effect policy and practice. These include the assumptions that are made about relatives and the thorny issue of financial support.

The authors convincingly argue that we must challenge the current culture that sees kinship care as either a low cost or no cost placement option.

They see kinship care as a form of care "waiting to be discovered", and they call for a programme of reform and investment to ensure that kinship care is given a more central role in child care policy and practice.

Robert Tapsfield is chief executive, Family Rights Group.