Has anybody heard of parent and child placements? They are where a parent and child goes to stay with a foster carer when a council is trying to assess the parents' ability to parent. They are being used more frequently due to legal aid cuts meaning that there is less money available for parents to be sent to family assessment centres. They seem like a good idea in principle but they do put a lot of strain on the foster carer who is required (alongside lots of professionals) 'observe' how the parent is doing.

I have used these on a couple of occasions and I do think that although they are beneficial, the foster carers have to be aware of who the client is.  I know from experience that some foster carers find these placements extremely hard and require a high level of support and also some respite.

Yes, we use them when the situation seems to demand it and the 'cost-benefit' can be huge. The most recent case worked out really well for the mother and her child who are now due to move into their own home. It was a real success given that we could have been looking at care proceedings.... Also, the mother has only praise for social services, which is a bonus!

I have heard that they can be pretty draining on the foster carer who has be with the mother practically 24-7 but that they can be very helpful. I am not sure how they would work when the mother is a bit older though (perhaps a similar age to the foster carer) - I have mainly heard of them being used in terms of younger mothers.

Hi Alfie,

I agree that parent and child placements sound like they can be really helpful. I can definitely see the benefits of parents being allowed to remain near to their own communities rather than being sent to an assessment centre far away and the supportive bond that could potentially develop between the parent and the foster carer. 

As these placements become more and more popular it will be interesting to see if enough willing suitable foster carers will be available.

Sorry I should have also put that I have written a feature on this  issue in the 17th April edition of the magazine.

I'll look forward to that. Fostering provision is my main area of responsibility. More and more carers are expressing an interest. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of professionals offering support, not just as a pressure valve for carers but to be completely clear about the carer's roles and responsibilities. This is of course essential in any placement, but it becomes a particular imperative with a parent and child placement. To put it crudely, but accurately, when the baby is in distress, who sorts it out? In my view they will be used more and more as an alternative to residential assessments or a foster placement, thereby unnecessarily separating the parent and child. There's huge potential benefit for young mothers who themselves need some looking after before they move to independence.

It needs to be crystal clear to the mother exactly what the nature of the Placement is - is it a supportive placement or is it an Assessment placement? Given the vulnerability and care needs of some younger mothers it is unfair to place them under intense pressure within a mother-and-baby foster-home placement where the mum will feel under extreme scrutiny and pressure to the extent of not being able to parent her baby 'naturally' - she will always be seeking to please / satisfy the foster-carer. It will also have a direct impact on the nature of the mother-and child v foster-carers relationship.

Within a Residential Assessment Unit there will be other mothers and babies, more opportunity to relax and behave more naturally and even more opportunity to make mistakes safely and be able to receive staff help, advice and feedback in a less threatening way than on a one-to-one basis within a foster-home where the mum will have no-one else to turn to and will feel unable to do anything other than comply and be submissive.

Costs are not the issue - it is the quality of the assessment and the skills, knowledge and expertise of the assessors. A Unit may well have access also to a number of different professionals rather than end up relying on what may the subjective view of just the foster-carer.

I agree that a residential assessment unit might be best for some mothers and babies but I think parent and child placements will be the suitable option for some people. If foster carers recieve the correct training and have the right attitude then they will give mothers space parent their babies themselves and only step in when the parent asks them to/there are problems.

I appreciate that some mothers may find assessment centres less pressurised due to their being other mothers and babies there but others could thrive due to having one on one help.

i have used these before, they can be a very good resource, i guess it just depends on the individual family and competence of the foster carers. Too often residential assessment centres are used when they are not the most appropriate resource, usually just to make someone money.

Aimes:

I agree that a residential assessment unit might be best for some mothers and babies but I think parent and child placements will be the suitable option for some people. If foster carers recieve the correct training and have the right attitude then they will give mothers space parent their babies themselves and only step in when the parent asks them to/there are problems.

 i agree... horses for courses..