Hi everyone, I am seeking some advise and signposting to relevant info. I am working in Australia in an adolescent therapeutic foster care program. I will clarify now that I am posting on here as the is no CC Australian equivalent and I am still using this sight from my time in the UK. While I have my own program, the recruitment for foster carers is done alongside general foster care and I have been involved in this. Our current campaign is targeting 'professionals'. Today a colleague of mine registered her interest to become a general foster carer and was told it was frowned upong for us to become foster carers and apparently staff at the LA get told the same thing. Obviously this is complicated if our whole strategy is to recruit professionals, so I'm in a bit of a connundrum. Whilst there are pros and cons to all groups as carers, I was wondering what specifically should prevent us as social workers doing this if it fits in with our own lives (respite, emergancy, short/long term), or is this an old opint of view? I understand that it could hamper our constant over time, but is there more to it?Does anyone know of any research or programs that have used this? I would like to gather some research and info. If I have enough ammo, I am hoping I can change this style of thinking at the next program development meeting. Thanks fo your help in advance!!!
Hi OP, I assume your post has got lost somehow; please re post below.
Simeon, there's a technical glitch happening - this is the third thread in the last couple of weeks where the opening post has no text - must be a glitch. Can you rattle the machine your end a bit? Ta
I have a theory that it is something to do with browsers. NQAUS - can you tell me which browser you are using?
Thanks
CareSpace support
OK - have solved it in this particular case - the post was entered in the "edit notes" section by mistake. But I'd still like to hear if people are experiencing problems
NQAUS,
I don't know of any research, sorry, but I do know of social workers who are also foster carers. I don't know if they are foster carers in the same geographical area that they work in - I should imagine that that may throw up potential problems to do with role confusion, boundaries, confidentiality etc.
Yes, I put it in EDIT NOTES after I had not been able to put it in the main body a few times, so something weird is going on
Thanks Selks,
I've never seen anything on it. Obviously I am not talking about becoming carers for children where people are the active workers; I am talking about being a foster carer. Whilst their may be some blurring of boundaries, if the child's social worker is doing their job correctly, pushy carers are something that many of us have to deal with anyway.
I know of another worker who has become the regular respite carer (one weekend a month) for a child she worked with in her last role. Her manager and supervisor were very unhappy with this and numerous meetings went ahead before the worker was assessed anyway.
I was just wondering if there was a blindingly obvious reason why social workers becoming foster carers was such a stupid idea. I can miss these things occasionally!
My experience is that it's not possible for someone to be employed as a social worker and also approved as a foster carer for the same local authority, because it's seen as a potential conflict of interest - those folks I know who are social workers and foster carers tend to either work for a private fostering agency or are agency workers and local authority carers.
I can see the argument about social workers being ideally equipped for the role of foster carers as 'pushy parents' but there has to also be potential for this working relationship to go horribly wrong if there are issues over care plans, information being held on children or their families that could be accessed by someone in their role as a s/w but which wouldn't routinely be disclosed to a foster carer, and probably many more potential headaches I haven't even thought of...
I'm a social worker and I'm a foster carer. My partner is the 'main carer' as I work full time. I work for a different local authority to the one I live in and I foster for the LA I live in.
I wouldn't even dream about fostering for the LA I work in.
The difficulties I've faced is that it is clearly an 'unusual' situation. Some of the other foster carers aren't as friendly and I've come across wholly hostile social workers but that's rare - thankfully. Mostly the social workers I work with (we have a fantastic supervising social worker by the way, which helps!) are just more curious but I do worry that they rely on my profession to share perhaps more than they should (re confidentiality) or expect me to know things that really I don't (I've never worked in childrens services and work in Mental Health).
However, 'knowing the system' and not being frightened to challenge has, I think, made me a better foster carer as well as working in mental health which perhaps helps me to understand some situations well. In many ways, I'd say I've learnt more about professionalism and respect as a foster carer (and most notably the different regard people treat me when they know I'm a social worker as opposed to when they think I'd 'just' a foster carer) than in many more years as a social worker.
If the OP wants to friend me and send me a message,. I'm happy to share more detailed thoughts and experiences by private message.
I'm a child protection social worker and was in the process of being assessed (with my partner as the main carer) as foster carers for a neighbouring authority. We have had to withdraw due to personal circumstances (moving abroad for a peroid) but the assessor was very positive of us as potential carers and very much want sus to go ahead with the assessment when we return.
All my colleagues have also been very enthusiastic about the idea of us being foster carers. We attended a 3 day training and this was very eye opening even though I have a lot of experience as a social worker. I don't see why social workers shouldn't be foster carers so long as there are very clear boundaries.
Not too healthy, working 24 hrs a day.
Hi I am based in victoria, Working in family Services. I was in Adolescent Community Placement (ACP) team leader for some years prior. I have come across some social workers / youth workers as carers.
nor sure what state you are in or area, which may effect outcoems.
many pro and cons, including shirac's comment on working 24/7.
conact me if you wish to discuss further.