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Supporting Strong Parenting in the Australian Foster Care Sector

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Supporting Strong Parenting in the Australian Foster Care Sector SUPPORTING STRONG PARENTING IN THE AUSTRALIAN FOSTER CARE SECTOR A report on a funded project for the Department of Family and Community Services 2001 By The Australian Foster Care Association Project administrator and primary researcher: Dr Ross Gurney Better Enterprises Pty Ltd Canberra A safe family-like placement in which children can grow up is a cornerstone both of family support, and work with those children who are not able to grow up with their families of origin. To put a child with a ‘new’ family is a massive intervention in his or her life, and one which will have profound consequences for the child, the placement family and the family of origin. Alan Currer, Deputy Director of Child Care, Barnardo’s From my experience I find if I have a very good social worker whom I can trust, communicate well with, laugh with - be open with - it is support Foster carer in survey AFCA Report Page 2 of 214 Contents OVERVIEW OF THE ISSUES................................................................................................. 9 1 WHAT AND WHO THIS STUDY IS ABOUT ..................................................................... 39 Introduction............................................................................................................. 39 Submission from the National Foster Care Forum................................................. 40 Children in care....................................................................................................... 41 Foster carers............................................................................................................ 43 Importance of support............................................................................................. 44 2 DEFINITIONS AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY ..................................................................... 47 Introduction............................................................................................................. 47 Defining ‘sector’..................................................................................................... 47 Terms and distinctions............................................................................................ 48 Purchaser-provider distinctions .............................................................................. 48 Performance indicators ........................................................................................... 49 Approach................................................................................................................. 53 Limitations.............................................................................................................. 54 Documentation of support provisions..................................................................... 55 Foster carer survey.................................................................................................. 55 Benchmarking......................................................................................................... 57 3 OVERVIEW OF FOSTER CARE IN AUSTRALIA ............................................................... 59 The roots of foster care in Australia ....................................................................... 59 Types of foster care ................................................................................................ 60 Aspects of foster care revealed in survey ............................................................... 61 The foster care system ............................................................................................ 64 The roles of stakeholders in foster care in Australia .............................................. 65 The commonwealth government........................................................................ 65 State governments.............................................................................................. 66 Non-government agencies.................................................................................. 66 Foster carer associations .................................................................................... 67 Indigenous foster care............................................................................................. 67 National and state associations of foster carers ...................................................... 70 Recommendation 1 ............................................................................................ 70 Working together to improve community support ................................................. 70 Recommendation 2 ............................................................................................ 70 National statistical collection on foster care........................................................... 71 Recommendation 3 ............................................................................................ 71 4 ROLES AND STATUS OF FOSTER CARERS..................................................................... 73 Volunteers – the backbone of foster care ............................................................... 73 Self-perceptions of foster carers ............................................................................. 78 Foster carers from the perspective of the children in care...................................... 80 Training, registration, accreditation of carers......................................................... 80 Foster carer ‘resignation’........................................................................................ 81 Relationship between carers, and workers.............................................................. 82 Kinship care............................................................................................................ 83 Indigenous foster carers.......................................................................................... 84 Debate over professional vs voluntary foster carer ................................................ 84 Underlying philosophy and policies of foster care................................................. 87 Improved recruitment, training and accreditation of foster carers ......................... 88 AFCA Report Page 3 of 214 Recommendation 4 ............................................................................................ 88 National approach on foster care ............................................................................ 88 Recommendation 5 ............................................................................................ 89 5 MEANINGS AND ANALYSIS OF THE CONCEPT OF SUPPORT.......................................... 91 Meaning of ‘support’ .............................................................................................. 91 Support as an expression of jointly shared obligation............................................ 93 Structural support.................................................................................................... 94 Process support ....................................................................................................... 96 Sources of support ................................................................................................ 102 The costs of foster care provision......................................................................... 102 Some problems with receiving payment.......................................................... 104 Discretionary payments.................................................................................... 105 Variations between government and/or non government agencies ................. 105 Study into real costs of caring for foster children............................................ 105 6 FOSTER CARER PERCEPTIONS OF THE ADEQUACY AND APPROPRIATENESS OF SUPPORT IN AUSTRALIA ..................................................................................... 107 What foster carers say about the quantity and quality of support......................... 107 Availability of specific support measures............................................................. 110 Recruitment of new foster carers.......................................................................... 113 Advertising and enlistment .............................................................................. 114 Suitability assessment and screening of applicants.......................................... 115 Initial training and registration......................................................................... 115 Provision of handbook and resource materials ................................................ 119 Placement of foster children ................................................................................. 121 Start up support and first child placement ....................................................... 123 Subsequent placements of children.................................................................. 124 Information ...................................................................................................... 124 Meetings with workers/birth parents................................................................ 125 Development and maintenance of fostering expertise and motivation................. 125 Advanced training & conference attendance ................................................... 126 Advanced information management (case management) & record keeping ... 127 Respite for foster carers ..................................................................................
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