Abstract
This chapter presents Vivienne Tongue’s experiences of fostering and foster care. Vivienne’s account provides some detail on the training she underwent to become a foster carer, and the pressures and expectations placed upon her upon becoming a foster carer. Her account provides detail on some of the practical and emotional issues relevant to fostering and a consideration as to whether the processes she underwent are in the best interests of the children. The chapter concludes with an analysis of changes that could be made to improve the system.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
E. Adams, A.R. Hassett, V. Lumsden, What do we know about the impact of stress on foster carers and contributing factors? Adopt. Foster. 42(4), 338–353 (2018)
M. Baginsky, S. Gorin, C. Sands, The Fostering System in England: Evidence Review, Research Report, July 2017 (Quest Research and Evaluation Limited, 2017)
M. Barrow, Is the government neglecting the dedication of foster parents? (2016). https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2016/01/government-neglecting-dedication-foster-parents
J. Bowlby, Maternal care and mental health (1995 [1952])
J. Caldwell, V. McConvey, M. Collins, et al., Voice of the child – raising the volume of the voices of children and young people in care. Child Care Pract. 25(1), 1–5 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2019.1552447
P. Davies, M. Webber, J.A. Briskman, et al., Evaluation of a training programme for foster carers in an independent fostering agency. Practice 27(1), 35–49 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1080/09503153.2014.983434
J. Fillingham, Changing Needs and Challenging Perceptions of Disabled People with Acquired Impairments, Doctoral Dissertation (University of Birmingham, 2013)
GOV.UK, Fostering national minimum standards. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fostering-services-national-minimum-standards
HM Government, Staying put: arrangements for care leavers aged 18 years and above (2013). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-put-arrangements-for-care-leavers-aged-18-years-and-above
H. Jelicic, I. La Valle, D. Hart, The Role of Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs) in England: Final Report (National Children’s Bureau, London, 2014). https://www.ncb.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/documents/Research_reports/role_of_independent_reviewing_officers_in_england_final_report.pdf
J. Kaasbøll, E. Lassemo, V. Paulsen, Foster parents’ needs, perceptions and satisfaction with foster parent training: A systematic literature review. Child. Youth Serv. Rev. 10, 33–41 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.03.041
V. Meetoo, C. Cameron, A. Clarke, et al., Complex ‘everyday’ lives meet multiple networks: the social and educational lives of young children in foster care and their foster carers. Adopt. Foster. 44(1), 37–55 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1177/0308575919900661
OFSTED, Fostering in England 1/4/2018–1/3/2019 (2020). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fostering-in-england-1-april-2018-to-31-march-2019/fostering-in-england-2018-to-2019-main-findings
C. Onions, Retaining foster carers during challenging times: the benefits of embedding reflective practice into the foster care role. Adopt. Foster. 42(3), 249–265 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1177/0308575918790433
J. Sebba, Recruiting and supporting foster carers. Masterclass Presentation to the Association of Child Welfare Agencies Annual Conference, Sydney Australia, 17 August 2016 (2016)
The Fostering Network, Fostering legislation in England (2020). https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/policy-practice/policies/fostering-legislation-in-england
A.E. Wretham, M. Woolgar, Do children adopted from British foster care show difficulties in executive functioning and social communication? Adopt. Foster. 41(4), 331–345 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1177/0308575917730295
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Tongue, V., Fillingham, J. (2021). The Realities of Fostering in a Flawed System. In: Sealey, C., Fillingham, J., Unwin, P. (eds) Social Policy, Service Users and Carers. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69876-8_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-69876-8_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-69875-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-69876-8
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)