Fern5827
August 12th 04, 06:23 PM
Subject: Most FC kids want to go home KS researcher sez
From: (Fern5827)
Date: 8/12/2004 12:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Message-id: >
Wealth, education make foster parenting tougher
By Adele Horin
August 4, 2004
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Educated, well-off couples are more likely to strike problems when they foster
or adopt children, because of unrealistic expectations, an expert says.
The higher the carer's income and education, the more likely foster and
adoption placements would break down, said Marianne Berry, Professor of Social
Work at the University of Kansas.
Professor Berry was speaking at a national child-welfare conference in Sydney
organised by the Association of Children's Welfare Agencies.
In an interview, she said that middle-class people, accustomed to managing
others at work, were often flummoxed when difficult children refused to do as
they were told.
"Families who come from a lower socio-economic level typically are more mellow,
go with the flow and don't have to be in such control," Professor Berry said.
"They accept life throws them a few curves."
She said children placed in foster care had often suffered deficits in prenatal
and postnatal care and in nutrition that affected their academic performance.
Sometimes highly educated parents could not hide their sense of disappointment.
When social workers placed the most difficult children with the more educated
parents it was often "a recipe for disaster".
Professor Berry said the better educated foster carers often felt they should
be self-sufficient, but all carers needed a high level of support and
information about the challenges.
A study launched at the conference showed that many children in foster and
kinship care wanted to see more of their birth families - especially mothers
and siblings.
The study of 332 children and young people showed that of all the changes
children wanted to make in their lives, restoration to their birth families or
greater contact with family members was mentioned most often.
Michelle Townsend, the national co-ordinator of Create, a consumer organisation
for the 20,000-odd Australian children in care, said: "Despite the abuse and
neglect, they still love their families. The family knows everything about
them, laughs at their jokes; there was good amongst the bad."
She said the study showed many children still experienced multiple-care
placements, with a quarter of the children surveyed having experienced more
than five different arrangements. "Going into care is still a lottery."
Roger Bullock, Professor Emeritus of Child Welfare Research at Bristol
University in Britain, said most children in care eventually returned home.
However, too little help was given to the restoration process.
"Home is where children want to be, or they go there in the absence of anything
else. But return is immensely difficult if there is a lack of support."
http://www.sydneyherald.com
From: (Fern5827)
Date: 8/12/2004 12:28 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Message-id: >
Wealth, education make foster parenting tougher
By Adele Horin
August 4, 2004
Page Tools
Email to a friend Printer format
Educated, well-off couples are more likely to strike problems when they foster
or adopt children, because of unrealistic expectations, an expert says.
The higher the carer's income and education, the more likely foster and
adoption placements would break down, said Marianne Berry, Professor of Social
Work at the University of Kansas.
Professor Berry was speaking at a national child-welfare conference in Sydney
organised by the Association of Children's Welfare Agencies.
In an interview, she said that middle-class people, accustomed to managing
others at work, were often flummoxed when difficult children refused to do as
they were told.
"Families who come from a lower socio-economic level typically are more mellow,
go with the flow and don't have to be in such control," Professor Berry said.
"They accept life throws them a few curves."
She said children placed in foster care had often suffered deficits in prenatal
and postnatal care and in nutrition that affected their academic performance.
Sometimes highly educated parents could not hide their sense of disappointment.
When social workers placed the most difficult children with the more educated
parents it was often "a recipe for disaster".
Professor Berry said the better educated foster carers often felt they should
be self-sufficient, but all carers needed a high level of support and
information about the challenges.
A study launched at the conference showed that many children in foster and
kinship care wanted to see more of their birth families - especially mothers
and siblings.
The study of 332 children and young people showed that of all the changes
children wanted to make in their lives, restoration to their birth families or
greater contact with family members was mentioned most often.
Michelle Townsend, the national co-ordinator of Create, a consumer organisation
for the 20,000-odd Australian children in care, said: "Despite the abuse and
neglect, they still love their families. The family knows everything about
them, laughs at their jokes; there was good amongst the bad."
She said the study showed many children still experienced multiple-care
placements, with a quarter of the children surveyed having experienced more
than five different arrangements. "Going into care is still a lottery."
Roger Bullock, Professor Emeritus of Child Welfare Research at Bristol
University in Britain, said most children in care eventually returned home.
However, too little help was given to the restoration process.
"Home is where children want to be, or they go there in the absence of anything
else. But return is immensely difficult if there is a lack of support."
http://www.sydneyherald.com