Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T10:49:09.476Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Foster Care from a Historical Perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2015

Freda Briggs AO  and
Susan Hunt
Freda Briggs AO*
Affiliation:
Child Development, University of South Australia, Magill Campus, South Australia 5072, Australia
Susan Hunt
Affiliation:
Child Abuse Prevention Research Australia, Monash Injury Research Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Emeritus Professor Freda Briggs, University of South Australia, Magill Campus, South Australia, Australia5072 E-mail: freda.briggs@unisa.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Foster care has been available in Australia for almost 150 years. Carers have long been recognised as “the ultimate volunteers” who care for the most traumatised, emotionally disturbed children in the nation. Given that they provide the foundation stone of the child protection system, one might expect carers to be supported and valued. Numerous studies have shown otherwise. Warning signs over the years have been ignored by child welfare authorities resulting in carers leaving the service faster than they could be recruited and the most needy young children being placed in caravan parks, cheap motels and group homes supervised by occasional, inadequately trained, generalist carers employed on seven hour contracts by agencies.

Keywords

Out-of-home carefoster carerschild protectionpolicypracticeeducationtraining
Type
Opinion
Information
Children Australia , Volume 40 , Issue 4: OUT OF HOME CARE-REFLECTING ON THE PAST AND ENVISIONING FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS , December 2015 , pp. 316 - 326
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2015). Child protection Australia: 2013–14. Child welfare series no. 61. Cat. no. CWS 52. Canberra: AIHW.Google Scholar
Blythe, S. L., Halcomb, E. J., Wilkes, L., & Jackson, D. (2013). Perceptions of long-term female foster-carers: I’m not a carer, I’m a mother. British Journal of Social Work, 43 (6), 1056–1072.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blythe, S. L., Jackson, D., Halcomb, E. J., & Wilkes, L. (2011). The stigma of being a long-term foster carer. Journal of Family Nursing, 18 (2), 234–260.Google Scholar
Bowlby, J. (1953). Child care and the growth of love. Middlesex: Penguin Books.Google Scholar
Briggs, F., & Broadhurst, D. (2005). The abuse of foster carers in Australia. Journal of the Home Economics Institute of Australia, 12 (1), 25–35.Google Scholar
Briggs, F., Broadhurst, D., & Hawkins, R. (2004). Violence, threats and intimidation in the lives of professionals whose work involves children. Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice (issue 273). Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology.Google Scholar
Butcher, A. (2005). Upping the ante! The training and status of foster carers in Queensland. Children Australia, 30 (3), 25–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carter, J. (2002). Towards better foster care-reducing the risks. Melbourne: Children's Foundation.Google Scholar
Carter, J. (2004). Wanted: A new vision for foster care. Paper presented at the Australian Foster Care Association Annual Conference, Canberra.Google Scholar
Cashmore, J., & Paxman, M. (2006). Predicting after-care outcomes: the importance of “felt” security. Child & Family Social Work, 11 (3), 232–241.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cashmore, J., & Paxman, M. (2007). Longitudinal study of wards leaving care: Four to five years on. Sydney: Social Policy Research Centre.Google Scholar
Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare. (2007). Strengthening the recruitment and retention of foster carers in Victoria. Melbourne: Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare Inc.Google Scholar
Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare. (2012). Foster care in context: An evaluation of the foster care communication and recruitment strategy. Melbourne: Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare Inc.Google Scholar
Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare. (2013). Submission – issues paper 4: Preventing sexual abuse of children in out of home care. Melbourne: Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare Inc.Google Scholar
Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian. (2014). 2013 Views of children and young people in foster care survey: Overview and selected findings. Brisbane: Government of Queensland.Google Scholar
Community Affairs References Committee. (2015). Out of home care. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.Google Scholar
Connecting Foster Carers SA Inc. (2015). Submissions to the Child Protection Systems Royal Commission. Adelaide: Connecting Foster Carers SA Inc. http://www.childprotectionroyalcommission.sa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Connecting-Foster-Carers.pdfGoogle Scholar
Crime and Misconduct Commission. (2004). Protecting children: An inquiry into abuse of children in foster care. Brisbane: Crime and Misconduct Commission.Google Scholar
Cummins, P., Scott, D., & Scales, B. (2012). Report of the protecting Victoria's vulnerable children inquiry (vol. 2). Melbourne: Department of Premier and Cabinet.Google Scholar
Davey, C. M. (1956). Children and their law-makers: A social-historical survey of the growth and development from 1836 to 1950 of South Australian laws relating to children. Adelaide: Griffin Press.Google Scholar
Delfabbro, P., Barber, J. G., & Cooper, L. (2002). Children entering out-of-home care in South Australia: Baseline analyses for a 3-year longitudinal study. Children and Youth Services Review, 24 (12), 917–932.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delfabbro, P., King, D., & Barber, J. (2010). Children in foster care - five years on. Children Australia, 35 (1), 22–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Department for Education and Child Development. (1969). The report of the South Australian social welfare advisory council. Adelaide: Government of South Australia.Google Scholar
Dickey, B., Martin, E., & Oxenbury, R. (1986). Rations, residence, resources: A history of social welfare in South Australia since 1836. Adelaide: Wakefield Press.Google Scholar
Geiger, J. M., Hayes, M. J., & Lietz, C. A. (2013). Should I stay or should I go? A mixed methods study examining the factors influencing foster parents’ decisions to continue or discontinue providing foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, 35 (9), 1356–1365.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunt, S., Goddard, C., Cooper, J., Littlechild, B., Raynes, B., & Wild, J. (Published online 4 September 2015). “If I feel like this, how does the child feel?” Child protection workers, supervision, management and organisational responses to parental violence. Journal of Social Work Practice.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kennedy, A. (2004, 5–11 December). Shambolic start for harm unit, The Independent Weekly, 1.Google Scholar
Legislative Council. (2014). Select committee on statutory child protection and care in South Australia. Adelaide: Parliament of South Australia.Google Scholar
Lock, J. (1997). The Aboriginal child placement principle. Sydney: New South Law Reform Commission.Google Scholar
Lovatt, H. (2003). What counts in recruiting and retaining good foster carers? Social support does! Paper presented at the Mackay Centre for Research on Community and Children's Services (CROCCS) Symposium “Protecting Children - What Counts?”, Airlie Beach.Google Scholar
Lovatt, H. (2004). A child protection system in review: the importance of personal/social support for foster carers. Paper presented at the Mackay Centre for Research on Community and Children's Services (CROCCS) International Conference, “Building Stronger Families”, Airlie Beach.Google Scholar
McDowall, J. J. (2013). Experiencing out of home care in Australia: The views of children and young people (CREATE Report Card 2013). Sydney: CREATE Foundation.Google Scholar
McHugh, M., & Pell, A. (2013). Reforming the foster care system in Australia. Melbourne: Berry Street.Google Scholar
Meekins, K. (2008). Red tape rape: The story of Ki Meekins. Adelaide: Self-published.Google Scholar
Milburn, C. (2002, 2 July). Foster care has its share of woes, The Age, 13.Google Scholar
Moore, S. (1991). Women caring for children at home: Challenges for family and child welfare practice. Children Australia, 21 (2), 3–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, L., Tarren-Sweeney, M., & France, K. (2011). Foster carer perceptions of support and training in the context of high burden of care. Child & Family Social Work, 16 (2), 149–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
New South Wales Department of Community Services. (2004). Research shows more foster carers needed [Press release].Google Scholar
Queensland Government Department of Child Safety. (2004). A blueprint for implementing the recommendations of the January 2004 crime and misconduct commission report, “Protecting children: An inquiry into the abuse of children in foster care”. Brisbane: Queensland Government.Google Scholar
Robertson, J., & Robertson, J. (1969). Young children in brief separation (Australian Government: Australian Institute of Family Studies. Child Care (June 2015 ed.). Ipswich, UK: Concord Films.Google Scholar
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. (2015a). Public hearing - case study 24 (Day 142). Sydney: Commonwealth Government of Australia.Google Scholar
Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. (2015b). Public hearing - case study 24 (Day 143). Sydney: Commonwealth Government of Australia.Google Scholar
Rubin, D. M., O’Reilly, A. L. R., Luan, X., & Localio, A. R. (2007). The impact of placement stability on behavioral well-being for children in foster care. Pediatrics, 119 (2), 336–344.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scott, D., & Higgins, D. (2011). Supporting families. In Northern Territory emergency response evaluation report 2011 (pp. 245–291). Canberra: Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.Google Scholar
Senate Committee Report: Community Affairs References Committee. (2004). Forgotten Australians: A report on Australians who experienced institutional or out of home care as children. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.Google Scholar
Sinclair, I., Gibbs, I., & Wilson, K. (2004). Foster carers: Why they stay and why they leave. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.Google Scholar
Smith, B. (2004). President's report. foster care reporter issue 315. Brisbane: Foster Care Queensland.Google Scholar
Spence, C. H. (1907). State children in Australia: The history of boarding out and its developments. Adelaide: Vardon & Sons.Google Scholar
Thorpe, R. (2003). Foster care research in Australia: Can we count on making a difference to policy and practice for families and children? Paper presented at the Mackay Centre for Research on Community and Children's Services (CROCCS) Symposium “Protecting Children - What Counts?”, Airlie Beach.Google Scholar
Thorpe, R. (2004). You have to be crackers: Worker and carer experiences in the foster care system. Paper presented at the National Foster Care Conference ‘Walking Together: People, Policy and Practice, Canberra.Google Scholar
Vardon, C. (2004). The Territory as parent: review of the safety of children in care in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and of ACT child protection management. Canberra: ACT Government.Google Scholar
Whenan, R., Oxlad, M., & Lushington, K. (2009). Factors associated with foster carer well-being, satisfaction and intention to continue providing out-of-home care. Children and Youth Services Review, 31 (7), 752–760.Google Scholar