Being Fostered: Children’s Views and Experiences

Presentation by Annabel GoodyerThe Institute of Education, London University& London South Bank University

Overview of presentation

Overview of research study

How I did it: the methods

Theoretical approaches

What I found: findings of the research project

Practice & research implications

What?

This study is a research project undertaken for my doctoral studies.

It aims to reach understandings about fostering that are largely informed from the perspective of children who are fostered

I conducted a small-scale qualitative study, using three different research methods

The Methods

An electronic survey concerning foster children’s

perspectives on being part of a different family

Interviews with 24 foster children, from two different

local authorities

A discussion group with young people leaving care,

to reflect on the findings

Research approach

Take into account that the researcher is an adult whose perspectives are shaped by that status.

This is not therefore a child-led study, but one that recognises that the research is not an equal partnership with the participant children.

The research strategy therefore draws on methods that attempt to minimise the power differentials between adult researchers and child participants.

Researching with children

Acknowledge that children and young people can

find adult-centric communication modes intimidating:

Use of complex language, control of timings, venue,

privacy

Stranger danger or being adult adversive

Followed strategies outlined by Punch, S (2002) and

Christensen, P (2000)

Theoretical Approach 1

Much of the existing knowledge-base of fostering is based on proxy or reflective accounts of adults and understood through the lens of attachment theory

Sociology of Childhood: that children are

active in forming relationships within their

foster families & NOT passive recipients

Theoretical Approach 2

Children’s Right’s Agenda: that fostered children

can make a significant contribution to current

understandings about fostering

Anti Discriminatory Practice: that adopting methods

of communication which children can use on a more

equal footing will reduce the adult : child power

differentials.

Why an Electronic Survey?

It’s a child-friendly medium

Potentially a good way of contacting research

respondents.

Data is already in electronic form, avoids need to

transcribe prior to analysis

In Summary: It’s quick, cheap & easy! (Payne &

Payne 2004)

The interviews

22 children were interviewed, from 2 local authorities

Local authority A: A suburban/ part rural , outer London Borough

Local authority B: An inner London Borough The interviews generated most of the data

The discussion group

The role of the discussion group was to validate the findings from the interviews, and to some extent from the electronic survey, as a form of validation.

The aim was to explore with a group of young looked after people, whether or not the experiences from the interviews and the electronic survey are shared more widely amongst young people in the care system.

Broadly speaking, asking them to add anything that might have been misunderstood or missed.

Sampling for the interviews: 22 respondents from 2 local authorities

Gender 7 boys 15 girls Ethnicity 3 Black

1 Mixed18 White

Age range 9-17 (6 were aged 11 5 were aged 13 3 were aged 14)

Sampling contd.

For the survey :23 respondents, from a voluntary agency website 14 girls and 9 boys Age range 11-17 Ethnicity (self description) 18 white, 4 mixed, 1 ‘other’

For the discussion group, from a care-leavers group 4 young people participated

1 male, 3 female1 black, 3 mixedAge range 17-32

3 Distinct Chunks of Data

About moving About living with a foster family About being a looked after child, recipient of

public welfare

5 key themes about moving

the process of being moved to a new foster home

information about the new foster home, the emotions connected with moving, starting over & loss of people, community,

networks and possessions, the strategies and skills involved in moving.

Themes about moving

New Start

‘it’s a good chance to get away from the bad things in your life’

‘got to start all over again’

‘if your life was bad, it’s good to get out of it and start afresh’

Moving: Being taken

Daniel, aged 11, had similarly experienced a sudden move

‘No, it was decided on the day, I was supposed to be here for two weeks but it turned into long-term…[..] The social worker decided, then the social worker had to rush of to another meeting so Chris, it was a man called Chris, I can’t remember his second name, just took me’.

Moving: Being taken

Beatrice, aged 12, talked about leaving her mother and siblings, the previous year;

‘they just came to school and took me. They just took me.’

Interviewer: Were you a bit cross about that?Beatrice ‘No, just upset. Very. Yes, that was

Sandra (social worker), really strange, really upset’

Moving: Catherine, aged 13

‘I didn’t even know I was coming here. I’ve been here a week.

…..I come home one night and seen my bags sitting in the hall and she just said ‘you’re moving’ like….and so they just sent me off, and I went...things weren’t going too well…’

key themes about foster families

belonging, carer’s characteristics, provision difference

11 year old Kylie on her carer’s characteristics

‘But I like auntie Rhonda, she makes me feel comfortable (..). she listens to me…she listens to what I have to say too and if she ever thinks it isn’t true…if she thinks I’m telling a lie …she knows when I’m telling a lie and she knows when I’m not telling a lie and she loves me always and her family’s just so nice (…) they help me with my learning, they find out things for me….and they talk to me when I get confused .. she explains to me in a kind way, she explains it step by step...well she says my mum is ill, she’s under tension and she’s still not recovered from her illness…’.

Belonging

Not Belonging

‘don’t feel wanted, feel pushed out like’

‘not everyone wants another family, but you don’t have a choice. they didn’t trust me to be alone in the house, I didn’t have a key’

Beatrice aged 12 ‘I’m not at home. Not in my own home. Missing my mum and my sister and all that. You haven’t got your own family around and they (carers) don’t kiss and cuddle you and that’

Belonging

Belonging17 year old Carl ‘Whilst I lived there, I was part

of their family, they did their job well.’16 year old Veronica ‘Just my mum and dad,

fostering, people in the house and my aunties and uncles know (that I am fostered), but they all treat me as if I’m the same. I’d rather people didn’t know. ‘Cos they really treat me as their daughter’.

Key themes about being looked after

Social workers School The fostering system Suggested improvements to fostering

Seventeen year old Matthew

Interviewer: Is there anything that could be done to make fostering better for children?

Matthew: Yeah, Get some proper social workers, ‘cos half the time they just fuck you up. Say you need something, just like your national insurance number, they’re just so slow, like.

Eleven year old Arthur explains his social worker’s rules

‘ First of all the telly. The telly rules my life, doesn’t it? The social worker says I can only have an hour a day, I’m not allowed my telly and the playstation the same day, only one hour, telly or playstation and I get into moods sometimes. And I get a bit bored with reading and I get frustrated and I go on and on. It’s the same with the mobile. My aunt did buy me one, but I got it taken away from me. I said if they was, if I was allowed one now, I wouldn’t have their number (birth relatives). Yeah, and that boy Zack, he rang me a few times and I couldn’t ring him back.’

Social Workers: 14 year old Ursulla

Ursulla: The social worker should come and visit you more often. And when they say they’ll do something and they don’t. I know their job is hard, but it’s hard for the child as well, so the social worker should do their job properly.

Interviewer: How Often? Ursulla: Well, not all children are the same, but about

every two weeks. And CALL, just call the child.

References

Alderson, P. & Morrow, V. (2004 ) Ethics, social research and consulting with children and young people, Barkingside, Barnardo’s

Christensen,P. & James, A. (2000) chapter Childhood Diversity and Communality in Christensen, P & James,A. ed Research with Children London, Falmer

Mayal, B, (2002) Towards a Sociology for Childhood, Maidenhead OUP

Nutt, L. 2006 The lives of foster carers: Private sacrifices, public restrictions,, Abingdon, Routledge,

Punch, S. 2002 Research with Children: The same or different from Research with Adults? In Childhood (9) 321-341