FC1 Relationships

[dazzla]

HI All!

Boy this FC1 is long and very challenging for me - I'm great at my role and all but the theory and written evidence is not my strong point!!..I'm struggling to find any kind of principle for the following:

"Explain the importance of foster carers developing and maintaining good relationships with birth families, carers and professionals"

I'm thinking something along the lines of:

To all be able to work together to support the child, support the parents - should the child be returned home, better sharing of important information - to get better support for the family and child. To show that we are all working united - for the child. To show that we all respect each other.

If this is the case - then I feel there isn't enough to meet the criteria and I cant find any kind of information that answers this question.



The next one relates to the above:
"Summarise circumstances that may impact on foster carers developing and maintaining relationships with birth families, carers and professionals"

This could be when parents are not willing to co-operate and share information. The foster carer or professional not sharing info and a breakdown in communication?

Again - this doesn't seem a lot to satisfy the question in my eyes??

[Ruthierhyme]

Foster carers are the link, the facilitator in continuing the relationship between child and parents, your role is immensely important as one aspect of your job is to help the child realise choices and to maintain a balanced view of the relationship they have with parents, family and extended networks so their self-image (concept of self) and identity remains positive and progressive.

There's excellent reading on this page http://fosteringandadoption.rip.org....birth-parents/


Caring and Parenting a Child with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties on amazon.co.uk


Page 16 of The Foster Care Standards guidance suggests evidence gathered by:

Evidence requirements

2.3a What is important about family and friends for children? Why is it important to maintain links with the child’s birth family?

2.3b Explain your role as a foster carer in helping a child or young person maintain contact with their family and friends in relation to someone you have looked after?
What do you do in relation to this? How would you support a child or young person where there was no parental contact or contact had a negative impact on the child?

and page 5 & 6 of the Contact Plan from Bath and North Somerset Council on Fosteringnetwork.org.uk

For children in long term placements including adoption, the contact may also assist in:

• Helping them to come to terms with the past.
• Providing an opportunity for the young person to gain more knowledge and understanding about their personal and family history.
• Helping them to maintain links with their race, religion and culture of origin - which may enhance their self esteem and identity.
• Linking their past and present.
• Enabling them to see their birth family acceptance of their carers and therefore reducing feelings of potential conflict.

For the birth family contact may assist in:

• Helping to ease their sense of loss.
• Maintaining relationships so that reunification remains a possibility.
• Assessing and developing parenting skills.
• Promoting sibling contact.

In long term placements contact may also help birth families through:

• Enabling them to come to terms with the new circumstances including acceptance of the carers.
• Enabling them to give the child a link with the past and reassurance.

For the carer contact may assist in:

• Providing reassurance for the child, reducing anxiety, fear of rejection and improving placement stability.
• Improving the carers’ understanding of the child’s birth family and providing information from the past which may assist in understanding current and future behaviour of the child.

In long term placements the contact may also assist carers in:

• Working with the child’s story throughout the course of childhood rather than closing off the child’s past.
• Encouraging discussion with the child and help them to understand the situation better.
• Allowing birth families to give carers permission to parent the child.
• Helping the carer to give the child a view of relationships which can change over time as circumstances change.

Page 8 goes on to look at practical considerations: eg. distance, time, if supervision is required, contact details, methods of contact, feelings towards the fostering process, strength of a foster carer's desire to keep children safe.

Hth, best wishes

[dazzla]

Again - I am indebted to you!! XX

[Ruthierhyme]

you're welcome x