doi.org/10.1017/S1035077200005769
Article type: Original Research
1 January 2003
Volume 28 Issue 4
doi.org/10.1017/S1035077200005769
Article type: Original Research
1 January 2003
Volume 28 Issue 4
![]()
Challenges posed by kinship care: A study focussing on New South Wales
Leonie Gibbons1
Jan Mason2
Affiliations
1 College of Social and Health Sciences, University of Western Sydney, Penrith South DC, l.gibbons@uws.edu.au
2 Social Justice and Social Change Research Centre, University of Western Sydney, Penrith South DC, jan.mason@uws.edu.au
Contributions
Leonie Gibbons -
Jan Mason -
Leonie Gibbons1
Jan Mason2
Affiliations
1 College of Social and Health Sciences, University of Western Sydney, Penrith South DC, l.gibbons@uws.edu.au
2 Social Justice and Social Change Research Centre, University of Western Sydney, Penrith South DC, jan.mason@uws.edu.au
CITATION: Gibbons L., & Mason J. (2003). Challenges posed by kinship care: A study focussing on New South Wales. Children Australia, 28(4), 1466. doi.org/10.1017/S1035077200005769
Abstract
Kinship care as a formal placement option has been steadily increasing over recent years, particularly in New South Wales. This paper draws on a report of research on kinship care in New South Wales, in which the two authors participated (Mason et al, 2002). In conducting the research, qualitative and quantitative methods were used to explore both ‘top down’ perspectives (from policy documents and statistics) and ‘bottom up’ perspectives (from child protection practitioners and those who experience policy as service recipients – kinship carers, young people in kinship care and parents of children in kinship care).
In this paper we briefly outline the research and discuss findings relating to definitions of kinship care, the extent of kinship care in NSW, decision making around the placement of children in kinship care, reasons given by participants for kinship care, and support for carers.