Contextual Dimensions of Fostering

Child welfare workers express criticism of the child-in-isolation model of child welfare practice. At the same time, however, they often persist with a “foster mother-in-isolation” model of fostering. The authors of this paper were conscious of an increasing interest in fostering by policy makers who however, often seemed to see little difference between the “staffing” implications of fostering and of family day care. This way of thinking about fostering is at odds with practitioner’s experience. A small scale empirical study was initiated which posed the question “Who are foster families”. The findings from this study make it clear that foster families have qualities and methods of functioning which become evident only when the foster family is understood as a whole and not merely as a foster mother who has connected to her various dependents beside the foster child. An appreciation that there are “foster families” and not just foster mothers actively engaged in the fostering process can make for more sensitive welfare policies and more appropriate service delivery models.