Issues in Kinship Care : assessment and support in Dutch kinship foster care Flexus Foster Care Rotterdam

1. Issues in Kinship Care : assessment and support in Dutch kinship foster careFlexus Foster Care Rotterdam

2. Outline Perspectives Context of Dutch foster care Flexus Practice issues Training: questions and needs Future developments

3. Context: Dutch Foster Care 28 Foster Care Facilities Local organization (15 regions) 2007: 20591 children in DutchFoster Care,of whom > 33 % in kinship care ? City regions up to 80% in kinship care

4. Flexus Foster care Rotterdam Region Multicultural society Up to 80% kinship care placements Different procedure for acceptance ?Need for strengthening assessment and support in kinship care Training and development (2006 ongoing)

5. Perspectives: conflicts of interest? Family perspective ? child perspective? Short term solution ? long term solution Freedom of choice ? responsibility for child safety and well being Foster care facility ? family

6. Statistics and research findings Is there a difference between kinship and regular foster care ? (Strijker, Zandberg &vd Meulen, 2001; Broad, 2001; Calder & Talbot, 2005) Defining the children�s needs in regard to fostering

7. Practice issues Routes into kinship care Double parenthood & contact issues Formal requirements & practical pitfalls Timing Knowledge & skills Transparency

8. Bring in the theory: evidence base! Child development theory Decision making framework Parenting capacities Risk and protective factors Risk assessment ? Transparency

9. Honour good practices: practice base! Evaluate good practices Make implicite practical knowledge explicit Raise awareness (e.g personal reference points) Find anchor point in existing procedures to improve practice

10. Professional intuition:human factor! (Munro,2002) Formal knowledge: Evidence Base Work experience : Practice Base Emotional wisdom Values: Value Base Reasoning skills ? Human elements need to be honoured

11. Framework (DoH, 2000)

12. Adapted for kinship care (Calder & Talbot, 2006)

13. Assessment: what do children need from their foster care workers? Sound theoretical basis -> tools Decision making framework Honouring the human element Transparent choices Ongoing training and supervision Monitoring by research

14. Risk issues: good enough?

15. Risk evaluation:an example (Turnell & Edwards, 1999)

16.  �Child protection work makes heavy demands on reasoning skills. With an issue as important as children�s welfare, it is vital to have the best standard of thinking that is humanly possible. Mistakes are costly to the child and the family. Overestimating the danger is as harmful as underestimating it� Munro (2002, p. 161)

17. Training Adressing the knowledge, skills and personal base of foster care work Introducing tools (SoS, decision threshold, intuitive reasoning, risk assessment instruments) Education permanente (1 - 2 * each year)

18. Evaluation by Flexus workers (n=40) Training and tools were evaluated positively Increased sense of professionalism Increased transparency in decision making

19. Future directions Monitoring and feedback Need for more training on Cultural sensitivity Good enough parenting Risk evaluation instruments New training planned (fall 2008)

20. References Meer lezen.... Berge, I.J. ten & Bakker, A. (2005). Veilig Thuis? Utrecht: NIZW Berge, I.J. ten, & Vinke, A. (2006 � in press). Methodiek en hulpmiddelen ORBA, Onderzoek Risicotaxatie Besluitvorming AMK�s. Utrecht/Woerden: NIZW/Adviesbureau Van Montfoort. Broad, B. (2006). Some advantages and disadvantages of kinship care: a view from research. In : C. Talbot & M.C. Calder. Assessment in Kinship Care. Dorset: Russell House Publishing. Dalgleish, L.I. (1997). Risk assessment and decision making in child protection. Brisbane, Australia: The University of Queensland, Department of Psychology. Munro, E. (2002). Effective child protection. London: Sage. Pas, A. van der (2006, 4e dr.). Naar een psychologie van het ouderschap. Handboek methodische ouderbegeleiding, deel 2. Utrecht: SWP

21. References Turnell A., & Edwards, S. (1999). Signs of Safety. A solution and safety oriented approach to child protection casework. New York/London: W.W. Norton. Talbot, C. &. Calder (2006). Assessment in Kinship Care. Dorset: Russell House Publishing. Talbot, C. (2006). Kinship Care: the Research Evidence. In : C. Talbot & M.C. Calder. Assessment in Kinship Care. Dorset: Russell House Publishing. Vinke, J.G. (1999). Geschikt voor het adoptiefouderschap? De ontwikkeling en het gebruik van een taxatie-instrument voor gezinsfunctioneren met het oog op interlandelijke adoptie. Delft: Eburon. Vinke, J.G. & Mortel, M. vd. (2003) Methodisch bronnenboek Netwerkverkenning. Utrecht/ Woerden: VvP de Rading / Adviesbureau Van Montfoort. Vinke J.G. (2004). Methodisch bronnenboek Van Huis Naar Thuis - hulpverleningsvariant pleegzorg. Utrecht/ Woerden: VvP de Rading / Adviesbureau Van Montfoort. Scripties via: http://ppswmm.ppsw.rug.nl/~strijker/

22. Acknowledgments Flexus Foster Care Rotterdam Leiden University ADOC www.adoptionresearch.nl