A guide to undertaking direct work for social workers, foster carers and adoptive parents
Written by Mary Romaine with Tricia Turley and Non Tuckey
Price: £14.95
BAAF, January 2007
ISBN 978 1 905664 07 8
Children being placed with new permanent families are often contending with moves from poorly understood pasts to what may be very different but equally unknown futures. As they move to an adoptive family they are likely to experience a range of intense, perhaps conflicting, emotions. Their early years in foster placements may have had a profound impact on how they regard family life. They are bound to have many questions – how safe will the new family be? What does love and care mean in this family? How can I best survive there? What will happen to people in my first family? Will I ever see them again? What ill these new people think of me?
Preparing children for permanence is a resource for social workers and others who are planning, undertaking and evaluating direct work with looked after children for whom a permanent placement is being planned. Foster carers who are helping children to move on, or with whom the children continue to live, will also find this a useful resource, as will adoptive parents who can help support their children by continuing the work that has already begun.
A variety of activities to use in direct work are described throughout, supported by case studies. They can be freely adapted for use with younger or older children. Topics covered include: the definition and legal forms of permanence; establishing a relationship with the child and preparing for direct work; planning and managing sessions; child protection issues and communicating with children; helping children develop positive identity and build resilience; ascertaining children’s wishes and feelings; helping children with separation and loss; and introduction and moves to a new family.
Planned and focused direct work with children is an essential and integral part of planning for permanence for children – it is not an optional extra, it is a fundamental.
This guide was initially written as part of a commission for the Welsh Assembly Government. It was distributed to all local authorities in Wales in 2005. This edition is a revised version and has been made relevant and applicable to all parts of the UK.
