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Making Kinship Care Work

Policy and practice developments need to be based on firm evidence about how well kinship care (that is, placements with relatives or friends) works and the services required to maintain these placements. The research reported by Elaine Farmer was based on case file reviews of 270 children, half in kin placements and half in non-kin foster care, and on interviews with a subsample of 32 kin carers, social workers, children and parents. The study found that while the children were remarkably similar in the two kinds of placement, kin carers, in contrast, were significantly more disadvantaged than stranger foster carers. They also faced more hostility from birth parents during contact. The children's outcomes in terms of placement quality and disruption in the two settings were also very similar. However, because kin carers persisted with very challenging children and yet received fewer services than stranger foster carers, they were more often under strain. This article compares the characteristics of carers and children in the two kinds of placement and examines the impact of the children on the kin carers and the strains they experienced. It also considers the services received and needed by kin carers and children. The implications for policy and practice are examined.