Module 1: Context of Foster Care

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• Module 1 Context of Foster Care

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Module 1 Context of Foster Care

• Learning Outcomes
• At the end of this module participants will be
  able to
• Explain why children can require out-of-home care
  placements.
• Demonstrate knowledge of how children come into
  care and who is involved in decision making.
• Discuss an overview of the needs of children in
  care, and the roles and responsibilities of
  foster carers in meeting those needs.
• Identify the financial supports for foster
  carers.

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Module 1 Context of Foster Care

• Content
• 1. Why do you want to be a foster carer? What
  will be the impact on your own family and
  friends?
• 2. Why does a child or young person need an
  out-of-home care placement?
• 3. How do children and young people come into
  care and who makes decisions?
• 4. Roles and responsibilities of foster carers in
  meeting the needs of children and young people.
• 5. Financial supports.

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Why do you want to be a foster carer?

• 1. How did you hear about foster care?
• 2. Why did you think you wanted to do it?
• 3. Explain one quality you have that you think
  might help you be a carer.
• 4. What impact do you think fostering will have
  on your family and friends?

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Types of Abuse and Harm
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Types of Abuse and Harm
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Definition of Harm

• The Act (section 9) defines harm as, any
  detrimental effect of a significant nature on the
  childs physical, psychological or emotional
  wellbeing.
• The Child Protection Act 1999 (section 10)
  defines a child in need of protection as a
  child who
• a) has suffered harm, is suffering harm or is
  at unacceptable risk of suffering harm and
• b) does not have a parent able and willing to
  protect the child from harm.

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Trends

• Trends in the number of children on child
  protection orders, at 30 June 1997 to 30 June
  2005.
• At 30 June
• 1997 3,113
• 1998 3,233
• 1999 3,382
• 2000 3,459
• 2001 3,324
• 2002 3,569
• 2003 3,918
• 2004 4,502
• 2005 5,290

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Principles of the Child Protection Act 1999

• (1) This Act is to be administered under the
  principle that the
• welfare and best interests of the child
  are paramount.
• (2) Subject to subsection (1), this Act is
  also to be
• administered under the following
  principles
• (a) every child has a right to protection
  from harm
• (b) families have the primary responsibility
  for the upbringing, protection and
  development of their children
• (c) the preferred way of ensuring a childs
  well-being is through the support of the
  childs family

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• d) powers conferred under this Act should be
  exercised in a way that is open, fair and
  respects, the rights of people affected by
  their exercise, and in particular, in a way
  that ensures
• (i) actions taken, while in the best interests
  of the child, maintain family relationships and
  are supportive of individual rights and
  ethnic religious and cultural identity or
  values and
• (ii) the views of the child and the childs
  family are considered and
• (iii) the child and the childs parents have
  the opportunity to take part in making
  decisions affecting their lives

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• (e) if a child does not have a parent able and
  willing to protect the child, the State has a
  responsibility to protect the child, but in
  protecting the child the State must not take
  action that is unwarranted in the circumstances
• (f) if a child is removed from the childs
  family
• (i) the aim of authorised officers working
  with the child and the childs family is to
  safely return the child to the family if
  possible and
• (ii) the childs needs to maintain family and
  social contacts, and ethnic and cultural
  identity, must be taken into account
• (iii) in deciding in whose care the child
  should be placed, the chief executive must
  give proper consideration to placing the
  child, as a first option, with kin

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• (g) a child should be kept informed of
  matters affecting him
• or her in a way and to an extent that is
  appropriate,
• having regard to a childs age and ability
  to understand
• (h) if a child is able to form and express views
  about his or her care, the views must be given
  consideration, taking into account the childs
  age or ability to understand
• (i) if a child does not have a parent able and
  willing to give the child ongoing protection,
  the child has a right to long- term alternative
  care.

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
and young people

• In Queensland, as at 30 June 2005, there were
  5,290 children on child protection orders, 23 per
  cent of whom were identified as Aboriginal or
  Torres Strait Islander.

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Child Placement Principle

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
  in the care of the Department must be placed with
  culturally appropriate Aboriginal or Torres
  Strait Islander people as far as possible, or
  within an appropriate Aboriginal or Torres Strait
  Islander community. Indigenous communities must
  be consulted in making placement decisions.

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String Sculpture

• Players
• Tania (aged 11) Tyrone (aged 14)
• Foster carer couple and two children (aged 12)
  and (aged 9)
• Teacher
• Childrens mother and defacto
• Childrens natural father
• Team Leader and CSO
• Shared Family Care Coordinator and support
  worker
• Friends of children
• Relatives of children including Grandmother
• You can add players to involve the whole group

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String Sculpture

• Tania and Tyrone were removed from their parents
  3 months ago following concerns that there was
  significant domestic violence in the home.
  Neighbours had reported persistent violence and
  substance abuse. There had been ongoing Police
  involvement.
• The children had been cared for temporarily in a
  short term placement while departmental workers
  attempted to engage the mother and her defacto in
  discussions about the protective needs of the
  children. To date they have not acknowledged the
  impact of the abuse on the children and are
  unwilling to attend counselling or anger
  management.

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String Sculpture

• Last night the stepfather had been particularly
  violent and the mother has been admitted to
  hospital with significant head injuries.
• Tyrone is an aggressive boy who is also prone to
  violence. He is aggressive and scornful of his
  sister and does not relate well to females.
  Tania is quiet and timid and has lately been
  refusing to go to school.
• The children were placed with an older female
  carer who found Tyrones behaviour very
  difficult. In view of recent developments, a
  longer term placement will need to be found. The
  childrens father is wanting to care for them but
  he is often away on a fishing trawler. A
  grandmother has been contacted in Townsville and
  this will be explored as a placement.

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String Sculpture

• Today Tania and Tyrone are being re-located to
  new foster carers because their existing carer
  could no longer cope.
• How are people feeling in relation to the other
  players?
• How close are the players to the two young
  people?

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Assessment and Child Protection Orders

• Assessment orders are used
• during the initial assessment phase to authorise
  actions when consent cannot be obtained from a
  parent because
• The parent has refused to give their consent
• or
• The parent is unable to consent and consent is
  required to
• Complete the assessment
• or
• Ensure the childs safety while the assessment is
  completed.
• There are two types of assessment orders
• Temporary Assessment Order
• Court Assessment Order

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• Child Protection Orders are used when
• It has been decided that the child or young
  person is in need of protection and
• Ongoing intervention is necessary to meet the
  child or young persons protective needs and
• An order is needed for the intervention to occur,
  for example
• the child cannot remain safely with their family
• the family disagrees with the decision that
  ongoing intervention is required.

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Types of family based care placements

• The duration and purpose of placements vary
  according to the needs of the child or young
  person and their family.

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Intervention with Parental Agreement

• The Child Protection Act 1999 states that the
  preferred way for the Department to carry out
  actions is with the consent of the child or young
  persons parents. Therefore, in most cases when
  department staff decide that a child or young
  person needs to be placed out of their home to
  ensure they are safe, attempts are first made to
  gain the parents consent to this action.

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• Intervention with parental agreement enables the
  department to provide support and assistance to
  the family, where it is likely that the parents
  will be able to meet the protection needs of a
  child once the intervention is completed. It is
  generally of a short-term and intensive nature,
  and it is usual for the child to remain at home
  for all, or most of, the intervention period.
  Case planning includes the development of
  strategies to lessen the risk factors and enable
  the child to remain safely in the home.
• Intervention with parental agreement may also
  involve the provision of an out-of-home care
  placement under a care agreement. A care
  agreement is an agreement between the chief
  executive and the child's parents for the
  short-term placement of the child with an
  approved carer. There are 2 types of Care
  Agreements
• assessment care agreements and
• child protection care agreements.

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Short term placement

• Short term placements refer to the range of
  placements required for children and young people
  when the Department is actively working to return
  them home to their parents care. This includes
  the placement of children and young people
• subject to temporary assessment orders (up to
  three days)
• subject to court assessment orders (up to four
  weeks with the option of an extension for up to
  four weeks) and
• subject to short term child protection orders (up
  to two years).

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Long term placement

• long-term guardianship orders are sought when all
  other options for security and stability have
  been exhausted (but are revokable if
  circumstances change)
• a decision about seeking a long-term guardianship
  order can only occur after a period of
  collaborative planning and work with the family
  to resolve the child or young persons protective
  needs.
• Usually the Department is no longer working to
  return the child to their parents care, although
  important connections should be maintained.
• Long term orders expire the day before the child
  or young persons 18th birthday.

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Emergency placement

• Emergency placement refers to the placement of
  children and young people with minimal planning
  in a crisis situation. These placements are
  for children and young people with protective
  needs who may or may not be subject to a court
  order. Emergency placements are an interim
  measure until a longer-term placement option is
  located, or the child or young person returns
  home.
• Emergency placements are likely to be required
  when
• a child or young persons foster placement breaks
  down suddenly
• a family with whom the Department is working
  with, unexpectedly requires a placement.

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Respite care

• Respite care is a short placement with an
  approved carer for children and young people
  subject to an order (usually a Child Protection
  Order) away from their primary carer. Respite
  care is provided as a support service to the
  primary carer. The child or young person returns
  to their primary carer after the period of
  respite.
• For some children and young people, particularly
  those with special needs, respite may be a
  regular occurrence. For others, it may be an
  option used only occasionally. The use of
  respite care should be part of an approved case
  plan, negotiated between the carer, the
  Department and where applicable, the foster and
  kinship care service or Indigenous Recognised
  Entity.

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Pre-adoptive care

• A small number of foster carers in Queensland
  have additional training to care for children
  prior to the finalisation of their adoption.
  Very few of these placements occur each year.
  Pre-adoptive carers must abide by strict
  confidentiality requirements of the Adoption of
  Children Act 1964 relating to children who are
  being adopted.

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Childs strengths and needs assessment domains

• Foster carers will participate in case planning
  to meet the following needs
• Behaviour
• Emotional stability
• Alcohol and drug use
• Family of origin relationships
• Social relationships
• Cultural identity
• Physical health
• Child development and intellectual ability
• Education / vocation / employment
• Additional child identified strength / need
• Life skills
• Relationship with carer family

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Charter of Rights for a Child in Care

• The Child Protection Act (Schedule 1 - Charter
  of Rights for a Child in Care) establishes the
  following rights for the child or young person-
• (a) to be provided with a safe and stable
  living environment
• (b) to be placed in care that best meets the
  childs needs and is most culturally
  appropriate
• (c) to maintain relationships with the childs
  family and community
• (d) to be consulted about, and to take part in
  making, decisions affecting the childs life
  (having regard to the childs age or ability
  to understand), particularly decisions
  about where the child is living, contact with
  the childs family and the childs health
  and schooling

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• (e) to be given information about decisions and
  plans concerning the childs future and
  personal history, having regard to the childs
  age or ability to understand
• (f) to privacy, including, for example, in
  relation to the childs personal information
• (g) if the child is under the long-term
  guardianship of the chief executive, to regular
  review of the childs care arrangements
• (h) to have access to dental, medical and
  therapeutic services, necessary to meet the
  childs needs

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• (i) to have access to education appropriate to
  the childs age and development
• (j) to have access to job training opportunities
  and help in finding appropriate employment
• (k) to receive appropriate help with the
  transition from being a child in care to
  independence, including, for example, help about
  housing, access to income support and training
  and education.

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Activity

• If your own child, or a child who is special to
  you (niece, nephew or child of close friend) had
  to live with someone else for a period of time
• 1. What would you expect the carer to provide
  for your child?
• 2. How would you as a family expect to interact
  with that child while they were being cared for
  by someone else?
• 3. What decisions would you be happy to let the
  carer make and what would you like to retain
  control over?