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Sharing the care: the qualities sought of social workers by foster carers
Author(s) -
; Fisher,
Gibbs,
Sinclair,
Rachel Wilson
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
child and family social work
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.912
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1365-2206
pISSN - 1356-7500
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2206.2000.00165.x
Subject(s) - foster care , social work , resource (disambiguation) , element (criminal law) , psychology , public relations , nursing , residential care , social psychology , medicine , political science , computer network , computer science , law
Given that foster carers are a scarce resource it is essential that every effort is made to retain their services. This paper considers the role played by social workers in this endeavour. The results reported here form part of larger study, involving seven local authorities, concerned with the wider issues of supporting foster placements. The paper describes the qualities sought of social workers by foster carers and discusses the relationship between these qualities and the likelihood that carers will continue fostering. It was found that carers are highly satisfied with the job of fostering, are committed to it and view social workers as a vital source of support. Promoting good relationships between social workers and foster carers is therefore an important element in any strategy that aims to retain good foster carers.