Surviving the System as a Foster Carer

The foster care system in Britain is under pressure, with local authorities finding it difficult to offer sufficient placement choice to looked after children, so the retention of existing foster carers is vital. Foster carers' dissatisfaction with the attitude and support offered by social services has been linked to their premature departure from fostering. Flora Maclay, Maureen Bunce and David G Purves explore the quality of the relationship between foster carers and local authority social workers and how it develops. From interviews with foster carers, four principle themes emerged: foster carers often feel under-supported and undervalued; independent networking acts as a survival mechanism; foster carers become more assertive with social workers over time; and some carers are able to manage the system whereas others become dragged into draining conflict. A model tracing the evolution of the relationship that foster carers have with social workers, from entry into the service to departure, is proposed to explain the existing levels of conflict. Recommendations for change within the system are suggested.