Relative foster care : practice implications arising from the 1995 Relative and Foster Care Regulations

Abstract

This paper examines the history that led to two separate sets of kinship and foster care regulations, the difference and similarity between the regulations, and the implications arising out of the changed framework for kinship placements. It focusses particularly on the practice implications arising from emergency placement of children with relatives, and the process of conducting assessments when the child is already placed in the home. The article is drawn from the author’s PhD research study, which examines the evolution of relative care networks / placements, and the characteristics of the families and children involved in relative care in the Eastern Health Board.