Racial Matching in Fostering

Download or read book Racial Matching in Fostering written by Penny J. Rhodes and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is essentially and ethnographic case study of one London borough's response to the changing ideas about the placement of black children in substitute family care away from the old colour-blind approach towards an acceptance of the importance of 'racial' and cultural identity and the desirability of 'matched' placements. This change had two consequences; first, a need to recruit more black families and, second, a commitment to providing a 'more ethnically sensitive service'. This study looks at how new policy was developed and implemented and, in particular, how 'good' practice of the past came to be regarded as malpractice in the present and the tensions and conflicts which ensued. The recruitment and selection procedure for new foster parents is viewed as an interactive process in which applicants are active participants rather than simply passive objects.