childcare-50years

7. Fostering is now used for children with a wider spectrum of needs
and more complex needs than would have been thought possible
50 years ago.
The way ahead
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Changes in society in terms of the family and rising thresholds for
admission to care result in children entering public care with a range
of complex needs. Foster care as a result is now dealing with children
and young people who need both emotional nurturing and
therapeutic help. This has implications in terms of:
• the selection, recruitment and retention of foster carers;
• the training and support of foster carers;
• the remuneration of foster carers for the tasks they undertake;
and
• providing a legislative basis to support/underpin fostering
situations which are "quasi-adoption" situations.
Changes in family structure and working practices are, however,
occurring in society; the effect of which is reducing the potential
supply of foster carers. In Northern Ireland, as in the rest of Great
Britain there is, therefore, a need to recruit more carers and to retain
them within the service.
The United Kingdom National Standards for Foster Care and the Code
of Practice creates a basis for promoting high standards of practice in
foster care. The current audit being undertaken within HSS Trusts
against the National Standards will provide an update on fostering
services, which will enable a policy reappraisal. This in conjunction
with the publication of a children's strategy for Northern Ireland will
set the future agenda for foster care taking account of the needs of
children, their parents and their carers.
50 YEARS OF CHILD CARE IN NORTHERN IRELAND
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