The Assessment Process (Part 5)
Could you foster Johnny?
We are looking for foster carers for Johnny. Could you be his new foster carers? Why not find out more?
8. Examine your attitudes to Britain as a multicultural and multiracial society
How is your understanding of it reflected in your present lifestyle? How can children be educated to take a positive view of such a society? What impact can discrimination have on a child, and what understanding do children already in the household have of discrimination?
9. Outline your parenting abilities.
You are asked for a description of your experience of caring for or working with children. What is your understanding of child development, and of how children in foster care might be affected by early experiences? What are your own childhood experiences? In what way would you do things differently to your parents, how flexible would you be in your approach to caring for a foster child? How will you ensure the protection of any child from physical or sexual abuse? You are then asked about behaviour management. What are the rules of the house, how are approval and disapproval shown, and what effect could these methods have on an abused or neglected child? Finally, how would you cope with a child from a different culture or ethnic background, or with a different religion or language? What changes would be necessary in your lifestyle, what difficulties could the child, the existing family and the wider support network face, and what practical experiences do you have that might help you to resolve these?
10. Outline financial and other support that you might need.
What are your attitudes towards money; will you give up paid employment (where applicable); and if so, how will you cope with the loss of income? Who will undertake childcare ?
11. Outline various placement and post-placement considerations.
What understanding do you have of the effects of loss and poor attachment upon a child?
What is your understanding of behavioural difficulties, and what behavioural difficulties would you find it difficult to
cope with - for example, bed-wetting, over-affection, or aggression?
What effect is being fostered likely to have on a child's identity? Do you understand that some black or ethnic minority
children might grow up with a negative self-image if fostered by carers
of a different race and culture?
Could you care for a child who has been sexually abused, and would you have difficulties in coping with sexualised behaviour
resulting from such abuse? How would other children in the family
react to such behaviour?
How do you view emerging sexuality in adolescence, and how would you ensure an appropriate sexual education?
How do you view adolescent experimentation - for example, with
drink and drugs - and what areas of possible difficulty can you foresee both for yourself and for the foster child?
Where applicable, depending on the type of child it is suitable for you to foster, what understanding do you have of possible
issues surrounding the health of a child placed with you, and what
is your likely ability to cope with those issues - for example, how would you cope with fostering a child with a life-threatening
disease?
Do you feel able to meet the needs of a physically impaired child, or a child with learning difficulties, what
local resources
are available to you, and what help are you likely to require
(for example, adaptations to your accommodation)?
What understanding do you have of the emotional and sexual needs of such a young person?
What is your understanding of possible reasons why children become 'looked after' (taken into care) - for example, parental
poverty/physical immaturity/drug abuse/depression etc.?
How far do you acknowledge the importance to a child of being able to understand their past and of maintaining positive links with parents, and will
you be able to facilitate such links - for example, by
encouraging the child to maintain contact with their family, exchange letters and photographs, keep in phone contact?
12. Describe post placement support
What support does the agency offer, and do you know how to access that support or any other resources? What consideration has been given to 'disruption' (the foster care placement breaking down) and the effect on those concerned.
More information on foster carer assessment is on the next page.
