Baginsky, Mary og Gorin, Sarah | Sands, Claire
The review was commissioned to inform the national ‘stocktake’ of fostering announced by the government in 2016. It brings together quantitative and qualitative research to contribute to an overview of the fostering system. The review was undertaken from December 2016 to February 2017 and used a rapid ‘scoping’ approach of published and grey literature, as well as drawing on previous literature reviews. The primary focus was research conducted in England but there are few systematic reviews on effectiveness of interventions in fostering and relatively few large-scale studies. Existing research consists largely of small-scale, qualitative studies and literature reviews on specific topics. Studies conducted in other countries were also examined. Importing models and policies from other countries should always be done cautiously because of different demographic, social, cultural and legal systems, but the studies provide a wider base of evidence on which to draw. In addition, the review was supported by 23 interviews conducted with key individuals in the sector, including those working in local authorities and independent fostering agencies, research and umbrella bodies. These interviews provided a broader and contemporary perspective and a context for the literature. The timeframe did not allow us to interview foster carers or children but two individuals with considerable personal experience of fostering children and young people provided very useful comments on the review. We also drew on the expertise of a virtual advisory group.
270 s., utgitt av Department for Education i 2017.