films every foster carer should watch

[maypole1]

hay everyone just thought it would be nice it we could add some films and books that you all thought were really good in athe area of social care.

here are two of my suggestions you might have to cut and paste the links though

Sounds like a good idea Maypole but I suppose it depends what area of social care you are interested in. The British Agencies for Fostering & Adoption (BAAF) have a great many paperbacks, booklets etc on almost any topic involving fostering & adoption. If you are a member you get some free on a quarterly basis. Don't know how much membership costs as we got ours free when I was workingin a LA. In fact I had a big clear out the other day and found loads of their quarterly booklets and gave them to a charity shop. Not sure if Fostering Networks has anything interesting or Adoption UK ut worth a try.

I always used to take the film on video "Ladybird Ladybird" to prospective foster carers as it deals with the natural parents side of things, which is so often overlooked. Don't know whether you can still get it, but it might be worth having a look on Amazon. Wish I'd kept all my BAAF Journals and I could have sent them to you - doh! Only gave them to charity shop last week - could go in and see if they are still there and buy them back!

Hope you get some good ideas from other MNetters

i was more thinking about true life stories that had been made into films or books.
about social workers or children in care Rabbit proof fence is another good one.

Well I think 'Meet the Robinsons' is great

(I know, I know - it's not real life!)

But it is a about a child waiting and waiting for a forever family and then getting one.

Think a good film to watch would be "Oranges and Sunshine" - it came out on general release on 1st April. It is a film based on the book written by Margaret Humphreys. She is a social worker in Nottingham and some years ago uncovered the scandal of the Child Migrant Trust, when children in children's homes in the UK between 1920 and 1960 were sent to Australia to live, and many of them were ill treated and used as cheap labour on building sites. Margaret's book is called "Empty Cradles" which tells the story of these children who were actually stolen from their parents. The parents had no idea of what was happening and the children were told their parents were dead. This was done with the knowledge of the state and childrens homes such as Barnardoes. If you read "Empty Cradles" you'll need a box of tissues handy and I'm sure the film will be just as harrowing.

sounds good have you read a pice of cake by cip cake brown i was blubblering like a baby the whole way through what a read.

No not read that Maypole. Is it one of those "misery memoirs" cus I tend to steer clear of those. Suppose it is because I have known and seen the effects of so many miserable lives through my sw career. Also there has been some conflict about the truth of some of the accounts of abusive childhoods. I did read "Angela's Ashes" an autobiography by Frank McCourt but then another brother protested that it wasn't true and Frank had made a lot of it up to make money. But then you never know the truth do you

Have seen Oranges and Sunshine, it is very moving and mainly centres around the very basic needs of adults wanting to know something about their Mother.
Horrific stories, but interesting and fantastic work by the social worker.

I have read one "misery memoir" about a child who was abused by his foster carer. It was interesting to try to understand how, despite the dreadful things she did to him, he still loved her and tried to please her. "Child C" was written by Christopher Spry who was looked after by Eunice Spry, I think she may still be serving her prison sentence out.

I know a lot of people hate them but it really dose help me understand in a persons own words the pain, for me its no good saying I can imagine or here a 3 rd hand version from ss.

It also helps me see from a childs view what as a foster carer I can do

The kid By nick Moran really shows how the teacher and the foster care really changed his life

Fostering. Yes I have read the book by Christopher Spry. I have also read the book by Aloma Gilbert. This is the foster sister he refers to when they were both living with Eunice Spry. Absolutely unbelievable how a foster carer could treat children. Why on earth would a person want to foster children only to abuse them??? Prison is too good for the likes of Eunice Spry.

I totally agree, but can't for the life of me understand how she got away with it for all those years !!!

Well how do the parents get away with it so long the mind boggles

For sure parents get away with stuff but foster carers have monthly visits from social services and looked after children should have access to social workers alone without their carers.

One to watch - A home for Maisie, tonight at 9pm BBC2