Foster Carers needed for online survey!

[LucyArmstrong]

Dear mumsnet members, I am a Clinical Psychologist in Training and Researcher at the University of Bath. I am conducting an anonymous online research survey to better understand the difficulties and needs of Foster Carers.

We know that higher carer resilience means positive care for children, and carers’ ability to continue to offer high quality placements over a longer period. Carers with at least one foster child currently aged 4-12 years are invited to take part.

By taking part in the project you will be able to select a charity of your choice and researchers will make a donation on your behalf.

For more information and to complete the 20 min survey please go to: bathpsychology.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_82DrV8sTpLpKpOB. We are also on Facebook and Twitter (@fosterresearch)

Thank you so much for your time.

I disagree that "higher carer resilience means positive care for children". I believe that the greatest skills that foster carers can bring to the foster children is empathy, love, acceptance, safety and kindness.

"Resilience" implies strength vs weakness. Often a foster carer's "resilience" is eroded by a lack of support from social services, and sometimes even direct opposition and hostility towards the foster carer and their family. Parental responsibilty remains with social services so often foster carers have little wiggle room and must work under direction of the SW's.

You are oversimplifying a complex relationship between social services, foster carers, birth families and fostered children. In fact, by putting the onus on foster carer's "resilience" you are loading the question too heavily towards whether foster carers pass or fail in terms of "resilience".

Good luck with the research though.