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Article: Supporting informal kinship care.(Report)
- Article from:
- Adoption & Fostering
- Article date:
- June 22, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 British Association for Adoption & Fostering. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Background
When children cannot remain with their parents, the Children Act 1989 encourages local authorities to place them with a relative, friend or other suitable person, unless that would not be reasonably practicable or consistent with their welfare (section 23(6)(b)). The Government has expressed a preference for kinship care in such circumstances, claiming that this is 'much better for most children than entering care' (Department for Education and Skills, 2006a). This assertion is supported by research which has found that kinship care arrangements are more stable than placements with unrelated foster carers and that kin carers show greater commitment to ...