A critical analysis of kinship care to inform social work policy and practice.

当儿童的主要照顾者，通常是亲生父母，无法照顾他们时，儿童被安置在亲属照顾安排中。然后，他们由亲戚或非亲属的大家庭成员照顾。其中许多儿童由于遭受虐待或忽视而通过社会工作干预被安置在安排中。虽然确切的数字是未知的，2011年全国人口普查数据表明，有153,000名儿童生活在亲属照顾在England.Literature回顾显示，研究一直是模糊和矛盾的好处亲属照顾非亲属寄养。这造成了矛盾的专业态度，但亲属照顾的政策偏好已经看到了显着增加在英国的亲属关系安排在过去10年。此外，最近的数据表明，这些照顾者中有51%是祖父母，通常是单身女性，属于少数民族群体，其中许多人生活贫困和/或有健康问题。因此，至关重要的是，亲属照顾的研究是至关重要的，并放置在社会历史和政治context.While元分析提供了一些洞察亲属照顾的好处，它承认，它是无法探索潜在的动态或调查的生活经验的儿童。还没有一项研究专门做过这些事情。通过利用批判现实主义的方法，将实现具体的亲属护理安置的更深入的了解。以儿童的声音为中心的个案研究探索将研究亲属照顾的基本机制、背景和好处，以产生可转移的结果。想法、“理论”和实践可以在不同的背景下与不同的利益攸关方一起使用，以提供儿童自己认为有益的结果。这将有助于了解在这种安排中，哪些类型的支持和干预措施有助于儿童，从而为政策和实践提供明确的建议。通过以儿童的声音为重点，通过倾听他们的独特经历，我们可以开始从受影响最严重的人的角度来理解各种形式的亲属照顾。因此，拟议的研究将儿童作为核心参与者，确保他们的意见为最终影响其生活和福祉的调查结果和建议提供信息。使用示范性行动研究（PAR）的方法将给予儿童适当的社会机构和权力。虽然PAR和批判现实主义方法论在社会工作研究的其他领域已被证明是有效的，但这将是它们首次用于亲属护理研究。两个领先的组织CoramBAAF和Grandparents Plus将在研究中合作。他们都将提供访问独特的信息，统计数据和民意调查，以及未发表的工具和研究。与苏塞克斯大学沿着，这两个合作组织处于有利地位，以确保通过访问会议，国家简报，出版物，研讨会和专业团体的研究结果的传播。这两项研究还将提供与政府咨询小组接触的机会，以确保对国家政策产生影响。这项令人兴奋的、创新的和开拓性的研究将更清楚地了解什么类型的亲属照料情况需要什么类型的支持来帮助儿童的福祉。通过批判性和反思性的分析，它将提供在合作组织的协助下传播的调查结果，并将指导从业者和政策制定者改善生活。

Children are placed in kinship care arrangements when their primary carers, usually birth parents, are unable to care for them. They then become looked after by their relatives or non-related extended family members. Many of these children have been placed in the arrangements through Social work intervention due to experiencing abuse or neglect. Although the exact figures are unknown, 2011 national census data suggests that there are 153,000 children living in kinship care in England.Literature reviews show that research has been ambiguous and contradictory about the benefits of kinship care over non-relative foster care. This has caused ambivalence in professional attitudes, yet policy preference for kinship care has seen a dramatic increase in kinship arrangements in the UK over the last 10 years. Furthermore, recent data suggests that 51% of these carers are grandparents, typically lone females, who belong to an ethnic minority group, and many of whom live in poverty and/or have health issues. It is, therefore, essential that kinship care research is critical and placed in socio-historical and political context.While a meta-analysis has provided some insight into the benefits of kinship care, it acknowledges that it is unable to explore the underlying dynamics or investigate the lived experiences of the children. There is yet to be a study that has specifically done these things. By utilising a Critical Realist methodology, a deeper understanding of specific kinship care placements will be achieved. A case-study exploration, with the children's voices as central, will examine the underlying mechanisms, contexts and benefits of kinship care to produce transferable findings. Ideas, 'theories' and practices can then be used in various contexts, with different stakeholders to provide the outcomes that children themselves view as beneficial. This will give an understanding into what types of supports and interventions assist children in such arrangements and so provide clear recommendations for policy and practice.By using children's voices as the focus, by listening to their unique experiences, we can begin to understand kinship care, in each of its forms, from the perspective of those most affected. The proposed research, therefore, places children as central participants ensuring that their views inform the findings and recommendations that ultimately affect their lives and their well-being. Using Participatory Action Research (PAR) methods will give the children appropriate social agency and empowerment. While PAR and Critical Realist methodological approaches have been shown to be effective in other areas of Social work research, it will be the first time they are used in research into kinship care.Two leading organisations, CoramBAAF and Grandparents Plus, will collaborate in the research. They both will provide access to unique information, statistics, and polling, as well as unpublished tools and research. Along with Sussex University, the two collaborating organisations are well placed to ensure dissemination of findings through access to conferences, National Briefings, publications, seminars and professional groups. Both will also provide access to government advisory groups to ensure impact on national policy.This exciting, innovative and pioneering research will give a clearer insight into what types of kinship care situations will require what types of support to assist a child's well-being. With critical and reflexive analysis, it will provide findings to be disseminated with the assistance of the collaborating organisations and will guide practitioners and policy-makers to improve lives.