Learning goals
This chapter will enable you to:
UNDERSTAND the experiences of parents when their children have been removed and placed in out-of-home care
RECOGNISE the various ways in which parental identity can be disconfirmed and interrupted after the removal of children from parents
UNDERSTAND how parents negotiate and reconstruct their parent identities after the removal of their children and placement in out-of-home care
LEARN how practitioners may engage parents whose children have been removed and placed in care and facilitate self-recovery
UNDERSTAND the importance of parent–worker relationships and social support in helping parents reconstruct their parent identities and become better able to safely care for their children.
Introduction
THERE IS SERIOUS concern in Australia and other developing countries about the increasing rates of children living in out-of-home care (Bromfield & Osborn, 2007; Cashmore et al., 2006). The 2012 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) report on child protection has reported a twofold increase in the last decade from 18 241 children recorded in out-of-home care on 30 June 2001 to 37 648 children in care on 30 June 2011. Currently, the rate of children in out-of-home care in Australia is 7.3 per thousand children (37 648 children), although there is a very marked range between jurisdictions, with New South Wales having twice the rate of children in care as Victoria (AIHW, 2011). These statistics reflect similar increases in English-speakingcountries such as England, the Republic of Ireland and the United Sates (Department for Education and Skills, 2006; Health Social Services and Public Safety, 2006). This is due to a combination of increasing numbers of child abuse and neglect notifications and problems associated with children not getting an earlier intervention, escalating numbers of children requiring care, the need to secure permanent placements in an arena with reduced placement options, and a crisis in recruiting and retaining suitable foster carers (Barber & Gilbertson, 2001; Bromfield et al., 2007; Bromfield & Osborn, 2007). Research has also revealed that children are staying in care longer and entering care at a younger age (Bromfield & Osborn, 2007).