Sibling Group Placement

Anne 13, Dean 5 and Natalie 6 are brother and sisters whose parents both have learning difficulties and struggled to cope with the care and control of three lively children. The children had been neglected and had adult responsibilities pushed onto them. Dean attends a special school but Anne and Natalie are much brighter than their parents and this caused a lot of conflict. Their mother became seriously ill and the children became increasingly out of control and neglected. In a foster placement together the children seemed “wild” at first, not understanding any of the rules of family life. They were desperate for adult care and attention and competed ruthlessly against each other. They ate enormously and seemed clumsy and destructive. Once the children had adjusted to life in the foster family and got used to regular meals and to the adults being in control, they really blossomed and became rewarding to care for. They have regular contact with their parents at weekends which is important to them. An attempt will be made to return the children home gradually, but if this fails they will remain fostered long term.

Mother and Baby Placement

Jess, a 24 year old African woman with learning difficulties and her new born daughter, Marie were placed with a single female foster carer, Sarah, for a 12 week assessment period. This enabled the mother and daughter to maintain a good bond while being assessed. The real skill in this placement was Sarah’s ability to interact with Jess advising and encouraging her without taking over her role as parent, but at the same time ensuring that Marie’s needs were met and that she was safe at all times. Sarah’s ability to balance all these differing needs and to facilitate contact in the foster home with Jess’s extended family ensured Marie had a warm and safe start to life with her mother.

Teenage Placement

Jane was a 15 year old who had a close but a stormy relationship with her mother and no respect for her step father. She has been running away from home, drinking and getting into fights. She was reasonably bright but was often suspended from school for disruptive behaviour. In foster care, Jane was very challenging at first, daring her carers to control her. However gradually she started to mature, rebuild her relationship with her mother and take responsibility for controlling her behaviour. Treated as a young adult she eventually responded, moving on to independent accommodation near her mothers home, aged sixteen and a half.