‘Adoption & Fostering’ journal: July issue (Vol 49, Issue 2) now available!
The latest edition of Adoption & Fostering covers topics including allegations of abuse against foster carers, non-violent resistance training for children and their parents or carers and the diagnosis of neurodevelopmental conditions in care-experienced young people.
Last year, we published an article by Louisa Roberts and her colleagues on foster carers’ experiences of allegations, drawing on data from The Fostering Network’s 2021 State of the Nations’ Foster Care survey. This article was one of the ten most downloaded articles in 2024 and for good reason: allegations are far from uncommon (in the 2024 survey, 14% of foster carers said they had received one or more allegations in the past year), and they have profound implications for both carers and the children in their care.
In the July edition of Adoption & Fostering, Damien Riggs and his co-author Shoshana Rosenberg present their findings from interviews with foster carers who have experienced allegations of abuse in South Australia and describe their initial shock, a lack of transparency in the system and long-term effects on their parenting or decision to continue as carers. We caught up with Damien and The Fostering Network’s CEO, Sarah Thomas, in a new journal podcast episode for CoramBAAF Conversations, which will be out soon. The overall message: the right support can make all the difference.
Two further articles in Volume 49 Issue 2 look at the support needs of foster carers in a more general sense. Laurie Preston and her colleagues evaluate a reflective practice group aimed at providing a non-judgemental space for reflection in which carers can support and learn from one another, while Inger-Lise Negård and her colleagues provide a case study of the Bluehill care arrangement in Norway, which combines residential care and specialised foster care for children aged two to 18 (with similar aims to the Mockingbird Programme in the UK).
As these articles demonstrate, the journal is a source of examples of effective services, approaches and interventions (and recommendations) to inform both policy and practice. Systematic reviews and scoping reviews serve a similar purpose but look at the bigger picture of available research on a particular topic – and identify areas for further research. Bukola Awoyemi and colleagues’ review assesses the evidence-base for non-violent resistance training with the parents or carers of children and teenagers with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Jenny Conrick and colleagues, meanwhile, review the literature (including research studies and grey literature, e.g., personal stories in newsletters) on adopted or care-experienced adults using direct-to-consumer genetic testing to find out more about their health, heritage and family. The journal’s Editor-in-Chief, Dennis Golm, spotlights this article in his editorial.
As ever, the issue contains legal notes on recent cases in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. This edition’s health notes, written by Tom Cawthorne and Matt Woolgar, call for improved recognition of neurodevelopmental conditions among care-experienced and adopted young people and present a case study of 16-year-old Rosie. In another podcast episode, coming soon, we speak with Tom and Matt about their work and a Letter to the Editor (co-written with Carmen Pinto and Stephen Scott) on the services commissioned by the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.
Another varied, informative and thought-provoking issue of Adoption & Fostering, which we are pleased to share with our members as a membership benefit!
Vicky Walker, Journal Production Editor, CoramBAAF.
*** TECHNICAL ISSUE ***
Unfortunately, readers are unable to access the majority of our journal content at the moment due to a technical issue. We hope to enable access again shortly. In the meantime, open access journal articles are still available. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
CoramBAAF Conversations
Welcome to the latest episode of the Adoption and Fostering journal podcast. In this episode, hosts Vicky Walker and Dr. Dennis Golm discuss the contents of Volume 49, Issue 2, released in July 2025. This episode delves into various articles featured in the journal, including a compelling scoping review by Jenny Conrick and colleagues on direct-to-consumer genetic testing. The episode highlights why adopted individuals might seek genetic tests to understand their health risks and familial connections.