Description of risk factors in foster care failure

Children and the youth account for over 50% of the South African population of approximately 44 million. The majority of these children are raised in poverty and are therefore subjected to various forms of violence and abuse. As a result, many of these children are placed in foster care. Foster care, which is defined by Herbst and Muller (2001:1) as being “any kind of long term or short term substitute care of children outside their homes by persons other than their own parents”, has its own problems, of which the breakdown of placements is but one. To determine which factors possibly contribute to the breakdown of placements, a qualitative study with a descriptive research design was undertaken. Separate self-developed questionnaires were used as instruments for data collection; the one was used for the foster parents and the other for the foster children. Ten children and ten foster parents were interviewed. The study was conducted in Daveyton, with the assistance of the Benoni Child and Family Welfare Society. It is evident from the study that in foster care, children of all ages are vulnerable to placement instability that often results in the breakdown of the placements. The study also indicates that problems such as poor communication, lack of social work supervision and unresolved problems between foster children and foster parents play a major role in the breakdown of the placements. It also appears that foster children experience more problems with foster families than with foster parents. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations for social work practice and future research that will contribute towards maintaining stability of foster placements are made.Dr. E. Oliphan