I wonder how many children and young people now classified as having 'very complex needs' didn’t start that way when they first entered care, but were further traumatised by the very system intended to protect them?
These young people have often endured years of multiple moves between foster homes ill equipped to understand or meet the needs of vulnerable, traumatised children.
Many foster carers, though well intentioned, have been told that fostering is simply about having a spare room, a big heart, and 'being parents', without adequate training or guidance on the unique demands of the role.
As a result, too many children have been failed, not because of malice, but because of a system that leaves carers unprepared.
Children with complex emotional or behavioural needs, are then labeled as 'difficult', 'challenging' or 'troubled' when in fact, they have simply been further traumatised by the very system that was meant to provide a safe and nurturing environment.
Rather than being acknowledged as children and young people who were denied adequate care, they are burdened with stigmatising labels that overlook the true source of their pain. They are conveniently portrayed as 'difficult', 'uncooperative' or 'disruptive', shifting the focus away from the failures of the corporate parent.
Whilst I acknowledge there are some that are always in need of specialist residential settings we see that as a result of these labels, they often end up in residential homes because either no foster carers are available to take them in, or the carers who are available may not be equipped to handle these now 'complex needs'.
FosterWiki is now collaborating regularly with the Department for Education on all aspects of fostering. The 2024 Independent Foster Carer’s Survey has finally provided the empirical evidence needed to support our advocacy, and work on meaningful reform is now underway.
#fostercare #frontline #betteroutcomes
