JUST PHILOSOPHISING ON - SOCIAL WORK AND THE ADOPTION DILEMMA. PART 6.

 

We have had the debate about whether children who require permanent alternative non-familial carers, should be primarily placed within alternative families reflecting their ethnic, cultural and linguistic attributes. 

Although there has been and are people taking up positions at either extreme of this argument.  

With some seeing placements within those parameter as absolutely necessary, and others that it is not. 

If the question is put to, say, 100 reasonable and relevantly informed persons.  

The chances are that the majority would probably agree that there need not be any absolute single need which has to be met. As opposed to ensuring that all of the essential needs will be met to an appropriate standard.  

And that the child should be provided with a level of care which enables him/her to feel comfortable in their own skin and identity, in different social and cultural settings, during their lives. 

I am not going to try to elaborate on this anymore, because different situations are going to present both similar and dissimilar challenges, which can only be properly considered and dealt with by the people present or available.

But, returning to the matter of the media. I have heard a BBC 4 presenter speculating about whether the current recurring concern about adopted children and young people in adoptive families. 

Experiencing serious difficulties pertaining to or being precipitated by issues around contact, planned or unplanned. 

Might, in some way, be due to local authorities trying to have solutions on the cheap, and save money. 

Well, of course, it needs to be said that, whatever money local authorities do have, comes from the people paying their taxes; so it is the people's money, and they have an interest in it being spent wisely.

To be continued!