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BJSW Advance Access originally published online on December 13, 2006
British Journal of Social Work 2008 38(5):865-884; doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcl375
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Association of Social Workers. All rights reserved.

The Recruitment and Retention of Family Foster-Carers: An International and Cross-Cultural Analysis

Matthew Colton, Susan Roberts and Margaret Williams

Matthew Colton is Professor and Head of Department at the Regional Center for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (RBUP), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway. He is also Professor of Child and Family Welfare at the University of Wales Swansea.

Susan Roberts is Lecturer in Applied Social Sciences at the University of Wales Swansea.

Margaret Williams is Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of Calgary, Canada.

Correspondence to Professor Matthew Colton, RBUP, NTNU, 7489 Trondheim, Norway. E-mail: Matthew.Colton{at}ntnu.no


  Abstract

Fostering services across the globe encounter difficulties in recruiting and retaining family foster-carers. Yet, we know little of the international and cross-cultural issues which impact on recruitment and retention. In this article, we draw on previous empirical research, and also on information collected during a recent study of global trends in family foster-care, to present an international comparative analysis of those issues. Three key themes emerged from the study: motivation and capacity to foster; professionalism versus altruism; and criteria for kinship and unrelated carers. Each of these presents a considerable challenge to foster-care services. Here, we explore these key themes further, and reflect on the implications for policy and practice.

Keywords: recruitment, retention, family foster-carers, international analysis, cross-cultural analysis


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