The Slow Evolution of Foster Care in Australia: Just Like a Family? by Nell Musgrove and Deidre Michell (review)

Correction:
This review has been accidently attributed to Corinne T. Field. The reviewer is Marilyn McHugh. The online version has been updated.

Nell Musgrove and Deidre Michell are to be congratulated in undertaking the formidable task of exploring the evolution of foster care in Australia from 1788 till now. Their study highlights the experiences of children and young people who have been in care over this period. It also includes the stories of "care leavers," adults who had once been in care systems—it is their voices that clearly resonate throughout the various chapters. The authors also use a wealth of data from archival material (including newspapers) and other research and academic studies to highlight many past and current issues and concerns that have, over time, afflicted foster care systems both here and internationally.

The stories they share of children and young people in care systems over 200 years are disturbing and highly moving. Both positive and negative aspects are revealed through the text, and several extreme cases (the non-accidental deaths of children) are highlighted. In most incidents, it is made clear that more should and could have done by authorities, agency staff, and the wider community to avoid these tragic consequences. It is also clearly indicated that now as in the past, unless the foster carers and agencies providing foster care are better resourced and supported, tragedies such as these will continue to occur.

The writers' critical analyses of foster care systems focus predominantly on two Australian jurisdictions, Victoria and South Australia, referring to policies and practices in other Western countries, indicating their similarities and differences to Australian practices.

Various chapters address the issues and concerns of Indigenous children. This is extremely important in the Australian context due to their overrepresentation in care systems.

The study is wide-ranging and comprehensive in its coverage of foster care practices over 200 years. The treatment of birth families, placement of sibling groups in care, impact on children of foster carers, foster carer motivation and remuneration, and the ongoing trauma, grief, and further abuse experienced by children in care provide distressing insights into the complex and generally unknown world of foster care.

In the chapter 6, entitled "Philosophies, Rhetoric and Practices," the writers highlight the ongoing issue of stigma and shame experienced by children in foster care, through no fault of their own. Unwilling to discuss their situation of "being in care," and aided and abetted by systems supposedly protecting their "privacy," the wider community has little knowledge or understanding of children's day-to-day experiences. Popular perceptions of foster care have also been affected by a lack of newspaper reporting. Over an extensive period of time (1865–1952), the writers found predominantly negative, rather than positive, stories of children in care in this media form. Similarly negative findings were found in the Victorian department records of children who had been in care.

The authors found a positive aspect around changing community perception of foster care, in the emergence of autobiographical stories by care leavers (see Chapter 8). These stories, they argue, play a profound healing role for care leavers, as well as providing knowledge to the wider community which hopefully contributes to lessening the stigma and shame attached to being in care.

The writers note that in more recent times, kinship (or relative) care has become the predominant and preferred form of home-based care for children needing it. While kinship care has its own issues and concerns, research indicates that it is a better option for children requiring care, particularly Indigenous children, where maintaining family connections and culture are paramount. This form of care is also perceived as less stigmatizing and children in kinship care are found to have better educational outcomes. While not overly optimistic about the future of fostering services available for children requiring [End Page...