Permanency planning and long-term foster-care : a guideline for practice
Master Thesis
1988
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University of Cape Town
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Abstract
Many children are unable to remain in the care of their biological families, and often the only solution is to commit them to long-term foster-care in order to ensure their emotional, physical and social well-being. Children in long-term foster-care in South Africa are subject to impermanence in their living arrangements. Long-term foster-care, in reality, is for an unlimited time-period, during which the biological family can at any time rehabilitate itself and petition the court for the return of the child. This is further exacerbated by childcare legislation which does not provide for legal guardianship in foster-care through termination of parental rights and reconstruction services to natural parents. At present, the move in childcare practice is to institute permanency planning philosophy and tennets for children placed in foster-care in order for them to experience stability and continuity of relationships and family life. The move to implement permanency planning in foster-care is new in South Africa and is not supported through South African research and legislative procedures. There is a definite need for the development of a guideline which will exclude natural parents from resuming the care of their placed child, thereby advocating foster care as the next option of permanency for a child, given the situation where adoption is not a feasible alternative. This guideline can hopefully be utilised to gather data motivating for legal guardianship in foster care, through termination of parental rights, thereby assuring the long-term foster child of permanency in his living arrangements.
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Scholtz, M. 1988. Permanency planning and long-term foster-care : a guideline for practice. University of Cape Town.