Looking past the stereotypes – Disabled people as foster carers

Unwin, Peter ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1985-1959, Jones, Alexandra ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4158-9064 and Meakin, B. (2025) Looking past the stereotypes – Disabled people as foster carers. Adoption & Fostering, 49 (1). pp. 35-51. ISSN Print: 0308-5759 Online: 1740-469X

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Abstract

England has seen a progressive decline in the number of approved fostering households, whereas the number of children needing foster homes has increased. To address these disparities, this research explored whether an inclusive approach is taken to encourage Disabled people to become foster carers. The two-year co-produced project was part of the Disability Research on Independent Living and Learning (DRILL) initiative, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. Led by the University of Worcester, the authors worked with four fostering organisations. The methodology comprised an online survey to gauge the level of disability awareness in these organisations, followed up by a customised training session for each site. Findings from the training days and a further workforce survey indicated that fostering social workers recognised that disability and foster care were not mutually exclusive, and that Disabled people could provide a valuable part of the workforce, although they were not routinely recruited. For Disabled people to be afforded equal opportunity as foster carers, it was acknowledged that non-discriminatory practice must become standard practice, necessitating significant changes at both institutional and professional practice levels.

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