Review: Inside Kinship Care - Understanding Family Dynamics and Providing Effective Support

Edited by David Pitcher; Jessica Kingsley Publishers; ISBN 978-1-84905-346-4; £22.99; 264pp

As more children in care are placed with kinship (family and friends) foster carers, this book gives a valuable insight into the benefits and potential challenges in ensuring that this type of care offers the permanence and security that all children deserve and need.

Living with family or friends offers children the experience of living with people that are likely to have known them for the majority or all of their lives, which can help with a greater understanding of their situation and the likelihood that an attachment already exists.

The book brings together a range of perspectives from a variety of authors, highlighting the complexity of children being cared for by extended family. The book's 15 chapters are written by UK-based and world experts in kinship and foster care: John Simmonds of the British Association for Adoption and Fostering writes about permanence planning for children in family and friends care; Tavistock Clinic child psychotherapist Graham Music outlines a psychoanalytic approach to kinship care; James Gleeson from the University of Illinois shares findings on the views of children in kinship care; and Marilyn McHugh from the University of New South Wales discusses Australian research on assessing parenting capacity in kinship care.