Fostering Mixed Race Children

The 'mixed race' classification is known to be a factor of disadvantage in children's social care and this fastest growing population is more likely than any other ethnic group to experience care admission. How does knowledge of 'mixedness' underpin policy and practice? How, when and why is the classification 'mixed' a disadvantage? Through narrative interviews with children currently in foster care, Fostering Mixed Race Children ****examines the impact of care processes on children's everyday experiences. Peters shows how the 'mixed race' classification affects care admission, including both short and long term fostering and care leaving, and shapes the experiences of children in often adverse ways. The book moves away from the psychologising of 'mixedness' towards a much-needed sociological analysis of 'mixedness' and 'mixing' at the intersection of foster care processes.

This book will be of interest to academics and practitioners working with families and children. Peters presents a child-centred narrative focus and offers unique insights into a complex area.

Autorentext
Fiona Peters is a Visiting Researcher at Goldsmiths, University of London, UK. Central to her work is an emphasis on narratives of childhood and families, social class, mixing and mixedness, and gender, through the use of social theory and visual culture.

Inhalt

1. Care Matters and Mixed Race Children.- 2. Fostering Mixed Race Children.- 3. Conceptualization and Categorization of Mixedness.- 4. Researching Mixedness.- 5. The First Year in Care and the Matrix of Classifications.- 6. Family Ties Through the Lens.- 7. A Portrait of Transience Through Care.- 8. Leaving Care Transition.- 9. Learning From Mixed Race Children in Foster Care