The care of kin: a case study approach to kinship care in the south of England and Zululand, South Africa.

Abstract

This thesis focuses on kinship care specifically for children and young people requiring this provision away from their biological parent and for whom Children’s Social Services, United Kingdom and Child Welfare Agencies, South Africa, have a statutory responsibility (UK CA, 1989; SA CA, 2005). The study explores kinship care from a multifaceted viewpoint. A case study approach, incorporating interviews and observations was adopted for the data collection and a thematic analysis approach utilised for the data analysis. A total of thirty-two interviews were undertaken, in both the United Kingdom and South Africa, involving seventeen kinship carers and fifteen social workers. This study highlights practice complexities experienced in the care of kin in the United Kingdom and South Africa and considers similarities and differences across the two distinct cultural settings and relevant philosophical, but divergent, underlying ideologies. Findings from this study show that kinship carers who participate in statutory assessments are forced to surrender some of their privacy and autonomy in return for legal endorsement and financial remuneration. Attitudes towards kinship carers are dependent on the social construction of an underlying cultural philosophy or ideology that determines what is best for the child in each country. Specifically, in relation to the United Kingdom, the study found that kinship legislation is often ignored by local authorities, and tacitly ignored by other government agencies. With regard to South Africa, the study found that the poverty issues in Zululand prevent carers from adequately caring for their kin, and issues of illiteracy prevent many carers applying for grants that would alleviate their situations. This research clearly demonstrates that immediate changes need to be made to improve the way in which kinship care legislation and policy are created and then put into practice in both countries. Furthermore, recommendations are made in relation to the training and up-skilling of social workers involved in kinship care provision.