Abstract

MASHA, Rankwe Reuben  and  BOTHA, Petro. Is foster care the safe place we believe it to be? If not, why not?. Social work (Stellenbosch. Online) [online]. 2021, vol.57, n.4, pp.499-515. ISSN 2312-7198.  http://dx.doi.org/10.15270/52-2-973.

Foster care is an important part of the child protection system; however, it seems that some foster children are not protected - they are abused and neglected. The aims of this article are to confirm on a small scale whether children in foster care are indeed being abused and neglected and to develop an understanding of factors contributing to the abuse and neglect of these foster children. A qualitative research approach was applied. Findings confirmed the occurrence of abuse and/or neglect and provided information on factors relating to foster parents and the foster care system itself contributing to this phenomenon.

Keywords : abuse; foster children; foster care grant; foster parents; neglect; social workers.

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