Social Work Now, Issue 30, pages 4-7.
The purpose of the access is at the very heart of access arrangements for children in care. It is commonly assumed, unless there has been a clear written statement to the contrary, that while a parent continues to visit there is still a possibility that he or she will resume the care of the child at some time. When there is no clarity about where the child will live out their childhood, the timeframes involved or the purpose of access, considerable anxiety is created for children, caregivers and the biological families (Adcock and White, 1980).
Usually there are three reasons for access for children in care:
- To enable parents and relatives to maintain attachment and continuity for the purpose of prevention of family breakdown and to assist in the child’s return home.
- So parents, relatives and the child can maintain a relationship to ensure that even if the child may not return home, they will still know their identity, enjoy ongoing biological family links and have this supplementary support.
- For a child to have knowledge of their identity rather than to maintain a relationship with their biological family. This is generally in situations when there is high conflict or when there are concerns for the child’s safety.
In some cases there are reasons why access does not or should not occur. Access arrangements should be subject to review as a child moves into different developmental stages. Circumstances and needs change for children and adults, and what may have been suitable at one time at a later stage might not meet the needs of the child or young person.