Developing a CRC Rights-based Approach in Foster Care

APFEL (Action for the promotion of Foster Care at European level) is promoting a research-training project, aimed at identifying and disseminating tools that will put the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of professional PRACTICE in Foster Care (FC) for vulnerable children (Premoli, 2012). The project focuses on the dissemination of a child rights based approach through a training process that will enhance, in the light of the principle of the best interest of the child, the issues of co-parenting, the right to stay in contact with parents when placed out of home, and the voice of the child in particular. In the EU there's wide consensus on the relevance of the CRC. Yet, there is too much heterogeneity, in terms of knowledge of the CRC by the general public, also among professionals working with children and children themselves. Some countries are suffering from a lack of implementation of the CRC. This is potentially counterproductive, since the gap between "Law" and practice causes discomfort, confusion and puts professionals at risk (stress, conflict in mediating and assessing situations ; lack of clear benchmarks and objectives). Professionals, daily confronted with the complexity and heavy emotional burden of child protection, must be equipped with a common tool box that will guide their practice, giving them a sense of security of being "on the right track" and following common values and goals. The clarity and precision of the "framework" will empower them to observe, to think and intervene in situations encountered in child protection and in particular in FC. The CRC can and should provide such common framework. The methodology will be based on: analysis of the scientific literature in the field of children's rights-based approach ; context analysis on FC systems in European countries ; skill assessment of professionals operating in FC Services ; definition of a Conceptual Framework for a CRC-based Approach in FC. A Training Model will be developed with the involvement of foster care leavers, birth families and foster families.