ABSTRACT
Foster carers have different ways of parenting; while some, like Jenny, work hard to understand and respond to the emotions of their children, others, like Natalie, succeed with their steady, responsive approach, believing that too much “emotional” language can prevent children from managing their lives. Darshand and Asha, like many other “looked after” children, seem to the author like invisible migrants, moving between the different cultures of birth family members, within the social care system, and in the different foster families in which they find themselves. Safiya, aged ten, had been trafficked into the UK and was rescued after police were informed that someone had seen a child huddled in the garden of a neighbouring house on a winter’s night. Professionals working with Safiya were alarmed at the level of abuse she had suffered and thought she should have therapy. Although the referral was for individual therapy, Jenny was very clear that she and Heather needed to work together.
