Meeting Health and Ethnic Needs in Placement: Planning for African Children Affected by HIV

Abstract

Based on their experience as workers with the London-based Barnardo's Positive Options Project, Joan Fratter and Benigna Kiwanuka Ndagire discuss practice and policy issues arising from the need to plan for African children whose primary carers are living with HIV. They argue that what they have learned from African parents, carers, young people and children affected by the virus could be applied to families with children from a range of minority ethnic groups who are experiencing similar suffering and uncertainty through HIV or another life-threatening illness. A growing demand for the appropriate recruitment, training and support of permanent and ‘flexible’ foster carers is emphasised, as is the overall importance of ensuring that health factors and ethnicity are fully incorporated into planning to meet the needs of the whole child.