When Rachel Cole decided to become a single foster carer at the age of 29, she realized there was another way she could help children without a voice.
In 2015, a 13-year-old boy was placed in her care and he stayed with her until he turned 21. It was an immensely rewarding experience for both of them. 'The young man I had under my wing at the time blossomed. It was amazing to see,” she remembers.
'When you get a foster care placement you're just given a piece of paper with an overview of a child – and the overview I got was that he's never in the house, he leaves at 7am and comes back at 7pm and he often runs away .'
They had a conversation about why he didn't like his old foster placement and one of the reasons was because he felt he always had to explain that he was a foster child. He didn't have this problem with Rachel, who is also black. 'He felt that he didn't always have to tell people that he was a foster child and that was very moving.'
The Foster Networkthe UK's leading foster care charity, says there is an over-representation of black children and young people in care, and not only are there not enough foster carers, but there is also a significant shortage of black foster carers.
Shockingly, there are also significantly more foster carers choosing to leave the role compared to the number of new hires 2023 Ofsted statistics.
Rachel says this isn't because black families don't want to open their homes like she did. “A lot of people were really interested when I told them I was a black foster carer,” the 37-year-old tells Metro.co.uk.
“Many people in the community told me they wanted to become foster carers, but one of the challenges they faced was that they didn't know how to do it, or they started the process and left because they felt it was was very oppressive. For me that was very disappointing'.
This is why Rachel founded the Black Foster Carers Alliance (BFCA) this year. It is a groundbreaking organization committed to promoting diversity, inclusion and equality in the nursing workforce. Their goal is to empower minority families to become foster caregivers while working with organizations to improve their recruitment and retention of foster caregivers and to support families who are not Black but care for Black children.
One of the key points of the BFCA is 'by prioritizing cultural competency and diversity awareness, organizations can create an enabling environment that celebrates and respects the cultural identities of children and families.'
Rachel, former Operations Director of Fostertalk – one of the UK's leading support and membership services for over 20,000 foster carers – brings a unique perspective on the challenges but also the incredible opportunities within the foster care sector.
Within her network, there is a feeling among black foster carers and those who tried to join that they were judged more severely during the process than would have been expected.
'Fostership is a radical process, because you are asked about your family background. You will be asked about your upbringing, your finances will be reviewed and your home will be questioned. Many people find that difficult.'
Rachel says a social worker is assigned to potential families and they visit your home over a period of three to six months, or about ten times.
'There was a lot of judgment on their homes and finances. Why things looked a certain way or were in a certain place, why certain things looked a certain way and the amount of stuff in the house. The topic of hoarding always comes up.'
In terms of finances, Rachel says carers and those who have stopped the process also feel there is a lack of nuance and cultural understanding. One of the foster carers she worked with previously noted how social workers questioned their choice to support their mother financially by paying a bill on her behalf.
'The foster service asked her: 'Why are you doing this? Will you get the money back?” and it was a big deal. It denied her the entire process. That is something that happens in our culture when it comes to helping the elderly financially.'
This is what is known as the Black Tax – or Brown Tax in other communities – where younger members of the family financially support older members for things like weekly groceries, bills and healthcare.
These systems have a multi-generational impact, resulting in younger generations needing to help in certain communities. It existed long before the ongoing cost of living crisis. 2020 research published by the Center for Aging Better, Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and University College London (UCL) found that Black Britons over 50 are likely to be in the poorest 20% of England.
There is also a wage gap by ethnicity, which plays a crucial role in why younger generations need to help the elderly financially. According to a 2023 report, British-born black workers earn 5.6% less than white workers Runnymede Trust, which Rachel believes is one of the many reasons why prospective black foster carers feel like their environment is judged differently. “The people doing the assessments don't always have the cultural understanding.”
This prejudice is what Rachel wants to change. She also pledged that the organization will be a safe place for non-Black foster parents caring for Black children to ask questions.
“The reality is that there aren't enough Black and minority caregivers, and there are white families willing to care for the children, and we shouldn't be angry about that,” she says.
“We need to celebrate that, but what we need to do is ensure that these families have the right resources to care for the children.”
The tools will educate families about the “cultural nuances and challenges” children may face and teach parents how to become “positive advocates.” Rachel is putting together a course to help with this and has written a book.
She says advocacy is hugely important to breaking the cycle of what Barnardos'double discrimination', when black children in care face setbacks because of their race, home situation and a lack of support.
“In transracial foster care, the parents do not receive this training or these resources in advance. So a lot of it has to do with answering questions that kids have about their skin and hair and cultural celebrations, but I think the most important thing is advocating.”
And some lessons are poignant. “It's about understanding that black children They are more likely to be stopped and searched. So the tools are about how to give your foster child the right tools to navigate that system without being criminalized.”
In another example, Rachel went to a foster care event and spoke with a white couple caring for a dual-race girl who wanted her hair braided. The parents said no because they thought it would damage her hair. “I said, 'It won't damage her hair because it's one.' protective hairstyle”. We had a big conversation about this because they didn't know that.'
The girl also came home and said the kids at school kept asking her if she should wear sunscreen and she considered this racist. “The family said, 'No, that's not racism. They just really want to know if you get sunburned” and they asked me, “Do you?” They didn't know.
“I had to talk to them and say, 'Sometimes it's not because someone isn't racist, or they are. It's more about understanding that person's experience and understanding why she felt like he or she was racist and why that made her uncomfortable.
'A lot of people have these questions and there is not always someone they can turn to.'
This is another reason why Rachel's work is so important.
“I do advocacy work with foster careers so they don't leave and campaign to encourage, empower and support Black and minority families who choose to serve the thousands of Black and minority children who need caring homes that support their unique identities. and also keep them safe.'
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