Why it is especially important for social workers to build rapport with children in care: A case example

Abstract

Children in care are highly vulnerable, especially during their first few years of entry to care, not only because of their pre-care experiences of abuse and/or neglect from the family of origin but also due to the placement instability in care. The children usually experience a number of short-term placements, at least initially, due to which they do not get the opportunity to become closer to any one caring adult for a considerable time period in place of the parents from whom they have been removed. Consequently, they have to function in a world with no constant adult to care for them with whom they have bonded. This discussion suggests that social workers could fill in the void caused by the absence of a significant adult in the lives of children in care and, uses a case example to illustrate this.