Explore the history of UK fostering and the impact of the 1989 Children Act. Learn how child welfare reform shifted from Victorian-era laws to prioritizing permanence.
You can legislate for 'permanence,' but you can't legislate for 'commitment.' A 'committed' family stays when things get hard, whereas a 'permanent placement' is just a box on a spreadsheet.
History and evolution of fostering children in the UK over the last 30 years, specifically focusing on how shifts in policy, private agencies, and social work practices have impacted the children themselves.
The 1989 Children Act was a landmark piece of legislation that fundamentally changed the UK care system. It shifted the focus of child welfare reform by establishing that the child's welfare must be the paramount consideration in all legal decisions. This move away from the state's administrative power aimed to prioritize the child's lived experience and the search for a forever home, moving past the rigid structures of the previous era.
Before the 1989 Children Act, the UK care system still carried vestiges of the Victorian Poor Law, where children were often treated as passive subjects of administrative decisions. This era was characterized by a one-size-fits-all approach that frequently left children in a state of limbo. The transition toward modern UK fostering involved moving away from stigmatizing labels and focusing on finding a sense of belonging and permanence for children in care.
In the context of the UK care system, permanence refers to the goal of providing a child with a stable, long-term home where they truly belong, rather than just being parked by the state. While the 1989 Children Act introduced the vision of a forever home, achieving true permanence has been a long process. It required moving away from an all-or-nothing approach to ensure that children do not simply drift through the system without a real plan for their future.
From Columbia University alumni | built in San Francisco
avg rating
7.84k+ App Rating
BeFreed Community
Seriously I haven’t even explored this app fully yet but from using it the last few days I am so impressed... BeFreed is on a different level from any other learning app I have used. This makes it ultra engaging and can actually improve your concentration which is great for all the doom scrollers!
@ladyInfinity
I bought BeFreed exactly 23 days ago, and I have used it every single day since. It has completely embedded itself into my daily workflow and learning habit.
@jayallen
The truth is, the app has exceeded all my expectations. I can ask it to generate audio on any topic, whatever it may be, and the result is impressive. My professional field is a specialization in psychotherapy and it is multidisciplinary; however, the answers are very accurate.
@Raguipa
What I appreciate most is how much it's reduced my scrolling – I'm spending less time searching and more time absorbing information. The combination of full audiobooks, podcasts, the learning plans are brilliant.
@colonyofcreatorsNGO
I have been a PhotoReading Accelerated Learning Instructor for the past 24 years... books and reading and learning are my thing, and BeFreed has done a great job in providing an innovative approach to disseminating and delivering information in an easy to consume way.
@BeFreed user
It is not just a book summary app, I have used the 'fun reading' option and it's a much better summary and way to grasp ideas the traditional way, that alone is worth this deal.
@austinakon
I love this app. Used it for several days and I cannot stop listening. Such a great way to start.
@jcrules328
I really like the program; I have already tested it for around one month, and I feel that it's an amazing gem. It works so well because I can use BeFreed to create my own topics, and the voice is so good with unlimited choice of narrations.
@DanielCZ
I love the fact that I can get useful, condensed, information and ideas in a 8 - 15 minute podcast style audio. I'm not a general fan of podcasts because of all the fluff, but this cuts through all that.
@BeFreed user
I am finishing up my doctorate, and have to read a lot of unfamiliar material... With BeFreed, you simply enter a prompt, and the app finds source material for you and generates an audio podcast. I find the process in BeFreed to be more streamlined than NotebookLM.
@Brad
I often search YouTube for something to listen to whilst making breakfast, when I'm out walking, commuting, etc, and BeFreed has provided an even more targeted approach, without the adverts and the fluff!
@BeFreed user
The absolute best part about this platform is its versatility. There is literally no subject that is off-topic. It handles whatever you throw at it... It is rare to find an learning tool with zero limitations that actually delivers on its promises.
@jayallen
BeFreed is fantastic. The user-friendly design means I spend less time navigating and more time learning. The mix of audiobooks, podcasts, and learning plans is a genius combo that has completely changed my daily routine.
@BeFreed user
At the start I needed a while to understand how to create podcasts in italian language and boom! It is so great! I can ask to explain every argument and it does so well and so smartly!
@matteo77
BeFreed has become my daily app for audio books tools... What I like the most is the way you put your text and come with an audio that you can listen on the go.
@kotanzu1
