Elaine Farmer is Director of the Research Centre for Family Policy and Child Welfare in the School for Policy Studies at Bristol University, and has researched and written widely in the field of child welfare and child protection. She has a background in social work practice and teaches on the qualifying programme in social work and the post-qualifying award in child care. Sue Moyers is a Research Associate in the School for Policy Studies at Bristol University. She has taught for the Open University and also worked as a prison tutor and as a counsellor. Jo Lipscombe is a Research Associate in the School for Policy Studies at Bristol University. Her research and teaching interests include youth justice, the interface between the care and justice systems, the criminalisation of children and childhood, and children's participation in research.

A welcome addition to family placement literature. It provides a coherent framework for what works in practice, with clear summaries of areas that social workers should pay close attention to. It provides empirical evidence for what family placement practitioners know from practice that improved support is related to less strain for foster carers and to better parenting skills and so to better placement outcomes.

• 1. Introduction. 2. Background and research literature. 3. How we designed and carried out the study. 4. Description of the young people and the carers in the sample. 5. Planning and preparation for the placements. 6. The young people's behaviour in the placements. 7. Foster carer strain. 8. Support for the foster carers. 9. The parenting approaches of the foster carers. 10. The young people's contact with family members. 11. Predicting placement outcome. 12. Implications for practice and policy. References. Subject Index. Author Index.

Elaine Farmer is Director of the Research Centre for Family Policy and Child Welfare in the School for Policy Studies at Bristol University, and has researched and written widely in the field of child welfare and child protection. She has a background in social work practice and teaches on the qualifying programme in social work and the post-qualifying award in child care. Sue Moyers is a Research Associate in the School for Policy Studies at Bristol University. She has taught for the Open University and also worked as a prison tutor and as a counsellor. Jo Lipscombe is a Research Associate in the School for Policy Studies at Bristol University. Her research and teaching interests include youth justice, the interface between the care and justice systems, the criminalisation of children and childhood, and children's participation in research.

A welcome addition to family placement literature. It provides a coherent framework for what works in practice, with clear summaries of areas that social workers should pay close attention to. It provides empirical evidence for what family placement practitioners know from practice that improved support is related to less strain for foster carers and to better parenting skills and so to better placement outcomes.

• 1. Introduction. 2. Background and research literature. 3. How we designed and carried out the study. 4. Description of the young people and the carers in the sample. 5. Planning and preparation for the placements. 6. The young people's behaviour in the placements. 7. Foster carer strain. 8. Support for the foster carers. 9. The parenting approaches of the foster carers. 10. The young people's contact with family members. 11. Predicting placement outcome. 12. Implications for practice and policy. References. Subject Index. Author Index.

Elaine Farmer is Director of the Research Centre for Family Policy and Child Welfare in the School for Policy Studies at Bristol University, and has researched and written widely in the field of child welfare and child protection. She has a background in social work practice and teaches on the qualifying programme in social work and the post-qualifying award in child care. Sue Moyers is a Research Associate in the School for Policy Studies at Bristol University. She has taught for the Open University and also worked as a prison tutor and as a counsellor. Jo Lipscombe is a Research Associate in the School for Policy Studies at Bristol University. Her research and teaching interests include youth justice, the interface between the care and justice systems, the criminalisation of children and childhood, and children's participation in research.

A welcome addition to family placement literature. It provides a coherent framework for what works in practice, with clear summaries of areas that social workers should pay close attention to. It provides empirical evidence for what family placement practitioners know from practice that improved support is related to less strain for foster carers and to better parenting skills and so to better placement outcomes.

• 1. Introduction. 2. Background and research literature. 3. How we designed and carried out the study. 4. Description of the young people and the carers in the sample. 5. Planning and preparation for the placements. 6. The young people's behaviour in the placements. 7. Foster carer strain. 8. Support for the foster carers. 9. The parenting approaches of the foster carers. 10. The young people's contact with family members. 11. Predicting placement outcome. 12. Implications for practice and policy. References. Subject Index. Author Index.