Supporting Successful Foster Care for Unaccompanied Minors and Young People: Key considerations.

The article focuses on foster care provision for unaccompanied minors. It outlines the importance attached to foster care in the international policy and practice arenas, where it tends to be viewed as the preferred method of care for unaccompanied minors. Drawing on the international literature, it discusses the reasons for this, namely the benefits of foster care, but also highlights the significant challenges posed for foster carers for this cohort, particularly given that they are caring for older teenagers whose ethnic and cultural backgrounds may differ significantly from that of their carers. The article explores ways in which successful foster care can be enhanced, highlighting the complexity of “matching” and the significance attached to “cultural matching” and the need for an appropriate training and support in their role so as to maximize the benefits for young people.