The education of children in foster care has long been considered problematic. One contributing factor may be the lack of educational support from key adults in these children's lives. High turnover of school and home placements may preclude the presence of a consistent adult who is actively involved in a foster child's education. Moreover, research suggests that education is sometimes viewed as a low priority by carers in comparison with other aspects of a foster child's life. The aim of the study reported here by Cara Osborne, Julia Alfano and Tanya Winn was to address this issue by directly involving carers in supporting their child's literacy skills through the use of a ‘paired reading’ literacy intervention. Thirty-five carers and children took part in the project over a 16-week period. The results revealed an average improvement in reading age of 12 months during this time, suggesting that the programme offers a constructive way of enhancing foster children's literacy skills. Feedback from carers supported this view and suggested that the impact of the project may extend beyond the realm of literacy per se, resulting in improvements in confidence and motivation as well as reading ability.

The aim of the study was to examine whether consultation sessions provided by educational psychologists (EPs) offer a useful way of supporting foster and adoptive parents. Feedback was collected from 101 EPs and 78 foster and adoptive parents through the use of a short questionnaire at the end of each session. As might be expected, educational issues were the main focus of the sessions, although other areas such as behaviour management and emotional well-being were also addressed. In general, both EPs and carers were enthusiastic about the sessions, with carers reporting that they found it helpful to be able to discuss their concerns, receive practical advice, set goals and gain a new insight into their situation. These findings were supported by an increase in carers' feelings of confidence, and a decrease in their feelings of concern, following the sessions. Such findings endorse the use of EP-led consultation sessions as a means of supporting foster and adoptive parents.