| Abstrakt: |
This article charts the emergence of the policy of ‘racial matching’ in foster and adoption placements through the three stages identified by William Solesbury: first, an issue must command attention, second, claim legitimacy and, third, invoke action (1976: 379–397). The campaign was spearheaded by a small group of black social workers but gained momentum with the establishment of the Association of Black Social Workers and Allied Professions. The dilemma for those advocating change was that, in order to gain general acceptance for their ideas, they had to employ different strategies to appeal to different audiences. Campaigners managed to command the attention of both social workers and the population at large but, although they were successful in claiming legitimacy among many black people, they were less so among the white population where their ideas were introduced into a climate of ideological hostility and presented a challenge to professional social work norms. As a consequence, the implementation of changes was initially patchy, tempered by ambivalence and timidity in the face of public opposition. By the end of the decade, however, most local authorities seemed to have accepted the principle of ‘racial matching’ and the importance of taking into account a child's racial origin and ethnic background had been enshrined in Government legislation. Ten years on, the debate is as fierce as ever but the terms have changed: the legitimacy of some race placement for black children is no longer in question. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER] |
