A large part of the success (or failure) of any given placement rests on the quality of relationship between birth parents, foster carers and professionals. Breakdowns in communication — perhaps due to conflicting attitudes towards a child's behaviour, or intolerance or misunderstanding of a birth parent's circumstances — can make an already sensitive situation even more problematic for all concerned. Eileen Munro draws from psychology and, in particular, the insights provided by attribution theory to show how such difficulties might be avoided or at least resolved should they arise. She advocates training both foster carers and social workers toward developing a more tolerant view, where possible, replacing blame with compassion based on appreciation of the social and psychological forces that are outside a person's conscious control. Central to this process is the sharing of clear and accurate information so that carers can be fully aware of what they are taking on and social workers, in turn, have a realistic perception of the child's well-being, including relations with his or her birth family.
