Our Family Care Research project aims to establish a clearer picture of what meaningful support is already on offer for Christian parents of care-experienced children.

The last six years has – wonderfully – seen a significant increase in Christian families being approved as foster carers or adoptive parents.

The Family Care Research Project aims to consider how these families can be supported through the joys and challenges they will inevitably face.

About the Project

Many children in care will have experienced a form of abuse or neglect – all will have experienced loss. This can have a material impact on family life with many going through times of crisis and instability.

Led by Rachel Maclure, the Family Care Research project aims to establish what meaningful support is already on offer for Christian parents of care-experienced children.

Our Call for Evidence

The Call for Evidence sought the views of Christian parents/carers of care-experienced children living in the UK and took place from March to June 2022.

The online questionnaire gathered responses from 91 Christian parents/carers of care-experienced children. Of these participants, 10 were randomly selected for a semi-structured online interview. The data analysis stage is now under way with a report due to be published in the Autumn.

A Terms of Reference document outlines the background, objectives, benefits and constraints of this research. Our thanks to Dr Tim Davy, Head of Research Consultancy at All Nations College, for serving as Research Advisor and Annabel Silson, our Research Assistant.

Get Involved

Those who support parents

We are keen to hear from any Christian counsellor or therapist with experience in this area, and from local churches and pastoral workers who have supported families of care-experienced children.

By speaking to those who are already on the frontline of this important ministry, we hope to build an understanding of what meaningful support looks like now and how it can be made more widely available in the future.

Email Rachel at rachel@biblicalcounselling.org.uk and she will arrange a time to speak with you.

Join the mailing list

About Rachel Maclure

Prior to working at BCUK, Rachel was a Champion Coordinator and Project Worker for Home for Good, a Christian charity that seeks to find a home for every child in the care system. Her family were also foster carers to an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child.

These experiences highlighted to Rachel the acute need to support parents of care-experienced children. Her vision is to see a service that offers regular Christian support to families of adopted and fostered children across the UK.

Rachel has studied on Biblical Counselling UK’s Certificate Course. She is married to David and they attend St John’s Isleworth church where David is Vicar. They have three birth children.