The Experience of Foster Parents: What Keeps Foster Parents Motivated to Foster Long Term? (original) (raw)
Related papers
Continuing to Foster: The Impact on Foster to Adopt Families
2014
Foster parents play a critical role in the life of children in foster care. Increasingly more foster parents are becoming the adoptive resource for these children. This exploratory qualitative study examines the lives of five foster families located in the southeastern part of the United States who have adopted at least one foster child and continued fostering other children in their home. The data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews. This research fills a gap in the literature on how adoptive families are affected by the decision to continue fostering. Five main themes emerged from this study: Intention, Financial Incentives, Parenting Style, Family Bond, and Children's Age. Children that were adopted at an older age tend to be more resistant to the idea of continuing to foster while children adopted at a younger age were more likely to understand this as part of family life. Findings also suggest that an open parenting style, in regard to communication and acceptance plays a role in the success of these families. Although the results of this study are preliminary, the findings are valuable in facilitating the best practices for placement of foster children.
The foster carer's experience: An integrative review
Collegian, 2014
Background: Foster carers have a significant responsibility in caring for children who are unable to live with their birth families and represent a key determinant in child outcomes. Difficulties in recruiting and retaining quality foster carers have resulted in an increase in research investigating foster carers and their experiences in recent years. Aim: To synthesise current literature investigating foster carers and their experiences to enable a better understanding of their unique care-giving context. Method: The electronic databases CINAHL, Health Source, MEDLINE, Pscyh-articles, PsycINFO and sociINDEX were searched using the key terms; 'foster carer', 'foster parent', 'foster mother' and 'foster father'. Articles were included if they reported primary data about foster carers experiences in the English language. Papers published prior to 2000 were excluded in order to provide a contemporary perspective of the foster carer experience. Data was extracted, tabulated and thematically analysed. Findings: The findings from this review revealed the provision of foster care to have both positive and negative effects on foster carers personal well-being. These effects are largely reliant of foster carers perception of their role as either parental or professional, the nature of their relationships with child welfare personnel, and their ability to manage children's difficult behaviours. Conclusion: It is important for nurses to understand caregiving as it occurs in a variety of contexts. Nurses need to have an awareness and understanding of the value and role foster carers have in the lives of vulnerable children. In so doing, nurses are well positioned to assist foster carers to identify and express their needs in relation to their important caregiving role.
Journal of Public Child Welfare, 2022
The number of children in foster care in the United States has risen while new federal regulations in the USA require states to decrease dependence on congregate placements. As family-based settings are the preferred placement option, there is a pressing need to prioritize effective strategies to recruit and retain foster parents. The purpose of this study is to describe the demographic characteristics and life experiences of families who decided to become foster parents at various key points in time in two states: Missouri and Mississippi. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted at key milestones, which include pre-licensure training, completion of training and licensure, shortly after their initial placement, three months after initial placement, and after initial placement disruption occurred. A total of 656 prospective and current foster parents participated in the study. Survey results provide insight into the demographic characteristics of families who are attracted to fostering, those that are successful in obtaining licensure and accepted child placements, providing permanency to the children they care for, and those that decide to dissolve a foster care placement prematurely. Present in the discussion are concerns of those who have been left out of the recruitment process. Implications for policy and practice are also discussed.
Foster parent self-care: A conceptual model
Children and Youth Services Review, 2019
Foster parents play a critical role in the lives of youth in foster care, experience myriad stressors, have high rates of turnover and in turn the child welfare system ultimately over relies on relatively small numbers of caregivers to care for the majority of foster children. While there is a small literature that includes an examination of how foster parents care for themselves and maintain their well-being, to date there is only one study that has primarily examined foster parents' self-care. The purpose of the current article is to highlight the need for greater attention to foster parent self-care and integrate the research literature about foster parent stressors and self-care to propose a conceptual model of foster parent self-care. This manuscript describes the stressors faced by foster parents to illustrate the need for greater attention to foster parent self-care. It then proposes a conceptual model that seeks to expand the notion of self-care beyond a set of practices to an understanding of self-care practices as the result of internal and external factors that contribute to or inhibit foster parent self-care. The authors make recommendations for foster parents, researchers and agencies interested in improving the health and well-being of foster parents. 1.1. Who are foster parents/caregivers? Foster parents are a heterogeneous group, coming from a wide range of social, educational, economic, and cultural backgrounds. According to the Foster Coalition (2015), 63% of foster parents are married, 30% are single and female, and 3% are Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT). These caregivers are primarily White, followed by African-American. The majority (70%) of foster parents/ caregivers have education beyond high-school, yet, only 31% of foster parents are employed full time, and as a group, they have a mean household income lower than that of the general population with children. Foster parent households located in suburban or rural counties, those with foster parents of color, and those with two parents in the home, cared for more children at a time, yet had higher rates of placement turnover (Grimm & Darwall, 2005). Foster parent homes differ from the general population in several ways. Many foster parents live in households with more children than adults. These households are typically larger, with 50% having three or
Concept-mapping the challenges faced by foster parents
Children and Youth Services Review, 1999
The purpose of the study was to describe the challenges faced by foster parents as perceived by foster parents themselves, because they are on the front lines of service delivery. Forty-nine individuals from 30 foster families were asked to describe their challenges in response to the following question: "What would make you consider stopping foster parenting?". Responses to this question were subjected to non-parametric statistical thematic analysis that yielded four themes. The first theme described the challenges of working with the department of Child Welfare and its staff. The second theme described challenges related to indications that foster parents received about their work having low value in the perception of others, most notably, the department of Child Welfare. The third theme was descriptive of threats to family and personal safety, both physical/emotional and legal. The fourth theme described personal/familial and stress-related challenges that could cause thoughts of quitting foster parenting. These themes were consistent with the empirical literature. The results of this study lend credibility to the existing literature on the challenges faced by foster parents. Common problems affecting the field of foster care across the provinces and territories in Canada imply the need for continued attention in this area (
Foster Parent Satisfaction with the Foster Care System and Their Intentions to Decertification
2019
Foster home placement has been gradually decreasing and this study focused on foster parents' support system and the reasons leading to decertification. Specifically, this study aimed to find out how foster parents felt about the foster agency and other child protective services agencies. This study targeted the foster care system within an agency located in Riverside, California. The research method used in the study was post positivism, which was a paradigm that allowed flexibility within the study, using qualitative data-gathering methods such as face-to-face interviews in the foster homes. Nine foster parents participated in the study. The results of the study showed that foster parents in the study were satisfied with the agency, but wanted more praise from the social workers and agency. The study also found that the majority of the participants had difficulties with county social workers and therapists. A recommendation for the agency is to bridge the communication gap among other child protective services agencies, agency social workers, and foster parents and continuously put forth efforts to inform the foster parents of foster care changes. Another recommendation is that the agency hold foster parent appreciation events to demonstrate to the foster parents how much they are valued and appreciated.
Beyond Expectations: From Foster Children to Foster Parents
International Journal of Education
Little research exists on long-term outcomes for adults who have been in foster care as children, with even less research on former foster children who become foster parents themselves. Foster care and maltreatment exert significant independent and interdependent impacts on youth outcomes. While traditional research often focuses on predicting and mitigating negative outcomes, new studies indicate success using a positive youth development approach that is strengths-based targeting positive outcomes, such as strong empathy skills. These outcomes align with the demonstrated skills that lead to successful foster parenting. The current review examines the possible transition from foster child to foster parent through the lenses of parenting styles, attachment, and family systems theories, as well as positive youth development and social justice youth development theories. The authors propose utilizing theory and proven interventions to address foster youths’ attachment and emotional de...
Systematic Review of Factors Affecting Foster Parent Retention
Families in Society, 2021
This study utilized the PRISMA protocol to conduct a systematic review of the literature published in the United States from 1989 to 2018 to identify factors that affect foster parent retention. Foster parent perception of their own limitations within the child welfare system, the child welfare system’s ability to function fluidly, and the foster parents’ relationship with the agency affects retention. In addition, the lack of material resources or inadequacy of funding to cover the cost of services for the child was identified as a barrier to retention. Personal attributes such as flexibility, confidence, and motivation contributed to the caregiver retention as did attending pre-service and in-service training, and having peer support from an experienced foster parent.
Influences on the Decision to Become or Not Become a Foster Parent
Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 2001
This article describes influences on individuals' decision to become or not become a foster parent. Interviews were conducted with participants who had completed preservice training in preparation to become a foster parent. Participants described how training and other factors helped them decide whether or not to become foster parents. Implications for foster care professionals are related both to foster parent training and to foster parent recruitment.