Including parents, foster parents and parenting caregivers in the assessments and interventions of young children placed in the foster care system

doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2005.03.004

Children and Youth Services Review

Volume 28, Issue 2, February 2006, Pages 180-192

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2005.03.004 Get rights and content

Abstract

Since the release of Zero to Three's principles on assessment of young children, child welfare social workers and other professionals have improved ways to incorporate parents and parenting caregivers into their child's team. However, given the increasing numbers of young children coming into care, and their risk for long-term disability, it is imperative that child welfare social workers become the catalyst to improve options for all young foster children. This paper provides a brief overview of young children in the foster care system and discusses the role of parents and parenting caregivers in the assessment of young children. The paper then explores the interdependence of assessment and intervention and the challenges involved with including parents and parenting caregivers in the assessment of their children. The final section of the paper synthesizes the findings to make several recommendations to improve social work practice for young children in foster care and their families.

Section snippets

Young children in the foster care system

The National Adoption Information Clearinghouse indicates that there are approximately 542,000 children in the United States living in foster care (National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information, 2003). This figure does not include the “hidden” displaced children and youth who may have been abandoned, run away, or living in informal arrangements with relatives or friends. In an attempt to improve the delivery of services to families involved in the child welfare system, the 1980

The role of parents in the assessment of young children

Given the current child welfare statistics, there is a growing awareness of the critical importance of appropriate assessment of all young children, but particularly children in foster care who are most vulnerable to socio-emotional problems, developmental delays or health problems. Early identification of neglect or abuse is particularly important for young children and critical for infants “whose signs of distress may be overlooked or dismissed” (Hochman et al., 2004, p. 14). However,

“Contextualization” and the intensive, integrated aspects of assessment and intervention

Despite the difficulties of incorporating parents into assessment and interventions, a growing body of research indicates the importance of family-centered practice and social networks for a child's healthy development (Dunst, 2000). Specialists within the field of early childhood point to the lack of parent and community participation in the process of early diagnosis of special needs in children. Dr. Sam Meisels (1996) stresses in “Charting the Continuum of Assessment and Intervention” that

The challenge of including parents in the assessment of young children in foster care

Because parents are important “gatekeepers” for a young child's access to early intervention services, child welfare social workers in the foster care system are frequently attempting to work with two different subsets of parents simultaneously. Parents in the first category are likely to be considered among the most vulnerable parents in our population. “Vulnerable” parents might be defined as those parents who are affected by a range of stressors including poverty; disability (physical,

Recommendations for child welfare social workers

Through a brief review of the literature, this paper has identified the importance of including parents, foster parents, or the child's parenting caregiver in the assessments of young children in foster care. It has also helped to clarify the integral nature of assessment and intervention as best practices for young children. The following section will attempt to synthesize the findings to make several workable recommendations to improve social work practice for young children in foster care

Conclusion

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Permanence for disabled children and young people through foster care and adoption: A selective review of international literature
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Citation Excerpt :
Not surprisingly, there is evidence that impermanence and/or high rates of placement turnover have adverse effects on disabled children. These include poor mental health (Harden, 2004; Pasztor, Hollinger, Inkelas, & Halfon, 2006; Steen & Harlow, 2012; Tarren-Sweeney, 2008); attachment/security disorders (Harden, 2004; Tarren-Sweeney, 2008); poor physical health (Harden, 2004; Robertson, 2006); developmental disorders (Harden, 2004) and ‘compromised brain functioning’ (Harden, 2004). Importantly, however, not enough is known about how far poor experiences of care exacerbate conditions that children may have had prior to entering care, or create new ones.
Children who have been removed from their parents need stability and permanence; this is as true for disabled children as it is for others. Yet many children are subject to extended periods of uncertainty and instability. Growing attention has been paid to the need to achieve permanence within a timescale which meets children's needs. As disabled children are over-represented in looked after (in care) populations it is especially important that their needs are considered when formulating policy and practice in this area.
This review of literature covers international material related to stability and permanence for disabled children, in particular permanence achieved through fostering and adoption. A scoping method was used to identify and analyse a broad range of material. Ninety texts were included in the review, including material from the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, China and the Netherlands. Empirical research included quantitative, mixed methods and qualitative studies. Other sources included literature reviews and a small number of research-based ‘think pieces’ and briefings.
Disabled children often have permanence outcomes and experiences which differ from those of other children; most often they are disadvantaged by systematic features of services and by the latent disablism of decision-makers, professionals, carers and potential carers. The findings also show that disabled children are not a homogenous group and that characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity and impairment type show complex relationships with permanence through adoption and foster care.
Important gaps in current knowledge are identified, including disabled children's views and experiences in relation to achieving permanence. Several areas of policy and practice are highlighted where effort to improve permanence needs to be made. These range from tackling negative professional attitudes about the prospects of placing disabled children to further development of non-traditional approaches to the recruitment of foster carers and adopters.
Factors associated with foster carer well-being, satisfaction and intention to continue providing out-of-home care
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Foster carers have typically been found to play a key role in meeting the needs of foster children, yet little research has investigated their well-being, satisfaction and intention to continue providing out-of-home care. The current study investigated the relationships of child behavioural and emotional problems, parenting self-efficacy and the foster carer–child relationship, to foster carer well-being, satisfaction with fostering and intention to continue providing out-of-home care. Foster carers completed self-report measures of the above factors, as well as, foster carer and child demographics and placement factors. Univariately, foster carer well-being was predicted by foster care training, parenting self-efficacy and the foster carer–child relationship. Similarly, parenting self-efficacy and the foster carer–child relationship were also significantly related to foster carer satisfaction. Intention to continue providing out-of-home care was predicted by parenting self-efficacy. No significant associations were identified when multi-variate analyses were conducted, however. Clinical implications of the results are discussed, including the importance of continuing to refine and evaluate foster care training and interventions aimed to improve the self-efficacy of foster carers. Limitations of the study and directions for future research are also discussed.
Fostering children with disabilities: A concept map of parent needs
2007, Children and Youth Services Review
A random sample of licensed foster parents caring for children with disabilities in a major Canadian city was asked “what do you need to be a good foster parent to a child with a disability?” A total of 83 unique responses were obtained. These responses were grouped together by the foster parents. The groupings by foster parents were subjected to two statistical analyses, resulting in five concepts. The concepts included the personal characteristics of foster parents, financial supports, particular skills, a range of support systems as well as foster parent recognition of roles and responsibilities. The results were generally comparable to the literature with some exceptions. Directions for future research are discussed.
Evaluation of a Trauma-Informed Parenting Program for Resource Parents
2022, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Parent-child interaction therapy: Tailoring treatment to meet the sociocultural needs of an adoptive foster child and family
2020, Journal of Family Social Work
Caregiver engagement in the behavioral health screening and assessment for child welfare-involved children: child welfare and behavioral health workers’ perspectives
2019, Journal of Public Child Welfare

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Including parents, foster parents and parenting caregivers in the assessments and interventions of young children placed in the foster care system

Abstract

Section snippets

Young children in the foster care system

The role of parents in the assessment of young children

“Contextualization” and the intensive, integrated aspects of assessment and intervention

The challenge of including parents in the assessment of young children in foster care

Recommendations for child welfare social workers

Conclusion

Completing the evaluation triangle for the next century: Measuring child “well-being” in family foster care

Child Welfare

Family foster care in the next century

Child Welfare

Shared family care: Providing services to parents and children placed together in out-of-home care

Child Welfare

Children, families, and foster care: Analysis and recommendations

Future of Children

A new working definition of social work practice: A turtle's view

Research on Social Work Practice

Family-centered early intervention: Clarifying our values for the new millennium

Topics in Early Childhood Special Education

Evaluation of a training program for foster parents of infants with prenatal substance effects

Child Welfare

Improving the odds for the healthy development of young children in foster care (Promoting the Emotional Well-Being of Children and Families Policy Paper No. 2)

Revisiting “rethinking early intervention”

Topics in Early Childhood Special Education

Toward a new vision for the developmental assessment of infants and young children

Foster care: Voices from the inside