Learning from Foster Families
What we were curious about:
What activities are foster families expected to do?
How has collaboration with parents, foster families, and caseworkers impacted the child’s placement stability or reunification?
What learned from 32 Foster Families:
100% said ensuring necessities, bringing the child to appointments and working with the school are expectations. Lowest responses were participating in case plan meetings (63%), mentoring/supporting parents for reunification (66%), and attending court to speak about the child’s well-being (66%).
53% of foster parents report collaboration has a moderate to strong impact on reunification.
Study findings conducted by the University of Maryland indicate that QPI improved the relationships between foster and birth parents through specialized training and peer-support groups that challenged biases, articulated the roles and expectations of caregivers, and cultivated a team-based approach to meet the best interests of children in care. Relationships matter