Foster Parents’ Perceptions of Factors that Promote or Inhibit Successful Fostering

Abstract

Foster parents’ perceptions of familial and parental factors that promote or inhibit successful fostering were examined using semi-structured interviews. Characteristics that facilitate successful fostering include faith or support from church, a deep concern for children, tolerance, a strong cooperative marriage in married foster families, and a daily life that is characterized as organized and routinized but flexible in terms of responding to children’s needs and external demands. Characteristics that inhibit successful fostering include non-child-centered fostering motivations, competing demands for parents’ time and energy, parents’ difficulties in dealing with strong attachments to children who might have to leave the family, and personal and interpersonal inflexibility. The findings from this study highlight the need for foster parents to be skilled at creating family patterns that are characterized by clear, consistent routines and expectations as well as flexibility and tolerance. This dialectic pattern of family functioning should be a primary focus during training for foster parent applicants.

Through the Eyes of Ex-Foster Children: Placement Success and the Characteristics of Good Foster Carers

“…However one can presume that if all of the children's criteria for success as highlighted in this study are achieved, then it is more likely that the other measures of success would naturally follow. The perspective of ex-foster children is important here because in Buehler's (Buehler, Cox, & Cuddeback, 2003) study of the factors that carers feel contribute to a successful placement, findings primarily related to the cares themselves, how they feel and the familial factors that contribute a successful placement. Very little was mentioned about how foster children feel when they are in a good placement, which was central to the definition provided by former foster children.…”

“…This is particularly the case in terms of personal characteristics -including loving and caring, easy going and not too serious, committed and persistent, understanding and non-judgemental flexible (Buehler, Cox, & Cuddeback, 2003;Sinclair & Wilson, 2003a). Other attributes are particularly relevant from the foster child's perspective, such as honest (in terms of being honest not only with the foster child about decisions that affect them, but also honest with caseworkers about how things are going within the foster home); being good listeners and communicators (being able to genuinely listen to the views and opinions of the foster child and clearly explain the rationale for decisions that affect them); and fun-loving (genuinely enjoying spending time doing things children like to do, and not being too focused on the more serious aspects of life such as work).…”

“…• personal characteristics: open-minded and accepting of child's background, tolerant, flexible, easy going, organised, consistent (enforcement of rules), deep love or concern for children, realistic, warm, child oriented, respectful, show love and affection, stable, caring, loving, fair, persistent, committed, trustworthy, able to provide reasonable discipline and set limits (Buehler, Cox, & Cuddeback, 2003;Cameron & Maginn, 2008;Crum, 2010;Sinclair & Wilson, 2003a;Whiting & Lee, 2003);…”

“…• motivations: having the children's welfare as the central motivation, not being motivated by the monetary allowance provided, because of a genuine love for children and young people, (Buehler, Cox, & Cuddeback, 2003;Sinclair & Wilson, 2003a); and…”

“…• environmental and familial factors: strong marriage or partner, faith and strong support from religious organisations, strong and positive parental support network (Brown & Campbell, 2007;Buehler, Cox, & Cuddeback, 2003;Crum, 2010).…”