Caregivers With Less Experience May Be More Committed To Their Foster Children
Past research has shown that stability in caregiving is a powerful predictor of long-term outcomes for children. Foster children who experience multiple placements are likely to experience greater academic difficulties and exhibit more behavioral problems as compared to children with stable placements. The authors of the present study note that commitment, defined as the extent to which the caregiver is motivated to have an enduring relationship with a particular child, is an extremely important factor to consider when assessing stability, and caregiver-foster child relationships in general. This research focused on this issue. Specifically, the authors examined characteristics of both children and caregivers to see how they might affect the level of commitment that caregivers have for their foster children.
Eighty-four parent-child dyads were examined, with foster children ranging in age from 5 months to 5 years. The foster parents’ level of commitment was assessed using a valid and reliable semi-structured interview. Results indicated that foster parents were more committed to their foster children when they had cared for fewer, rather than more, children in the past. This finding may be surprising, as agencies often value parents who have extensive experience fostering children. The authors hold that for older children presenting with behavioral problems, experience may be an important factor to consider, but infants and young children may be more appropriately placed with foster parents who are more likely to be committed (i.e., those with less experience fostering children). It is important to note that the present study focused only on young children, and thus, the recommendation regarding older children is speculative. This finding has implications for policy. First, if young children were to be placed with relatively inexperienced foster parents, then foster care agencies would need to expand the pool of potential foster parents. The authors note that while this may be difficult for agencies that already have limited resources and available foster parents, more individuals may be interested in becoming foster parents if the role shifted. That is, individuals may be more interested if the expectation was that they would foster one (or perhaps a small number) of foster children, rather than many children. In addition, the authors state that placing infants in potentially adoptive homes would minimize caregiver disruptions.
In addition, the results showed that caregivers displayed higher levels of commitment to children that were placed at younger ages, as opposed to older ages. In light of this finding, the authors suggest that the easiest and most effective way to increase commitment to older youth is by simply helping foster parents become aware of the finding that commitment is sometimes decreased when caring for older children. It is also important to help caregivers understand that foster children need a supportive and committed caregiver, despite the youth’s behavior that may suggest otherwise. Despite the study limitations and the need for further research, both of these findings highlight the importance of designing a child welfare system that enhances caregivers’ commitment to their foster children.
Dozier, M., & LindhiemO. (2006). This is my child: Differences among foster parents in commitment to their young children. Child Maltreatment, 11, 338-345.
