Literature Review of Relative and Non-Relative Foster/Adoptive Parent Factors Related to Placement Stability and Permanence for Children and Youth

Abstract

The Administration on Children, Youth & Families, Children’s Bureau funded the development of a national training initiative to prepare foster and adoptive parents to effectively parent children exposed to trauma and to provide these families with ongoing skill development needed to understand and promote healthy child development. At the end of the grant period, states, counties, tribes, territories, and private agencies will have access to a free, comprehensive curriculum that has been thoroughly evaluated, which can be used to prepare, train, and develop foster and adoptive parents. The National Training and Development Curriculum for Foster/Adoptive Parents (NTDC) will be designed for families who are fostering and/or adopting children through the public child welfare system as well as those adopting through an intercountry or private domestic process. To inform the development of this national training initiative, a needs assessment was conducted. This literature review was conducted to help identify characteristics relative and non-relative foster/adoptive parents need to embody in order to be successful as well as suggested training themes (proficiencies) for these parents. The review resulted in the identification of 10 specific characteristics and 11 proficiencies that relative and non-relative foster or adoptive parents need to have exposure to best prepare them for their caretaking roles. The findings are broken into two groups: (a) caregiver characteristics, and (b) caregiver proficiencies (malleable, trainable factors). Characteristics are inherent qualities or personal attributes that are critical to successful resource parenting. These are traits that are difficult to teach and tend to be inherent or achieved through life experience. Proficiencies describe knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are important to the role of a resource parent.