Literature & Resource Review: Characteristics of Successful Foster, Adoptive and/or Kinship Caregivers of American Indian, Alaska Native, First Nations and Native Hawaiian (AIAN/FN/NH) Children and Suggested Training Themes for these Parents

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. This literature review was conducted to help identify characteristics of a successful foster, adoptive and/or kinship caregivers of AIAN/FN/NH youth as well as suggested training themes for these parents. This search resulted in the identification of 18 specific characteristics and 13 suggested training themes that Native American parents who want to foster/adopt, need to have exposure to best prepare them for their caretaking roles. The characteristics and suggested training themes, and their associated reference material, are outlined in this report.