Paper
Increasing the benefits of foster carer peer support
- issue: Issue 1-2013 / 2013
- authors: Nikki Luke and Judy Sebba
- keywords: peer support; mentoring; support groups; literature review; intervention
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- downloaded: 0
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abstract
Aim. In this paper we will describe our work examining the effectiveness of peer support schemes for foster carers run by a group of fostering service providers in England. We will discuss how we have worked with providers to translate evidence-based recommendations about what works well in helping carers to support each other into practice. We are currently in the final stage of this research, which involves an evaluation of the potential benefits for carers, children and placements that might arise when service providers implement these recommendations.
Method. This research project is comprised of three stages. Stage 1 was designed to provide an evidence base for the ensuing practice-based study. A review of the international research on peer contact between foster carers (Luke & Sebba 2013) was undertaken in order to identify the ways in which foster carers come together, the forms of support and learning that this provides and the subsequent impact on outcomes for carers, children and successful placements. Electronic databases and websites were searched to produce the final list of 31 studies included in the review. Key messages and recommendations from the research (outlined below) were used to inform the practice-based stages of the project.
In Stage 2, we produced two detailed menus of evidence-based recommendations and operational considerations for providers: one on the subject of peer mentoring/ buddying schemes, and the other on foster carer support groups. We met with four fostering service providers to discuss these recommendations and how they might be used in designing new (or modifying existing) contact schemes. Three providers chose to use the recommendations as a basis for improving existing support groups for carers, while the fourth decided to introduce a peer mentoring scheme for all new foster carers.
We are currently conducting Stage 3 of the project, which involves an evaluation of the providers' chosen peer contact schemes. The success (or otherwise) of these schemes is being evaluated by employing a pre- and post-test design. The measures used in this study are being administered at the start of the new or revised contact scheme, and will be administered again after a period of six months to evaluate its effectiveness. Measures include semi-structured interviews and/or focus groups to capture carers' perceptions of peer support and any perceived impact of the scheme on relationships with others (family, social workers and children), attitudes to fostering and intention to continue in the role. Additional measures for carers consist of questionnaires to assess changes in stress levels (Parenting Stress Index; Abidin 1995) and parenting attitudes (Child-Parent Relationship Scale; Pianta 1992). Placement outcomes and foster carer retention will be assessed by obtaining information from the fostering service provider. Finally, young people fostered by the carers are asked to complete a measure of their perceived relationship with the carer - a short version of the Network of Relationships Inventory (Furman & Buhrmester 1985) - in order to triangulate any data from carers suggesting changes in their relationships with the child. This broad range of measures will enable us to evaluate any impact of the scheme on outcomes for carers, children and successful placements.
Findings. Our literature review revealed that peer contact between foster carers fulfils a number of important support needs: the need for emotional (the provision of caring and empathy), instrumental (concrete assistance), informational (assisting with problem-solving) and appraisal (positive feedback) support (Hinson Langford, et al., 1997). In addition, peer contact can serve to counter the sense of isolation that is sometimes experienced by foster carers.
The opportunity to meet with other carers, to learn from each other and to offload about problems, in order to reduce social isolation and to talk to those with a shared understanding of the issues, emerged as key factors from the international literature. The need to consider differences in support needs both at specific points in the carer's career and between individual carers mean that a «one-size-fits-all» approach is unlikely to be of benefit. Nonetheless, commonalities in carers' perceptions suggest that the findings can be generalised and should be used to inform policy and practice.
The review also revealed a lack of studies reporting and evaluating interventions specifically designed to improve peer support by offering increased opportunities for contact between foster carers. Evaluations are needed to examine the direct links between peer contact and relevant outcomes such as carers' motivation, satisfaction and retention, children's well-being and placement stability.
Messages from the review provided the basis for our practice-based study, which aims to inform and evaluate a number of schemes for promoting foster carer contact offered by local authorities and independent fostering providers. Our recommendations have already been applied to the (re)design of foster care support groups and peer mentoring schemes. Baseline measures are currently being taken of carers' perceptions of peer support, relationships with others, stress levels and attitudes to fostering, and of foster children's perceptions about their relationship with the carer. These measures will be re-administered after carers have been involved in the contact scheme for six months, to evaluate whether the scheme has been of benefit. Foster carer retention and placement stability will also be assessed in this evaluation.
Conclusion. Our literature review revealed a range of provisions offered for foster carers to meet with each other, including local support and advocacy groups, social contact, training sessions, mentoring and buddying schemes. The benefits of these schemes identified by carers included the emotional, instrumental, informational and appraisal aspects of social support.
Messages from the research identified in the review have been translated into a menu of specific, practical advice and questions for service providers looking to design or modify contact schemes for foster carers. Separate menus relating to peer support groups and peer mentoring are available on request from the Rees Centre.
Key references
Abidin, R.R. (1995). Parenting Stress Index (3rd ed.), Psychological Assessment Resources. Odessa, FL.
Furman, W., Buhrmester, B. (1985). Children's perceptions of the personal relationships in their social networks. Developmental Psychology, 21(6), 1016-1024.
Hinson Langford, C.P., Bowsher, J., Maloney, J.P., Lillis, PP. (1997). Social support: a conceptual analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 25(1), 95-100.
Luke, N., Sebba, J. (2013). Supporting each other: An international literature review on peer contact between foster carers. Oxford: Rees Centre.
Pianta, R.C. (1992). Child-Parent Relationship Scale, University of Virginia. Retrieved from http://curry.virginia.edu/academics/directory/robert-c.-pianta /measures.