HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 06051990 - H.A THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Adopted this Order on June 5, 1990 by the following vote:
AYES: Supervisors Powers, Schroder, McPeak, Torlakson, Fanden
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
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SUBJECT: Retention of Foster Parents
Gary M. Namie, Ph.D, Chairman, Family ihd-Children' s
Services Advisory Committee (FACSAC) , presented the attached report
to the Board on the retention of foster parents in Contra Costa
County.
Sharyn Obrigewitsch, 3244 G Street, Antioch, a foster
parent and member of FACSAC, noted that the report contained many
excellent recommendations.
Beverly Olagues, 4112 Tulare Court, Concord, a County
foster parent for 8 1/2 years, urged that current foster parents be
involved in the training of new foster parents.
James Rydingsword, Social Service Director, advised that
a meeting will be scheduled with his staff, FACSAC Chair and foster
parents to discuss implementing recommendations in the report and
improving the foster parent program.
IT IS BY THE BOARD ORDERED that the report of FACSAC on
Retention of Foster Parents in Cbntra Costa County is ACCEPTED.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Social Service Director
is REQUESTED to present a follow-up report to the Board on the
meeting with the FACSAC Chair, foster parents and Social Service
Department staff.
cc: Social Services Director
County Administrator
I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of
an action taken vnd entered on the minutes of the
Board of Supe on the date shown.
ATTESTED: 3 /990
PHIL CHELOR,Clerk of the Board
of Supervisors and County Administrator
.Deputy
RETENTION OF
FOSTER PARENTS
IN
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
000000
A Report to the
Board of Supervisors and
the Social Service Department
prepared by
FACSAC
The Family And Children's Services
Advisory Committee
of Contra Costa County
Gary M. Namie, Ph.D.
Chairman
April, 1990
1990 Foster Parents Report
FACSAC
Acknowledgements
The Family and Children's Services Advisory Committee
is grateful to the Administration of the Contra Costa County
Social Service Department (James Rydingsword, SSD Director,
and Rose Manning, Assistant Director, Children's Bureau)
for preserving our objectivity without interference and for
mailing the survey to all foster parents on the County list.
Barbara Chase, Executive Assistant, tirelessly researched past
studies and made available background materials for our report
while Veronica Paschall faithfully transcribed and made readable
the testimony and questioning from the FACSAC meetings at
which information was gathered.
The anonymous Foster Parents who returned their surveys
in time for inclusion in the report are lauded for their candor
and specific suggestions. In addition, six individuals-appeared
in person at FACSAC meetings to share their concerns and
to offer constructive suggestions. Because they took time out
from their busy schedules, and the Foster Parents had to find child
care, we sincerely thank:
Sharyn Obrigewitsch
Nancy Carey
Sara Monser
Bev Olagues
Marion Collins
Anice Nolen
Without them, there would be no heart in our report.
Gary Namie, Ph.D.
Chair, FACSAC
1990 Foster Parents Report
FACSAC
Table of Contents Page
About FACSAC's Role . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Purpose of the Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Previous Foster Care Studies in Contra Costa County
The 1986 Armstrong Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . 6
The 1988 Canan Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
InformationSources . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
The FACSAC Foster Parent Survey/Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Findings: The Survey Results
Foster Parent Repondents Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Evaluation of SSD Orientation& Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Correlational Relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Trends in the Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
FosterParent Concerns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Suggested Improvements
Towards Better Serving the Interests of Foster Children 26
Technical/Administrative Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Information Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Support for Foster Parents' Mental Health and Civil Rights . . 30
Respect for Foster Parents as Professional Partners . . . . . . . . 31
Strengths of the Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Learning From Others
San Francisco County,(FISCP, 'Baby Moms") . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Out of Region Models . . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
FACSAC's Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
A Model for Foster Esteem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
-Appendix A (Survey Question Categories) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Appendix B (Notes) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Appendix C (A Primer on Statistical Correlations) . . . . . 40
Appendix D (The Complete Correlation Matrix) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
FACSAC Memberhip Roster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
About FACSAC
The Family And Children's Services Advisory Committee is a group of
volunteers appointed by the County Board of Supervisors to advise the
Board and the Social Service Department (SSD) on the effect of current
and proposed social welfare programs, welfare.legislation, and the
problems of the low-income community. Established by a 1972 Resolution
of the Supervisors, FACSAC is comprised of 15'regular members and 5
alternates.
Over the years, the Committee has defined its three principal
functions as: 1) Advisory, as outlined by the founding resolution above,
2) Community Liaison, doing outreach and seeking input,
3) Advocacy for concerns of welfare clients, the staff&
management of the SSD, & the disadvantaged community
The enclosed report satisfies all three of the committee's reasons for
being. It is the first in-depth special topic report of the series planned for
1990.
FACSAC's Role as Reporter
The information contained in these pages is from the Foster Parents
themselves. To do justice to the eloquence and passion expressed about
their concerns with, and suggestions for, the SSD, we have quoted partici-
pants whenever possible. The information was paraphrased, collated &
categorized only to make it succinct and readable and to preserve
confidentiality. FACSAC is content to report the Foster Parents' concerns
and suggestions rather than to interpret them; our editorial comments
appear in the Conclusions section.
2
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Executive Summaru
The Board-appointed Family and Children's Services Advisory Committee
(FACSAC), in its role as advisor to the Social Service Department (SSD) and
liaison with the community, assessed the quality of ZYeatment of Foster
Parents by the SSD from the perspective of Foster Parents themselves. It
was decided to focus on Treatment alone because it was believed to impact
the retention and recruitment of parents to meet the County's burgeoning
need for placements while the roster of parents shrinks. In turn, as the
quality of the interaction between the.Social.Worker and Foster Parent
suffers, the ability of the foster care system to serve the "best interests of
foster children" is weakened.
At the first three monthly FACSAC meetings in 1990, expert guests
provided to the committee'information about the low Foster Parent reten
tion rate experienced by SSD. In addition, a 2-page questionnaire was
written and distributed to County Foster Parents. It solicited their
confidential opinions on various aspects of their treatment by SSD staff.
`- The opinion data were analyzed and integrated with the anecdotal testi-
mony. The reported concerns of Foster Parents about their treatment were
characterized as being related to one of the following categories:
Lack of Respect for Foster Parents
Frequently insensitive or denigrating workers
♦ Too Little Support From Staff
Inexpertise of staff
-Withholding or distortion of information
Limited accessibility
♦ Policies &Attitudes That Fail to Serve the Children
Suggestions for improvement were provided by survey respondents and
FACSAC members. Most suggestions involve management solutions to the
problem of unacceptable performance by some staff and accomplishing a
major shift in.attitudes toward Foster Parents. Most suggestions create no
fiscal.burden.
3
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Purpose of the Report .
We offer this report to the Contra Costa County community--Foster
Families, Social Workers, the Children's Bureau of the Social Service
Department, the SSD Director, the Board of Supervisors, and elected
officials representing us in the State and Federal governments--for one
reason. That is, we want to,ensure that the 'best interests of children in
foster care' are served. We'll support and encourage any people, policies
and programs that share that mission.
According to the Department's self-declared mission for the foster care
program (see Note 1), it, too, puts children.first.
It is our belief that-these children shall be given every possible option
to grow and develop into well-ad,justed, healthy and productive adults.
With this in mind, the importance of identifying problems, describing
the needs of Foster Parents, and the myriad of constraints imposed on, and.
by, the overburdened system all pale in comparison to serving the needs"of
the children. All politics, economics and system-sustaining arguments
must be put aside while we search for solutions to problems that directly
impact the children!
The Foster Parent is compelled to make demands of the system via the
Social Worker in order to satisfy the child's needs. The interdependence
of Child, Parent& Social Worker is simply illustrated as follows:
CHMD'S NEED PARENTS.REQUEST r::>
(for clothes or medicine) (can be patient or demanding)
WORKER RESPONSE PARENTS PERCEPHON OF TREATMENT
(avoidance or denial or compliance) (satisfaction or exasperation or disgust)
The child's experience while in foster care, and the chance of
successfully surviving the system, depend, in large part, on positive
treatment of the Foster Parent.
4
1990 Foster Parent Report.
FACSAC
The county's retention of capable Foster Parents also affects the
children. When parents flee the county system to quit fostering
completely or to jump to another public or private program, this leads to
the squeezing of more children into a constantly shrinking number of
homes. Placement becomes more difficult for the worker who lets positive
treatment of the parent slip. Treatment clearly affects retention and foster
parents'flight, and thus, the children. One respondent said to us:
I hope you are able to help effect some changes so that those of us who
are very good, skilled families don't have to leave the county and go
to other private agencies with better support systems.
With fewer homes in-which to place children and growing levels of
desperation on the workers' part, the strain on workers is inevitable. Does
the strain necessarily guarantee poor treatment? We think it need not.
How does the strain impact the children? Let this parent deliver the
ultimate warning.
The claim of(social workers) being too overworked does not
breathe life back into a child beaten, or starved_ or neglected to,
death = .
FACSAC shares the department's pride in the Family Preservation
Program. We're also hopeful that that program's success could prevent
out-of-home placement for up to 40% of the children now in the foster
care system. Since this is not yet a reality, we advocate strengthening the
current system.,as much as possible.
The focus of this report is on the treatment of Foster Parents as seen
from their perspective because the quality of the interaction with Social
Workers, in turn, either facilitates nor impairs the satisfaction of the "best
interests" of the child.
5
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Previous Foster Care Studies in Contra Costa Countu
The 1986 Armstrong Study
Dr. Kathryn Armstrong completed a seminal study for the Youth
Services Board and SSD. The scope of her analysis was broader and the
focus somewhat different than ours. She critiqued the then current
deficiencies in foster parent recnAtment. However, similarities between
our findings abound in that many of the 13 critical, often inseparable,
problem areas impacting recruitment identified in her study also surfaced in
our research four years later. Armstrong's Issue #5, "HOW FOSTER
PARENTS ARE TREATED BY SOCIAL WORKERS AND HOW THEY ARE
INCLUDED IN DECISION MAKING". is the most relevant to this FACSAC
report It should be stated that FACSAC isolated the topic of treatment for
study independent of the previous studies.
In 1986, the problems with treatment can be illustrated with the
following statements-from participants (Note 3). (Armstrong.admitted
paraphrasing the individuals she interviewed; so here we quote her report)
A worker's opinion:
Many (foster parents) don't want to cooperate with our authority
and would sabotage visits with natural parents, so we have to con-
front them on these unpleasant areas... theirjob is to provide the
daily care for the child, but only use have the authority to decide what . .
should happen with the child.. They don't understand that.
The foster parent can never replace the natural parent.
Parents' comments:
Three different workers willfollow three different approaches with
the same child, ...
Every social worker is an independent entity. -They make decisions
based upon their own criteria and personality.
We have no defense against the individual personalities of workers.
In this system there is no one who is for the foster parents.
The adversarial nature of the relationship came through clearly. The
principal thrust of the Armstrong study was to improve the county's Foster
6
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Parent recruitment program. Dr. Armstrong acknowledged the relationship
between treatment and recruitment success.
The 1988 Canan report
The second piece of relevant study of the foster care system was done
within the SSD by Linda Canan in January, 1988 The resonsibility for
implementing changes suggested by the Armstrong report fell on Rose
Manning and Linda Canan, then Service Division Supervisor. The "Foster
Care Licensing Project Report", or the Canan report as well refer to it,
summarized the activities completed between 1986 and the end of 1987.
The report's emphasis was also recruitment and activities that would
ultimately support it. .A Danville consulting firm had been contracted to :, . ,
orchestrate the campaign.. It's worth mentioning that the consultants
understood retention to also be one of their objectives (Note 4). The;visible
outcomes of the contract were the "800" number,recruitment line,:ad
campaign and preparation and distribution of foster parenting brochures,
literature. and revised licensing forms.
The Canan report included departmental responses to the Armstrong
study, issue by issue. The report on actions taken on Issue # 5, bettering the
treatment of Foster Parents, can.be summarized here (Note 5).
o The licensing project.staff felt confident that they had been
"communicating to foster parents their value to the agency' but
that the direct communication of this message to Children's
Services staff remained a goal for the coming year (1988).
Thus there was a hint of intradepartmental lack of clarity and
consensus about the value of Foster Parents inhouse.
The firstfull-time Developer-Trainer for foster parents was
Appointed to have foster parents "come to believe that the Dept.
values them ... (by having) a staff member available'to meet with
them at their request to discuss their concerns and to mediate
differences..." She was also certified as a MAPP trainer (the Model
7
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Approach to Partners in Parenting program developed in
Massachusetts) for use in the preservice orientation for new Foster
Parents.
• Other responses included developing a newsletter and promoting
a retreat and training for Foster Parents through the local
community colleges.
For this 1990 report, Foster Parents stated that their involvement in
the department's orientation program was dropped after the Developer-
1Yainer was appointed. It is ironic that the partnership in MAPP refers to
the joint participation of Social Workers and Foster Parents.
All three studies--Armstrong, Canan & FACSAC--address the issue of
treatment of Foster Parents. This FACSAC report is not going to scrutinize
each issue and claim made in previous studies. The reader is invited to
evaluate the evolution of the quality of treatment from 1986 to the present
and to draw his or her own conclusions. The earlier works focused on
recruitment, we are primarily concerned with current concerns over
treatment in that they negatively impact the quality of care for the children.
The FACSAC report is also different because its recommendations are
not designed to increase "efficiency." Instead, it's about a group of extra-
ordinary people, contemporary society's altruists. Because of FACSAC's
Community Liaison mandate, we prefer to seek community input, the
community being Foster Parents in this case.
8
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Information Sources
We collected information directly from Foster Parents in two ways. .
First, representatives from the Foster Parent Association, Foster Care
Action Coalition, Foster Care Education Program at Diablo Valley College,
and San Francisco County's Fragile Infant Special Care Program
(FISCP-"Baby Moms") addressed FACSAC members at regular meetings of
the committee in January, February& March, 1990. Their direct quotes
and paraphrased comments appear in the Findings and Suggested
Improvements sections.
The second source of direct information was.through responses to a
2-page.Foster Parent Survey. It's described in detail in the section that
follows (pages 10-11). FACSAC wrote,the survey and provided the SSD
with 550 sealed envelopes ready for labeling and mailing to Foster Parents
on the county's list. The suryeys were distributed during the first week of
April, with an indicated due date of April 18. Respondents were
instructed to mail completed forms directly to the FACSAC chair at his
residence to guarantee anonymity and freedom from reprisals by
department staff for any negative comments made. Forty-four surveys (see
Note 2) were returned in time to be analyzed and included in this report.
Both quantitative and.anecdotal data were collected and analyzed.
Comments and statistical information given by surveyed parents are
integrated with the findings and suggestions given at FACSAC meetings.
Additional'information was gleaned from previous studies done within
and for the SSD on the topic of foster care system reform. Findings from
those studies which pertain to the topic of Foster Parent Treatment were
reviewed in the section beginning on page 6.
Finally, information was included from the 1989 Federal General
Accounting Office (GAO) report on Foster Parents: Recruiting and
Preservice Training Practices Need Evaluation.
9
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
The FACSAC Foster Parent Surueu
Page 1 of the Sumey
(Instructions to respondents assured them of anonymity and importance for
the report.)
THE"CARE OF FOSTER PARENTS"SURVEY
Dear Foster Parent:
FACSAC(Family And Children's Services) is an independent advisory committee made up of volunteers,
including three foster parents. For our first in-depth report of 1990,we're focusing on the treatment of
foster parents by the County.FACSAC is W the Social Service Dept.; we will share our report with the SSD
&the Board of Supervisors describing the current status of the initial treatment&training of foster parents.
By completing the attached,anonymous questionnaire,,you help FACSAC better understand your
experience. You are a valuable resource,often unrecognized for the work you do,and we want to examine
the system of recruiting and retaining foster parents. The quality of our report depends on your input.
Ali responses are anonymous and will be reviewed a*by FACSAC members. Give no names of SSD
staff. You may answer as a couple. If your opinions of the system for handling foster parents differ,please
complete one form per person so that your voice is heard. Thark you.
-Gary Narnie,Chair FACSAC
Feel free to use the back of the sheet if brief answers won't do.
How did you learn about the opportunity to become foster parents?
Another foster parent Newspaper ad Other,please tell how
Briefly,why did you first get involved?
For how many years have you.been a foster parent? Why are you still?
How many foster children are in your home now? How many over the years?
Number of natural children you have(or had)
Approximately how many placements has(have)the foster child(ren)had?(write in numbers).
Are you an emergency placement home? ._Yes Yo
If yes,have the regulations regarding length of stay or number of children in the home ever
been violated? Yes _No If yes,how so?
For the next set ofestions,place a checkmark on the line that best reflects your opinion
How SATISFIED are you that the "best interests of the child(ren)" are being served by the system?
Not at all satisfied_ _ _ _ Very satisfied
About the orientation, training &support for foster parents from the County:
How USEFUL is the initial orientation program offered by the Social Services Department (SSD) for
new parents?
Very useful _ _ _ _ _ Completely useless
How REALISTIC is that orientation and preservice instruction?
Very realistic_ _ _ Not at all realistic
10
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Have you attended any training after the initial orientation for parents? _Yes. _No
How IAZPORTANT is it to include veteran foster parents in the SSD orientation for new parents?
Very important _ , _ _ _ Not at all important
Would you volunteer to participate in the orientation? Yes No
How USEFUL are the Foster Care Education Program courses offered.through DVC?
Very useful — _ _ _ Completely useless O Haven't taken any.courses .
Should foster parents be REQUIRED to attend twining? _Yes No
How COOPERATIVE is the SSD withX11 groups working on behalf of foster parents and children?
Not at all cooperative, _ — _ _Very cooperative
Page 2 of the Survey begins here
How ADEQUATE is the level of support given to you by the staff at SSD?
Complete&appropriate— _ __ Not at all adequate
How VALUABLE do the SSD staff&policies make you feel as foster parents?
Very valuable,indispensable_ _ — Valueless,dispensable.
How USEFUL to you would be mandated support groups for foster parents?
Very useful — _ _ — Completely useless
Rate the stay,NO NAMES(if there is more than one caseworker,give those ratings on the back):
A. Technically skilled — _ — — _ A bungler,incompetent¬ knowledgeable
gives correct answers
B. Always a source of social — — -__ Never'a source of social&emotional support
&emotional support as a foster parent
C. Never available_ — — — Always accessible-&available
D. The frequency of your personal contact with the SSD caseworker is:
Too much -Just right Too little
Have you ever had a foster child who is(was)drug exposed? Yes —No
If yes,comment on the adequacy of the medical,economic&social support for you.
What agency,person,course,program or any source of advice prepared you best for foster
parenting?
What does the Social Service Department do RIGHT for foster parents? Be specific.
What should the Department do DUTERENTLY in its treatment of foster parents? Be specific.
Please mail, in complete confidence, BY,APRIL 18 to
G. Namie, --------------------------------- Concord Ph..--- - ----=------
.(Additional space was provided for open-ended questions on the copy-of the
survey actually distributed.)
. 11
1990 Foster Parent Report.
FACSAC
Findings : The Surueu Results
Understanding the Data
Forty-four completed FACSAC Foster Parent Surveys were received in time
for inclusion in the following analyses. The survey instrument itself asked
questions in three ways which dictated the method of reporting the
results. There were:
• Open-ended, unstructured questions
e.g., Why did you fust get involved with foster care?
Responses were categorized and the percentages reported
Verbatim quotes from participants appear in italics.
• Questions of choice (nominal scaling)
e.g., Are you an emergency placement home? Yes/No
Percentages of responses reported
• Opinion scales requiring the parent to rate, on a graded scale,
characteristics of an activity or interaction with the SSD
e.g., How realistic is the orientation and preservice instruction?
Response choices: Not at all realistic ___ Very realistic
Responses on this type of scale, withl l items analyzed this way,
were the most informative because they yielded the results:
A Mup average score (arithmetic mean) by assigning the values
of"0" to the "Not at all..." end and "4" to the high, "Very..." end
A percentage of tsi
he maximum score ung the ratio of group
average over maximum score. e.g., Avg.= 3.75 out of a 4.00
maximum yields a 93.8% score. It can be interpreted as a
measure of success.
-The percentage of responses in each of the five opinion
categories defined by the scale (0, 1, 2, 3, 4) .
-Correlations among all 5 and 3 point scaled items (including
Yes/No responses. coded as 0,1) to explore relationships, both
positive and negative, among the activities and perceptions of
staff
The Profile of Foster Parent Respondents .
Characteristic Average Range
Years of service 8.18 yrs. 7 mos to 26 yrs
75%had 13 or less years of service
13.5%had 20 or more years of service
Number of natural children 2.52 children --
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1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Number of foster children
in home now: 1.56 children 1 to 6
Number of foster children 34.43 children 1 to 250!
placed in home over the years
Percentage of parents with drug-exposed children 86.1%
Percentage of emergency homes .30%
Of the emergency homes, the percentage who 25%
reported any violations of emergency home regulations.
How parents learned about the opportunity to foster parent
Through the media (ads, TV, radio) 36 %
From other agencies (courts, CASR) 23 %
Another Foster Parent 21
Personal foster family experience 13.%
Church T%
My parents initially became involved
Love of children 46.3 %
to help a girl attend our fine school system...to give teenagers
a place to relax without pressure...we enjoy having babies around
To repay a social or moral debt 17.1 %
to make a di�`erence...to add meaning to my own existence...
to help the neighborhood:
Direct or vicarious foster care exp. 17.1
to give respite to regular foster parents
To exercise parenting skills 14.6
to use my gift ..to feel needed...to o f fer a nurturing environment
Church-sponsored program 5 %
Total exceeds 100% due to rounding error .
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1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Notice that money is not listed as a motivator for Foster Parents, contrary
to the popular myth and stereotype. Here are,two foster parents' views:
Too much emphasis is placed on money. My worker's comment that
my monthly check is veru high made me feel cheap.
Face it, most cannot afford to care for these kids, but we do it anyway,
with or without SSD.
Sources of the best preparation for foster parenting
Experience, OJT, trial & error 27.5 %
Continuing education (incl. SSD trg) 25.5 %
Networking with other Foster Parents 21.5 %
Own parents / own children 9.8 %
Support agencies (CASK, church) 9.8 %
SSD worker(licensing or other) 5.9 %
More than one factor was listed by several parents: all responses were included.
Evaluation of Orientation. Training and SSD Support . . .
Most opinion scales, except where noted, were constructed,like the
sample below. Foster parents were to place a check on the line most .
closely matching their opinion.
Not at all ......... V Very ......
0 1 2 3 4
The ...... is substituted for the characteristic of interest. Let's say we're
asking how USEFUL"is the department's orientation for Foster Parents. A
score of"0" meant the person thought it "Not at all useful." A"T is the
middle score meaning the person thought it equally useless and useful. By
.giving a 'A" rating, the foster parent thought the orientation was very
useful. A score of'A" on any scale is always the highest, positive value
possible.
The reader may refer to the survey itself(pages 10& 11) to see the
actual wording of the questions and items upon which the following
analyses are based.
14
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Summary of Orientation &Training Evaluations by Parents
%Max Percentage of Each Rating
Characteristic Averag&AverScore n 0-
USEFULNESS
USEFULNESS of the
SSD orientation 2.55 63.8% 40 12.5 12:5 20 17.5 37.5
REALISM of orientation 2.44 61, % 39 12.8 10.3 25.6 23.1 28.2
IMPORTANCE of using
Foster Parents to train 3.75 93.8% 44 2.3 0 2.3 •11.4 84.1
USEFULNESS of FCEP 3.07 76.8% 30 3.33 33.3 16.7 0 46.7
(Foster Care Educ. Program).
courses
Percentage of parents who attended any training
after the initial orientation: 71
Percentage of parents who had attended FCEP
courses at the community college: 30.2%
Percentage of parents who would'volunteer
to,serve as trainers at the orientation: 71.1%
Percentage of parents disapproving mandatory
training for Foster Parents: 52.5%
Parents' Evaluation of Treatment by Workers . . .
%Max Percentage of Each Rating
Characteristic Average Score n Q 1 2 Q A.
ADEQUACY of support
by SSD staff. 2.00 50 % 42 18:7 21.4' 23.8 21.4 16.7
VALUE of FP as result
of SSD staff/policies 1.85 46.3% 41 19:5 22 26.8 17:1 14.6
TECHNICAL SHILL of
worker 2.07 51.8% 41 22 7.3 29.3 26.8 14.6
15
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
%Haat Perm age of EachRatirg
Characteristic Averaft Score, n 0 1. 2 3 4
FREQUENCY OF
SUPPORT (social/
emotional) SW to'FP 1.92 48 % 41 26.8 14.622 14.6 22
AVAILABILITY of worker ' 2.25 56.3% 42 14.3 14.331 14.3 26.2
SATISFACTION WPI`li (Note:this scale has only three values: 0.1.2)
FREQUENCY OF CONTACT
by worker 0.59. 29.5% 43 44.2 53.5:2.33
(Where"0"= too little contact; "1"=the right amount of contact : "2"=too much contact)
On the Meeting the "Best Interests of the Child" .
Max. Percentage of Each Rating
Characteristic Average Score n 0 1 2 4
SATISFACTION that
the system serves
the 'best interests"
of the child 1.55 38.8% 42' 35.7 21.4 12 14.3 16.7
Key Correlational Relationships . . .
A Primer on Correlations
If you unfamiliar with the correlation tables and interpretations that
follow, or want a refresher course, please consult Appendix C.
16
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Correlations from FACSAC Survey
The complete set of correlation results combines variables in a matrix is 21 X 21.
The entire matrix appears in Appendix D. Only correlations r z .40 and with
potential meaning were isolated for inclusion below:. Any r > .47 is statistically
significant (p < .05). Refer to the original wording of the survey for drawing
conclusions. Only shorthand labels appear below.
VALUE as FP felt from staff&policies at SSD ADEQUACY OF SUPPORT from SSD
.87 Worker's TECHNICAL SHILL .90 Worker's. AVAILABILITY
.80 FREQUENCY of worker SUPPORT .83 VALUE of Foster Parent.
.80 Worker's AVAILABILITY .82 COOPERATIVENESS of SSD
.69 FREQUENCY of Worker CONTACT .78 Worker's TECHNICAL SHILL
.72 Soc/Emo SUPPORT from SSD
:40 No. of previous placements
System serving CHILD'S BEST INTERESTS
.74 COOPERATIVENESS of SSD
. IMPORTANCE to INCLUDE
.63 REALISM of orientation Foster Parents in'orientation
.61 ADEQUACY OF SUPPORT from SSD - .45 ADEQUACY.OF SUPPORT .
.61 Worker's TECHNICAL SHILL - .41 Worker's TECHNICAL SHILL
.59 VALUE of Foster Parent .40 VALUE of Foster,Parent
.56 Soc/Emo SUPPORT from SSD
.49 USEFULNESS of orientation
.47 USEFULNESS of FCEP courses
REQUIRE Foster Parent Training
.50 'Soc/Emo SUPPORT from SSD_
SSD COOPERATIVENESS with all groups - .44 DRUG-EXPOSED CHILD
.83 AVAILABILITY of Worker
.82 ADEQUACY OF SUPPORT
.76 VALUE of Foster Parent
.75 Worker's TECHNICAL SHILL
.74 CHILD'S BEST INTERESTS
.65 Soc/Emo SUPPORT from SSD
.64 FREQUENCY of Worker CONTACT
.62 USEFULNESS of orientation
17
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Trends in the Data
♦ Foster Parents believe the system is failing to serve the children, to
accomplish its mission (Average 1.55 out of 4.00; 69.1% of them
reported being moderately to completely unsatisfied; the "approval
rating' (% Max. score) was 38.8%, second lowest of all the scales)
♦ The emphasis on media recruitment efforts has made them the
most popular method (360/6) .
♦ Foster Parents get involved for prosocial reasons--either for love of
children or to do something for society (63.4%)--not for money.
Churches are underutilized.
♦ The onus of learning to foster parent successfully falls on other
Foster Parents and trial& error (490/6), while only 1/4 of the
respondents credit training, the department's .or FCEP. This
lengthens the time to mastering situations with a population
of,difficult children. Parents and children suffer from the lag time.
♦ FCEP is positively received, 76.8% approval rating, and the SSD
can take some credit for its success since it is still partly directed
by SSD. In comparison, the SSD's solo efforts to prepare & inform
parents, the orientation is rated lower (63.8% useful & 61%realistic).
Note the foster parents' rating of importance to include them in the .
orientation (3.75 out of 4.00) and 71% of them willing to participate.
♦ Revealing is the juxtaposition of Foster Parents not wanting
mandatory training (52.50/6) and the low average scores of worker
technical skill (2.07 out of 4.00) and adequacy of support from the
worker (either 2.00 or 1.92, depending on the measure chosen). The
foster parents seem to be saying it's the worker who needs more skill.
18
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
♦ The average scores on all dimensions of worker contact, availability,
skill and support reveal genuine concern-by Foster Parents. The
department is scoring at or below the median on many dimensions.
From pg. 17
♦ The VALUE correlation cluster serves as a'list of how the department
can make Foster Parents feel valued in their role. All correlations'are
high & positive (.87, .8_0, .80, .69), therefore VALUE means having
skilled, available, in-contact, and supportive (on emotional level, too)
workers. Since the Foster Parents feel generally unvalued (1.85 out of
4.00), the averages on'the scales evaluating the worker must below
also, and they are. The optimistic news is that VALUE will increase
. .when the worker dimension scores also increase.
♦ The IMPORTANCE to INCLUDE FPs in orientation correlation cluster
is interesting. The ne ative correlations with VALUE, ADEQUACY OF
SUPPORT&Worker's TECIMCAL SHILL imply that inclusion can
overcome deficiencies in those areas. Remember it may only be
perceived as overcoming the problems. Simply put, the exclusion of
veteran Foster Parents accounts, in part,for the perceived inadequacy
of support provided by the SSD staff.
♦ The child's interests are best served by showing Foster Parents that
the department is cooperating with all groups involved with foster
care, that the orientation and FCEP courses are made both realistic
and useful, that the Social Workers are skilled and supportive, and
that the Foster Parent is made to feel valuable. (This was our
hypothesis: quality treatment'of Foster Parents ultimately serves the
children.)
19
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Concerns of Foster Parents.
Foster parents are worn out by ajob that is 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week, year after year without respite, support, help or kindness.
-from the Armstrong study. Note 6
All concerns were expressed by parents themselves. Quotes are in italics.
Lack of Respect for Foster Parents
• It's a thankless, negative role, to be a Foster Parent
We aren't the"bad"guys. We are helping give a home to children
who have a bad home We. Don't treat us like"Well you're only
the foster parent
• In the most recent handbook for.parents; the Foster Parent Assoc.
was not listed as a resource.
• Reason enough for Foster Parent flight from-the county
Most leave because of the ineptness, the lack of logical reality, the
lack of input; and the zero respect we deal.with for what we do.--
Natural
o._Natural parents get treated better
Treat us with as much, if not more, respect than natural parents.
Realize that foster parents know by experience what things will be
harmful or disturbing to the children.
- 20
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
• Insensitive to Parents' needs or discounting of Parents' input on
decisions affecting child, but false allegations are investigated
promptly
This new Social Worker called a woman who has been a foster
parent for years and asked her to take a baby. She said she couldn't
because she had been seriously ill, and the worker said "Oh, don't
give me that garbage."
When you place a child you have all these hopes and dreams. ?Mien
,find out the child is very disturbed or has been in residential treat-
ment
reatment and you can't caope with it. Once you've made the connection,
to call up and say you want him removed is a very hand thing. :I
don't feel the county is sensitive to that because they haven't any
place to put the kids.
When you'report an extremely disturbing situation for the child
ajler a visitation, Social Services acts We you are lying about it
Lack of Adequate Support for Child & Parents
• Caseloads overextend workers and strain intradepartmental communi-
cation hindering the delivery of quality service.
Most of the Social Workers I dealt with were caring, intelligent ,
people,just too busy to give concrete help
Cuts in the licensing staff for 4 1/2 reduces the buffer we had
between us and the departmnt They were liaisons for us.
Now we have to go to the supervisor.
The Specialized Program was initially a good program. It was
designed for 2 kids. But now homes have 4 to 6 kids.
21
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
• The Department's commifinent. (both in attitude and formal programs)
to post-recruitment retention and develo]Sment of Foster Parents is
either unknown, misunderstood or Invisible to parents. Success in
foster.care depends too much on.the individual Social Worker.
Let the parents themselves decide who should tel the Foster
Parent's side at orientation. Keep out the Dept picked"smoothies"
Only one person is responsible for the "development"of about.600
Foster Parents.
Having a person try to be both recn titer and complaints investigator
places,the person in an impossible position.. Me two hats don't fit.
NO ONE has anystraight answers! You are constantly referred
to someone easel
• Lack of Social Worker expertise in the development, of either
"normal" or abused/abandoned children; should not override
professionals; lack of knowledge about Difficulty of Care
...have no conception of the norm They see every problem as
psychiatric and a crisis. They've long forgotten(or.never knew)
what was normal with their own(children).
Through therapy, a child was able to say she didn't want to see her
abusing mother again. CASR& the therapist agreed. The Social
Worker disagreed and puled the (child) out of therapy because she
wanted to and felt the (child) deserved to be out.
• Foster Parents and their families.are placed at risk of physical harm by
some workers
The birth mother and'sister demanded to have the baby held up
at the window to my house for them to see whenever they wanted.
22
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
I was told to do so by the social worker. For the next year I had to
walk my own kids to school and meet them because those two sat
on the street corner and watched my house; they threatened to'
hurt my natural children! The social worker. helped this happen.
• Medical coverage is inadequate, service is demoralizing, and
scheduling of appointments is made at the convenience of the
Social Worker or service, not the foster familys schedule. Often out
the area.
Emergency placement children have to wait 4 howl or more at
County hospital. Children don't waft patiently.
Medi-Cal means the ugliest glasses-they won't pay for braces,;-and
denials. A plastic surgeon denied treatment to a girl whose leg had
been badly bumed with hot water and deformed. He didn't think
she needed plastic surgery, butjust to look at her he didn't want to
take Medi-Ca.L That's said.
v
Best Interests of the Child Not Top PrioritX
• Dishonesty of placement worker with Foster Parent
A brand nein parent was talked into taking a 4-yr old who has failed
three foster homes by the SW. The whole family is set up for failure
because the lady is not capable of handling this girl who wipes her
feces on the wall. The SW didn't tell the foster parent.
It was stated at the orientation that the child would first come for
a visit, but that was not true at all. The child-was dropped off
clothes and all.
Telling Foster Parents they get"paid". They get reimbursed, not
even enough to cover expenses.
23
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
• Inequity of status natural vs. foster children within families supported
by policies and attitude of many social workers
If you buy for the children on an equal basis with your own, you are
often accused of"spoiling"the child&creating an atmosphere of
alienation towards the naturnl parents.
• Internal politics, workers' need to control and individual attitudes of
Social Workers override the welfare of the child
If you and a worker diagree, you have no opportunity to ask for a new
worker. Under no circumstances can you ask. Me child is moved
before they'll change a worker!
Caseworkers want to prove their degree in psychology. We have
had a revolving door of overaged hippies/social workers condemning
us for having comfortable surroundings.
If you don't fit the mold'of middle or lower middle class, you are not
taken seriously as a parent Once DSS discovers that there are
"Ward&June Cleavers" in the system, some kids will get a chance
at a better life.
• Department staff seems to "go by the book" only to deny services or
access to resources; but regulations aren't always honored
SSD needs to read and practice what statutes state: including
notifying us of hearings, providing summaries of reports and in-
forming us that.use can attend hearings and submit our own
reports. Drug test parents when ordered by the court. Parents
aren't allowed to take their children on visits. Honor your agree-
ment with us: updates monthly on case, medical information and
returning phone calls.
24
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Federal GAO Report's Findings About Foster Parents
In 1989, the General Accounting Office.published the report to Congress
Foster Parents: Recruiting and Preservice Training Practices Need
Evaluation. The focus of the report is in the title. The GAO also addressed
the reasons for the critical shortage of Foster Parents. An abbreviated
version of that list is given so that the reader and Departmental personnel
know that many of the concerns listed in this section are national in 'scope
and not unique to Contra Costa nor directed at individuals who work in the
system.
Reasons for Shortage of Foster Parents
• failure of some social service agencies to treat foster parents
with respect and to establish working partnerships
• lack of support and positive recognition
• low foster parent reimbursement rates
• little respite
• inaccessible social service agency case workers
• poor public image of foster parenting
25
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Suggested LnWrovements
The three major categories of suggestions parallel the categories of
concerns. In all there are five subsections that follow:
A Towards Better Serving the Interests of Foster Children
B. Support the Foster Parent
Technical/Administrative
-"Information
Mental & Civil Rights
C. Respect Foster Parents as Professional Partners
The suggestions were drawn from the survey responses, information shared
at FACSAC meetings, and from FACSAC, the Committee as it met-to .
condense the information for this report. As before, quotes are in italics.
A. Towards Better-Serving-the Interests of Foster Children
1. Create a Permanency Plan on schedule the child deserves it. Delinquent
natural parents should not be allowed to interfere with PP. Hold natural
parents accountable for change before'reunification.
• Natural parents should complete rehabilitation.
• They should not have more than 18monthsto change without forfeit.
They should demonstrate changed parenting skills.
• Don't have in-home visits by natural parents. (FP is then "bad guy.")
One mother,from day I knew that she needed to go to parenting
classes, drug testing & counseling, needed to be in residential treat-
ment.
reatment. Six months went by, she made no effort. In court, she says she's
interested again, she got an extension. She makes no effort. Two
months before the year is up, she goes into a program Back to court
and gets another six month extension"to prove myself." She slips and
slides along, misses drug tests and doesn't go back to the program.
Nothing but excuses, excuses.
Fight for what is best for the,chi.ld not just what is supposed to help the
amil ." So of en'the child goes "home"only to be put back into foster
care after they are so damaged it is hopeless.
26
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
2. Formally review alternative foster child placement systems that prevent
warehousing. Consider contracting the service out to a nonprofit
provider.
3. Drop the constraints on placement regarding,race and ethnicity as it
perpetuates the shortage of Foster Parents and denies County realities.
The need is (to try)to reach these birth parents and try to instill
a need and desire to be productive citizens, be it whatever ethnic
background they come from. We are only one race, and that is the
human race.
B. Increase Supuort for the Foster Parent
Technical/Administrative Support
1. Perform the regulated professional duties as required by law. Have the
Bureau honor its mission to serve the children.
• Have workers make regular (at least monthly) visits.
• Comply with federal, state & county regulations
• Hold workers accountable via explicit performance standards
for the correctness & completeness of information given to Foster
Parents
2. Require the documentation of completed training or education by all
foster care workers in the areas of Child Development AND Development
Patterns & Psychopathology of Special Population Children (those who fit
the profile of foster children--abused, abandoned, neglected, addicted)
The sturdy of child development is not standard preparation for a social
worker. Decisions made with limited knowledge of developmental needs
risk further damaging the child, often unnecessarily. (Note 7)
3. Adjust pay scales to more closely approximate actual costs to Foster
Parents and to attenuate the loss of parents to competitors.
• Conduct a study to identify actual costs
27
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
• Enable Foster Parents to directly inquire about payment status
77he 'payment dept. is consistently nide when a foster parent calls them
in case of error... (they) will only accept calls from the social worker
who frequently is very diiffilicult to reach.
4. Assist Foster Parents with clothing& diaper expenses that often.strain
a family's budget while waiting for the first month's check.
• Send child with.a clothing voucher
• Provide starter set of diapers for infants at time of placement
• Create a,used-clothes exchange service (store) for the foster.care
community. Volunteers could help with sorting and running the
operation. Clothes could be free with exchange or low cost..
5. After foster care program's needs are identified and.prioritized, seek
specific volunteer help to accomplish many of the suggestions contained
in this report. Tap the resources in the community for help.
Information Support
1. Actively seek and incorporate child-related information from Foster
Parents. Make them partners in planning and verify that they perceive
themselves to be valuable. Establish & preserve a two-way line of
communication between Foster Parents and the SSD.
• Create a system that routinely solicits information regarding the
child's progress, as reported by the parent who has daily contact
(ANSWER& RETURN CALLS when information is sought)
• LISTEN WITHOUT DEFENSIVENESS when Foster Parent reports
on the interaction between.natural parents and child
• Provide parents with case updates: court dates, progress of natural
parents' .treatment, status of permanent placement
• Periodically measure Foster Parent satisfaction with their worth
• Re-introduce veteran Foster.Parent,participation in SSD orientation
28
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Should listen more to us about the child, natural parents, everything.
After all, we see more of this than social workers do.
the workers were impossible to deal.with, it-was disruptive to our home,
& the children came out losers. They were returned to bad situations.
No one would listenl They just shut their eyes to reality for the kids.
3. Upgrade the completeness and accuracy of information available to new
Foster Parents.
• Re-introduce veteran Foster Parent participation in SSD orientation
•Assemble a videotape lending library for parents on topics dealing
with difficult kids or anything that would help the child by educating
the parent.
• Update &distribute list of Foster Parents in the new parent's area to
promote networking and sharing of ideas
• As training courses continue to be developed for Foster Parents,
employ a process of tailoring the offerings to meet the evolving
needs of parents. That is, entry-level courses aren't attractive to
veteran parents, but special medical procedures and handling for
special needs children might be. Create a system to monitor'
parents' changing needs. (Use situational leadership as a model.)
• Design, promote &provide incentives to encourage attendance
at Team Development sessions (training, retreats or`regular planning
meetings) with both7oster Parents & Social Workers participating.
Introduce a partnership philosophy in joint meetings.
• Provide a part-time conflict mediator who is independent of the
foster care units to serve as ombudsman. Maybe recruit a non-staff
volunteer.
4. Update the list of resources and services available to foster families
periodically, specifically attempting to equalize the distribution of
providers across regions in the County.
• Advocate changes in Medi-Cal coverage that would make care for
foster children comparable to non-foster children (orthodontia, etc.)
• Identify more school & psychological services
29
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
• Develop recreation programs for 3-6 yr. olds akin to camperships
for 7-14 yr. olds.
5. Create a history ("rap") sheet on each foster child, relying on Foster
Parents for updates. Give that record to the parent at each new place-
ment. Don't withhold information. The short-term "success" of finding
a home is more than offset by the long-term consequences of the lost
trust of the parent. History could include medical, psychological,
behavioral & anecdotes sharing parenting wisdom about that child.
Mental Health& Civil Rights&MM
1. RESPITE-to protect sanity of Foster Parents and ensure quality care for
the child. Have departmental staff understand that respite is NOT a
luxury benefit, it is as necessary as health and dental insurance'.
• Have 2 kinds: (1) Mental Health break--have someone to'care for the
children during vacation or weekend periods, and (2) Emergency
care in the home for the family--while parent is with child at the
hospital for long-term treatment.
• Inquire at the State Dept. of Education Child Care Vendor Program
about possible funding.
2. In collaboration with Foster`Parents, plan & sponsor events that bring
several foster families together, e.g., picnics, to reduce the isolation
families experience and to promote networking.
3. Explore ways to fund ongoing support groups for Foster Parents.
Expenses would include child care. Private foundations (Zellerbach) once
funded groups. Consider an RFP to identify private providers of group
facilitation/counseling services.
4. Protect Foster Parents' rights by not disclosing the placement address or
phone number to natural parents immediately after removal of the child
by CPS. The natural parents may be armed or under the influence.
30
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
C. Respect Foster Parents as Professional Partners
1. Compel Social Workers to interact with Foster Parents in a way that leads
those parents to report feeling that they are valued members of a
professional team. Why do this? Based on FACSAC's research, LACK OF
RESPECT BY THE SSD STAFF is clearly damaging Foster Parent reten-
tion. If left unchecked, the service to the foster children of Contra Costa
County will reach a crisis stage. Initial, explicit steps toward
improvement may include:
• Management at the.Bureau &Division level holding staff accountable
for acceptable treatment of Foster Parents using a performance
standard whose score is based entirely (or partly) on the anonymous
j _
opinions of Foster Parents in the worker's caseload. In this way,
performance is assessed, not the worker's attitude.
•Assign a person not affiliated with the foster care unit (outside the
department would be best) to document complaints & compliments
from Foster Parents about treatment, noting specific information
and worker involved. Information should be used at merit or perfor-
mance review time.
• Expose Social Workers to Client Relations training that is based on
a customer relations model. Foster Parents are valuable customers!
... without us, they have nothing
• Identify workers who made Foster Parents feel like teammates.
Create standards of acceptable treatment based on those people..
2. Create a Master Foster Parent, or Support Specialist, role to employ a
veteran parent to assist with the orientation, resolve problems, keep
the department informed about Foster Parent concerns, and to be "on
call" for helping peers. this is done in Illinois and mentioned in the
next section of the report.
3. Brainstorm ways to meet both the parents' NEED TO BE LISTENED TO
and the conflicting workers' need to PLACE TOO MANY CHILDREN !!!+!
31 .
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Strengths of the Department
Quotes from the Foster Parents all begin with
'The Social Service Department..."
has some workers.who wonderfully and quietly put the rights and needs of
children on a realistic.level... even if it means bending the rules
tries.to get us special help for special children with terrific medical care
shows con ern for children's behavior and their interaction with others
is prompt in coming to the home to change child's behavior or to
encourage the child in its social growth
gives helpful and,workable suggestions ... (re:FCEP) my methods of dealing
with children changed, I gained more understanding
most know us personally, are concerned even after the children le,f l
is beginning to give us compliments
(the worker),trusts my judgment as far as needed and backs me up
has a great newsletter... sends info on upcoming classes
makes sure checks and medical stickers are alwgy prompt
has always been therefor emotional supportfor the kids and us
took the time to talk, toanswer questions
makes me feel we are a team for the good of the child
32
1990'Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Learning FYom Others
San Francisco's "Baby Moms" Program
The real name of the program is FISCP, Fragile Infant Special Care
Program. Over its 3 year history, approximately 80 critically-ill newborns
have been given foster care. There are many differences between this
special program, such as population served, and the general county foster
placement programs, but much can be learned from it about the treatment
of Foster Parents. Here are some key characteristics:
♦ Team Approach is genuine. Mandatory monthly meetings attended by
Foster Parents, Case Workers, Psychologist, Nurse, &Neonatologist.
Meeting agendas include technical/medical training and support
groups for emotional sharing and wisdom sharing facilitated by
professionals. (Natural parents receive the same medical training)
♦ Social Workers are accessible via home telephone &beepers to Foster
Parents (though the cases are intensive, the caseloads are small)
♦ Careful screening of Child Welfare Workers for the unit, selected for:
-Ability to function collaboratively, as part of a TEAM
-Case organization skills & technical/medical background
♦ Program has built-in respite; child care provided when taking other
children to appointments
Foster Parent keeps child until permanent placement.
♦ Parents are LISTENED TO. They contribute to the assessment of the
child's readiness to exit the program. They receive regular pats on
the back from workers. Thus, Foster Parents know they are valued
members of the team and report being very satisfied with treatment.
33
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Out of Region Models
The U.S. GAO report described exemplar programs aimed at increasing
retention and bolstering recruitment of Foster Parents. Many of the
report's findings parallel our local study. Since the problems are similar
nationwide, the lessons should be applicable in Contra Costa. Highlights
are listed below, but readers are referred to the report to get a more
complete story.
♦ Illinois professionalizes foster parenting by employing Foster Parents
part-time on contract as support specialists who participate in parent
recruiting, training& support (maintaining face-to-face contact with
peers, problem resolution. trouble shooting for new parents).
♦ In Massachusetts, parents contribute to the development of a plan for
services for children. The department gives background information
on children to help parents deal with emotional&behavior problems.
♦ In New Jersey, the state-financed foster parent association runs the
statewide recruitment and public education campaign. The partner-
ship between agency and parents includes having the association help
select new foster parents for the system.
♦ The recruitment of minority parents is accomplished in Michigan by
targeting churches. The social service agency contracts with.One
Church,,One Child, Inc. to recruit black foster homes. The point of
the program is that if every church would be responsible for getting
one home from within the congregation, the need for care will be
fulfilled.
A feature common to these innovative programs is the reliance upon the
community at large and the Foster Parents, in particular, as PARTNERS on
the team attempting to improve the foster care system.
34
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
FACSAC's Conclusions
FACSAC echoes Kathryn Armstrong's belief that "putting a lot of effort
into recruitment and licensing (parts of a larger system) without making
changes in the foster care program (the system itself)...would be similar to
pouring money into a leaking bucket." (Note 8)
The SSD has focused on foster parent recruitment and has been
reasonably successful. However, the low rate of retention has undermined
that success, as warned. We believe that the hole in the bucket to be fixed is
the often shoddy, frequently authoritative and mostly insensitive Treatment
of Foster Parents. By attacking the problem, and the evidence presented in
this report indicates it is an undeniable problem, two benefits will obtain.
1) Children will be served better by parents and the system; the
Mission of the foster care system will be satisfied, &
2) Retention will increase. Word will get out about the positive treat-
ment and sense of value that accompanies foster- parenting, its ,
image will be boosted, and this, in turn, will bolster recruitment.
The department's goals will be accomplished simply by bettering
the treatment of Foster Parents through more support and
demanding that its staff demonstrate RESPECT.
Everyone wins.' On page 36, we share our model-for-a-successful system:
Few, if any, of the suggestions in the previous sections carry a fiscal
burden to the department. Civilized treatment, shifts in employee attitudes
and adoption of a new view of the relationship between Social Worker and
Foster Parent cost nothing. In fact, in the long run, rude treatment costs
the department more in terms of staff time spent recruiting new parents
because the-veterans left in disgust. Please heal the wounded relationship
with the County's most valuable resource--Foster Parents.
The Department has to decide what next step to take. FACSAC offers to
help in any way it can. For instance, FACSAC could help recruit volunteers
from the community to.assist foster care workers in ways suggested earlier.
We are proud of the report and the process used. We hope the Department
uses the information. Remember, we all want the best for the children!
35
1990 F
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36
1990.Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
References
Armstrong, Kathryn
Foster Care Study, Dec. 12, 1986
Canan, Unda
Foster Care Incensing Project Report, Jan. 8, 1988
Foster Parents: Recruiting and preseruice training practices need
evaluation. U. S. General Accounting Office Report, August 1989,
GAO/I RD-89-86
"Foster Parent-Social Worker Training'
in Foster Parent Training News, Spring 1987, Vol. 2,Issue 3
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1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Appendix A
Survey Question Categories
Parent motivation
Why they got involved
How they learned about the opportunity
Length &type of FP experience
Years of service
Number of natural & foster children, now and ever
Em rgency home status ..
Drug-exposed children
Evaluation of training
Initial orientation
FCEP classes.
Evaluation of treatment by SSD
Support Technical & emotional
Worker skill. level
Worker accessibility
Strengths of the SSD
Specific suggestions for change
Extent of satisfaction that the "best interests of the child are served
In all, there were 25 questions (variables) coded for quantitative analyses.
The answers to three open-ended questions were categorized (content
analyzed).
The ideas about what the department does right (strengths), what it should .
differently (concerns) and suggestions for change were recorded and appear
as quotes throughout the Findings, Concerns and Suggested Improvements
sections of the report.
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1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Appendix B
Notes
1 1988 Canan Report, Appendix.2, Mission Statement
2 In all, 50 completed surveys were received (90/6). The statistical
analyses were done using 44 sets of data before the six arrived
late. The usable proportion was only 8%. This was disappointing
because the survey was described as completely anonymous and
independent of the department. The respondents had to
provide their own postage & envelope, but that shouldn't have
been so discouraging. Close to the due date, the committee chair
received two calls from concerned parents. The callers were
suspicious of the FACSAC's assurances. They reported helping
with "some study about 3 years ago" for which they openly
responded also with the guarantee of confidentiality from;the
interviewer. They said that after that report case workers began
to feed back the parents' verbatim quotes/complaints during
subsequent contacts. The FACSAC chairman then had to carefully
outline the independent role of the committee and the process of
assembling the report by committee.' The parents warned that
many parents who were around in 1986 would never complete
the form for fear of reprisal and.ridicule as before. The paranoia,
as incredible as it appears, was genuine and must be respected.
By their silence, the non-respondents support the data that
illustrate the generally disrespectful nature of the Social'
Worker/Foster Parent relationship.
3 1986 Armstrong Study, quotes from A-4, A5, A-9 &A-14
4 Letter from The Professional Resource Group to Linda Canan
dated 8/26/87 restating the goals of the consulting contract.
Included as Appendix.3 in the 1988 Canan report. .
5 Pages 5 & 6, Action of Issue #5 (Armstrong's issues), Canan report
6 Page 15, Armstrong study
7 From Foster Parent-Social Worker Training. Foster Parent
D-aining News, 1987, Vol.-2 (3), pages 1 & 4.
8 Page 15, Armstrong study
39
I
{
1990 Foster Parent Report q
FACSAC
A Vendix:C
A Primmer on Statistical Cormetations
Cautionary Notes:
Correlations and all the Interpretations,of-meaning,are.derived from
relationships among the numbers, solely from the data inputted. In turn,
the.numbers are only meaningful when the respondents understand what
is being asked of them. When correlations are interpreted, as they are in
the,examples below,we must remember to couch the phrases'in the
language of the questions: Though conclusions sound more tentative this .
way, it's not permissible to extrapolate.beyond the information tapped by
the survey. The cautionary lesson-in this--the analyses are only as.good as
the numbers. -The second caution is that correlations do not meanthat
one factor caused the other.
Size of the correlation
-.Correlations.(the symbol.is r) are simply numerical expressions of the
strength or weakness.of a relationship.between pairs of factors. The values a,
range from 0 to 1.00:,,Values near zero indicate that:the factors are_
unrelated; 'they,are independent. If r=0, the factors are not related and
from oursurvey,results r= .01 between.years as a foster:parent& technical
skill of worker. It is meaningless to see any relationship-between the-two. -The largest.possible value, 1.00, and values close to it indicate that having
information-about one factor tells you something about the other. The r
.90.betweeri worker availability and adequacy of support given by staff-
allows you to conclude with near certainty you see how one actually defines
the other. Research has shown that correlations as low as r=`:30 can be
meaningful when the factors measured are subjective or.personality-based,
as many of.our.survey-items are.;.
Direction of the Correlation;"
Correlational relationships°are characteristically'either: positive
increases-or:decreases inratings,of one factor are paralleled by respective ,
increases or decreases in ratings of the other factor), ne ative (an-inverse
40
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
relationship, trends in ratings of one factor predict an opposite trend in
the other, as one goes up, the other goes down) or absent (changes in
ratings for one factor have no meaning in changes in the other). Positive
correlations carry an implied plus sign in front. Negative correlations are
identified with a preceding minus sign: In the absence of a minus sign, the
correlation is assumed to be positive:
Interpretation
An example of a negative correlation and its meaning is the r= - .45
between the parents' ratings of the importance of including veteran foster v
parents in the orientation and the perceived adequacy of support from
staff. This means that the group of raters tended to give either:
1) high ratings to the importance of foster parent participation and,low,
ratings to the adequacy of support OR
2) low importance of inclusion ratings and high ratings of support.
If you had only the correlation and no other1nformation, you couldn't-tell
which of the two hypothetical scenarios was true. Fortunately, the
correlation is easy to interpret because the average importance of inclusion
score was 3.75 out of 4.00, while the average adequacy of support score
was 2.00 out-of 4.00. "Piecing it together, and going beyondAhe numbers,
you are led to the interpretation drawn earlier in the Findings_section of
the report--'
The exclusion of veteran Foster Parents accounts, in part, for the
perceived inadequacy of support provided by,the SSD staff. .
Correlations &Prediction
A quick way to estimate how much'knowledge is gained (uncertainty
reduced or variance accounted for) by knowing the correlation, simply
square the r value. When r= .90 between worker availability and adequacy
of,support, r 2 '= ,.81. Thus 81% of the ratings of adequacy are derived
from, or accounted for by, the worker's availability. The rest,-,19%,'is:,!!
explainable by other factors. With correlations, there are no certainties
only a reduction in the;uncertainty.of a chaotic, random .world:
41
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
Appendix D
Complete Correlation Matrix
a� v'3 -v," - \B!. V'47 V1 i .1'111 'v :..,.. v:14
----------------------- " _-�_.._-_..-- -_=--r""------ ------- - --,..._ --
tJ
v3 -62, -,.}i 1 .00 22.1, . - 25 .1= 1s. ..il iY - .i' . .,:lit:.. .f_is
.x4 } •-�9 -.2u L1 "1 . �(-; ,1 ' .��?" 24 .33 -.;11 ,_tvr ' .t}1 .3•� .18
v5 1 -.1s.� -.ter •24 1. 1 .Q0 -.23. -..:` - ._'4 .23 ' .36 .41' -.:0 -
v8 } _.4 . .13 -.LS .34 '� '1'.t��} .49 Rt�z 18 '28 .0 .41 23' -4
25, L+` eic .�''' .2= .49 1.CK .60 -.Ow_ -.ii .;' f� .1,2
v10 1 .26 -. .-9 .33 .:4 .ate „y 1�:. �� Y .58_ 2 . t i
V1 -.12 .04 .al .al 29 -.12 -.02 .07 1.00 . 4 .11 .05 .39 .0
v12 f .27 -.24 -.12 .015 . .36 -.28 -.1! .13 .44 1 .00 .62" .17 .2.9 -.27
V13 1 -.31 -.22 -.19 .01 .41 -.02 -.03 .11 .11 .62 1-.00 -.17 .46 .03
v14 A .40 -.37 32 .36 -.20 .47 .71 .'? -.05 -.17 -.17 1 .0 .05 .32
v16 F -.04 -.12 :.a8: .18 .34 .23 .13 .29 .39 .29 .46 .05 1 .00 .35
417 1 .03 .09 -.0 21 -.30 .74 .62 .58 .02 -.27 .03 .32 .35 1 .00
VIS '1 .05, .17 .21 .17 --.40 .61 .48 .39 .23 -.45 -.35 .35 .21 .82
v19. 1 7.01 .14 -.11 .11 -.09 .59 .37 .35 .15 -.40 .61 .34 .50 .76
V21 1 .al .21 . .08 .17 .32 .61 .3 .40 .09 .41 -.02', _34 «37 .7u
v22 1 .33 .a1201 .32, -.33 .56 .47 .ba .14 .28',=.05 . .56 . .50 .65
V23 1 .ab 10 . 23 ,06 .39 .44 .48 .44 .23 29 `-..13. .26 .25 .83
v24 1 -.01 - COY 0.00 .27 .06 .76 .42. .58 -.18 .14 .25 .42 .41 .64
V25 1 . ,1v. �.18' 22 .33 .15 -.07 -.31 ,-.26 .17 .13 .2tt -.32 -.44 -.28
V18 V19 v21 -v2 v23 v24 V25
- --- ---- Variable Code List
-==--- ----- -- -
vl 1 .05 -.{yl 01 33 .06 -.til .Ia
v2 _ ..17 .14 " .;:I .1 i+ - .i-,4 ,1 1 Years of service as FP
22
v3 1121 -.11 -.08 '�i� - '71 , t.<>t_. .
2 #of foster children now
3 #of foster children ever
v4 1 .17 .11 .7 .31-7 .ac ,33 4 #of natural children
VC: 40 -.09 - -.33 .39 :6 .15 5 Avg. #prev. placements for children)
v81 •61 c 61 .5� 44 ,76 - .077 8 Satisfied system serves BEST INTERESTS of child
v9 .48 =" -- 4 9 USEFULNESS of orientation
G .,t C•: r.
V10 1 .39 .35 -TO _ 6%C, 44 -s -.26 10 REALISM of orientation
v l l 1 .2:. .1 :1 -- _ 1 -,f t IL. Attended subsequent training(1=yes)
v12 1 -.4 5 -.4,0 . - -• - 4 - 13 12 IlVIPORTANCE to INCLUDE FP in orientation .
,1 _ -- _ 13 Willing to volunteer to participate(1=yes)
«3 - '+ ;_ 14 USEFULNESS of FCEP courses
v 1 L 2 c Require training for FP(1=yes)
17 COOPERATIVENESS of SSD with all groups
82 18 ADEQUACY of SUPPORT by SSD
19 VALUE as FP felt from SSD staff&policies
21 Worker's TECHNICAL SIML
22 Soc/Emo SUPPORT from SSD
23 AVAILABILITY of Worker
- - -- 24 FREQUENCY of Worker CONTACT
-- 25 Experience with DRUG-EXPOSED (I=yes)
42 .
1990 Foster Parent Report
FACSAC
FACSAC Membership Roster
(1-989-1990)
District I Representatives
Marilynn Zito
Dorothy Grace
Mildred Davis
Josephine Oliver
District II Representatives
Lynda Mlday,Vice Chair
Leanne Schlegel
Laina Casillas
District III Representatives
Eugene Wolfe
Richard Frankel
Calla Klein
Victoria Lucido
Therese Kaftan *
Vanette Hickey *
District IV Representatives
Gloria Tays
Nola Ashford
Alice Pond
Gary Namie, Chair
District.V Representatives
Shawn Guinn
Sharyn Obrigewitsch
Catherine Anderson
* member was specially
involved with.this project
43