The Reflective Fostering Programme-improving the wellbeing of children in care through a group intervention for foster carers: a randomised controlled trial

Systematic Review of the Evaluation of Foster Care Programs

OBJETIVE

The aim of this study was to conduct an exhaustive synthesis to determine which instruments and variables are most appropriate to evaluate foster care programs (foster, kinship, and professional families). This evaluation includes the children, their foster families, their families of origin, professionals, and foster care technicians.

METHOD

The systematic review included randomized, quasi-randomized, longitudinal, and control group studies aimed at evaluating foster care interventions.

RESULTS

A total of 86 studies, 138 assessment instruments, 18 constructs, and 73 independent research teams were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

(1) although the object of the evaluations was the children, the informants were usually the people in charge of their care; therefore, effort should be made to involve the children in a more participatory way; (2) psychosocial functioning, behavior, and parenting are transversal elements in most evaluations, while quality of life and coping are not sufficiently well incorporated; (3) practical instruments (brief and easy to apply and correct) that are widely used and carry scientific guarantees should be prioritized to ensure the comparability and reliability of the conclusions; and (4) progress should be made in the study of evaluation models for all forms of foster care, including foster, extended, and specialized families.

The Reflective Fostering Programme-Adapting a group parenting programme for online delivery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom

OBJECTIVE

In the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown restrictions, service providers faced significant challenges in delivering programmes to support their vulnerable service users. Foster carers-an already often isolated group of caregivers - were offered an adapted remote-delivery model of the Reflective Fostering Programme (Redfern et al., Adopt. Foster., 42, 2018, 234) from March 2020.

METHOD

This paper outlines the adaptation process of the original programme to online-remote delivery and describes the feedback from participants in the programme.

RESULTS

The adaptation of the Reflective Fostering programme to online, remote delivery had both strengths and weaknesses - including wider access to foster carers who might struggle to attend in person and challenge a to maintaining a Mentalizing space online and ensuring confidentiality within a therapeutic space. The programme was overwhelmingly well received by foster carers in this format.

CONCLUSIONS

There are opportunities and challenges in the delivery of online therapeutic services, particularly those with a group format. This paper contributes initial reflections to what we hope will be a rapidly developing literature on best practice of supporting group services in an online format.