Personal characteristics and skill-based proficiencies of successful foster-adoptive parents and relative caretakers of children in Indian Country: A systematic review of research

Background/Purpose: The recruitment and retention of culturally sensitive foster parents, and those who are members of tribal communities are especially sparse. Additionally, there is a lack of research on the strengths, skills, and deficiencies that AIAN foster parents perceive and possess, as individuals and as families. Ignoring these factors limits the breadth of practice, assessment, and support of AIAN foster parents and could lead to placement disruption if foster parents' needs are not adequately addressed or if they don’t feel competent in their abilities (Cooley and Petren, 2011). There is a need for a comprehensive understanding of personal characteristics and skill-based proficiencies that foster parents need to ensure the well-being of AIAN children placed in their homes, and ultimately, to maximize the preservation of tribal communities in general. The purpose of the current study is to address this gap in the literature.

Methods: Of the 131 total studies identified, 52 were original studies published between 1989 and 2018. Sample sizes included in these studies ranged between an N=2 (Herrera-White, et al., 2008) and a large study that included 4714 youth (28.53% Lumbee). (Smokowski, et al, 2014). The studies included quantitative methods (survey designs and administrative data analysis) (N=8), qualitative methods (individual interviews, case studies, and focus groups) (N=29), and mixed methods studies (N=15).  Other sources included government and organizational reports, fact sheets (N=19), theoretical papers (N=45), and other types of gray literature (N=15). 

Results: Personal characteristics were identified in 41 articles. They included: having a strong cultural identity (N= 22), being resilient and adaptive to change (N=9), willingness to access tribal resources (N=8), willingness to access kin/family as a resource (N=7), having an appreciation for diversity/other world views and tolerance (N=4).  Specific proficiencies identified included: need for foster parent curriculum development training around historical, political and legal issues, including the ICWA (N=87), health and wellness from an AIAN perspective (N=79), basic knowledge about AIAN kinship, family and community structures, overall cultural competency, humility and respect (N=62), AIAN learning styles, pedagogies and methodologies (N=22), traditional child-rearing practices, child development and behavior management (N=14).

Conclusion and Implications: Developing effective parent training is just one aspect of support; it is important to understand that many AIAN foster parents stop fostering due to perceived deficits in support.  Therefore, in order to maintain AIAN foster parents, attention also needs to be paid to the availability of local resources, how accessible they are, and how responsive the child welfare agency can be to family needs (Brown et al., 2014).