Quality Parenting Initiative: Engaging Diverse Stakeholders As Champions for Foster Care System Reform

Background & Purpose: Successful implementation of evidence-based programs and policies requires stakeholder engagement. The Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI) is one of the few approaches to advance foster care system reform efforts by engaging key stakeholders in the implementation process. This organizational change intervention works with stakeholders to identify a common vision for quality foster parenting, strategize solutions for aligning the local foster care system with that vision, and develop workgroups to move the system closer to the vision. QPI has been implemented in over 70 sites and across 10 states, however, no formal evaluation has been conducted. We sought to explore strategies for initial and on-going engagement of stakeholders in QPI implementation.

Methods: To assess perceptions of engagement strategies, three focus groups were conducted with birth and foster parents, agency providers, and community leaders (N= 37) involved in QPI implementation. We purposively selected foster care agencies representing beginning, middle, and late stages of QPI implementation. The focus group participants were majority female (84%), with ages ranging from 22 to 66 years. Most participants were agency staff (62%), followed by foster parents (19%), and birth parents (1%). Data were analyzed through mixed content analysis that included codebook development.

Findings: Three major themes promoting stakeholder engagement in QPI were identified. First, focus group participants described how their inclusion in decision-making processes fostered their engagement in QPI activities. Participants noted that QPI promoted inclusion by creating opportunities for various stakeholder groups to be a part of discussions where important decisions were made. Next, participants discussed how opportunities to strengthen relationships between birth and foster parents and build partnerships across systems (e.g., mental health and foster care) increased engagement in QPI. For example, participants noted the shift in emphasis from a more distant relationship between birth and foster parents to a collaborative partnership. Finally, stakeholders appreciated hearing and sharing success stories about QPI implementation, all of which encouraged ongoing engagement. The success stories identified related to child, family, and systems change outcomes, and several comments were made about the excitement that was shared by all when “hearing the success stories told and then seeing it for yourself.”

Conclusions & Implications: Study findings demonstrate that when various stakeholders, especially those who are typically excluded from the process, take part in planning and executing reform, they are engaged participants. Treating stakeholders as essential partners gave them a “seat at the table” where unique perspectives were represented and appreciated. Additionally, study findings suggest that sharing success stories was an effective engagement strategy because it allowed stakeholders to connect their participation in QPI implementation to better outcomes for children and families, and stakeholders reported feeling energized about helping to improve the foster care system. Keeping stakeholders engaged, while utilizing an iterative process that is customized around local issues, allows for significant systems change. Therefore, future studies should examine the role of engagement in the process of aligning child welfare system reform goals across key stakeholder groups.