Positive Shared Parenting Experiences between Foster Parents and Families of Origin for Children in Foster Care

Background/Purpose: Families of origin and foster parents engage in shared parenting for children in foster care. The term shared parenting is used to describe the dynamic of two or more adults responsible for caring, nurturing and making decisions for a child. Children typically enter the U.S. foster care system after experiencing maltreatment and subsequent removal from their family of origin. As such, relationships between foster parents and families of origin are often strained. However, in some cases, foster parents and families of origin build meaningful shared parenting relationships that benefit the foster parent(s), family of origin family member(s) and the child in foster care. These shared parenting experiences allow foster parents and families of origin to more effectively co-parent, reduce strain on the children in foster care and facilitate a successful family reunification.

This qualitative study aims to better understand characteristics of positive foster parent-family of origin shared parenting experiences.

Methods: Semi-structured phone interview data were collected from current, experienced foster parents living in one southeastern U.S. state (n=20). Foster parents were on average 54.00 years old (SD=12.29), primarily identified as female (85%) and white (65%; 30% Black, 5% other race). Participants had an average of 11.00 years of experience foster parenting (SD=10.76). A codebook was developed using inductive thematic analysis. Our qualitative team iteratively analyzed each transcript, revising codebooks thematically until no new themes emerged. Coding was conducted in NVivo 12.

Findings: Statements about shared parenting relationships were divided into three primary themes: 1) positive interactions during care, 2) positive interactions during reunification and 3) positive interactions after reunification. Statements under the theme of ‘positive interactions during care’ describe effective communication that allows foster parents to obtain children’s health, education and wellbeing information from families of origin in a timely manner. Statements under ‘positive interactions during reunification’ describe successfully transitioning a child from the foster parents’ home to their family member’s home and successfully transferring information, records and/or children’s belongings. Statements under ‘positive interactions after reunification’ describe long-term relationships after children leave their foster parents’ home and return to their family of origin, including instances where former foster parents supported child and/or family of origin success.

Conclusions/Implications: Although relationships between foster parents and the families of origin of children in their care can be strained, our study finds that shared parenting experiences have the potential to result in positive outcomes related to sharing health, education and well-being information about children in foster care during care and during reunification. Foster parents may be a long-term source of support for the foster child and their family of origin long after reunification occurs. Findings suggest that increasing opportunities for programs, policies and/or tools to facilitate effective communication between foster parents and families of origin for children in foster care may result in better sharing regarding child wellbeing during care and during reunification, may increase foster parent satisfaction and may increase successful co-parenting of children in foster care.