"Making a Positive Difference in the Lives of Our Children": Learning from the Experiences of American Indian/Alaska Native Foster Parents in Oregon

Background: The United States currently faces a “foster parent crisis”, where the number of certified foster homes is not matching the rate of youth entering care (Killos et al., 2017; Wulczyn et al., 2018), and this disparity is amplified in American Indian/Alaska Native communities. The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) prioritizes kinship, tribe-affiliated placements whenever possible for indigenous youth, which reflects a trauma-informed approach and preserves the cultural identity of AI/AN families (Killos et al., 2017). These efforts could be better achieved if the number of preferred foster families increased to meet the needs of tribal youth in care, therefore, finding ways to support the wellbeing and satisfaction of AI/AN foster caregivers is critical to the success of ICWA. This study adds to the current literature by using a mixed methods approach to explore the experiences, challenges, and motivations of AI/AN foster parents in Oregon, to better understand ways to support their needs and improve recruitment, retention, and support efforts for AI/AN foster families.

Methods: The 2021 Foster Parent Engagement survey was created as part of an ongoing OSU-DHS collaboration to improve the supports of foster parents in Oregon. Of the full sample (n=1,023), 26 foster parents identified as AI/AN, representing 13 counties, suggesting a strong representation of AI/AN foster parents in Oregon. 80.8% were women and 50% were between 30-49 years of age. and on average, were foster parents for 3.85 years (SD= 5.16). Foster parents reported on individual and household demographics, as well as on existing measures of stress, supports, and motivation. Open-ended questions related to COVID-19, their motivations, and the rewarding aspects of foster parenting, were reviewed using a grounded approach to uncover themes on two main categories (rewards and challenges), both during and beyond the pandemic.

Results: Three researchers individually reviewed the open-ended responses and then collectively determined several themes related to rewarding aspects of foster parenting, including: developing a close connection with children, being able to see them grow, and a sense of personal fulfillment and cultural identity- one person said they were fostering to “carry on the fight [my] ancestors died for to protect the innocent”. Most of the challenges and stresses reported consisted of agency related concerns, especially challenges with communication and strengthening opportunities for training related to BIPOC children, which will be discussed.

Implications: Themes suggest that there are many similarities in the needs and motivations of AI/AN foster parents and the general foster parenting community, however, there are also many ways in which their experiences differ. In particular, findings highlight the value of cultural sensitivity and connection for this community, and uncovers already existing challenges that are exacerbated during a global crisis like COVID-19. Future research should explore these themes and other specific needs of this highly valuable population, which a follow up study will attempt to achieve through in depth-interviews in the summer of 2021 - the results of which will be discussed at the time of presentation.