First Placement Impact on Foster Parent Communication Satisfaction

• Background and Purpose: The foster care experience has been looked at for many years with a focus mainly on overall satisfaction, recruitment, and retention (Engelhardt, 2023; Gouveia et al., 2021; Mihalo et al., 2016). With predictors varying from foster parent motivation (Cooley et al., 2021), the number of years fostered (Bridger et al., 2020), and the behavioral needs of children in care (Dubois-Comtois et al., 2021), a comprehensive understanding of foster parent experience has been explored. While the factors mentioned above are significant, there is yet to be a quantitative study that looks at how impactful the first placement is for a foster parent. Most foster parents begin to foster without a plethora of support and come with great expectations. Yet, little is known about how this first placement impacts the overall experience and outcomes like satisfaction or foster parent retention. This study aims to quantify how the first placement experience impacts the overall fostering experience for foster caregivers.
• Methods: Data from this study were collected and sent out via social media support groups, with representatives from various states across the US. The survey looked at such demographics as the type of agency placed, length of time fostered, characteristics of supports utilized, motivations for fostering, satisfaction with the foster care agency, and several outcome variables considering intent to close the foster home. Three Hierarchical Linear regression models were examined to consider how the first placement experience impacts two different retention outcomes and the foster parent’s satisfaction with agency communication.
• Results: Results indicated that first placement satisfaction (b = .304, t = 5.042, p < .001, 95%CI: .252, .574) and number of foster parents in the home (b = -.140, t = -2.280, p < .05, 95%CI: -7.82, -.57) are strong predictors of the communication satisfaction outcome. While foster parent retention, overall, appears to be correlated with type of agency (b = -.199, t = -3.281, p < .001, 95%CI: -2.29, -.57), level of education(b = -.153, t = -2.52, p < .02, 95%CI: .-1.08, -.13), first placement experience(b = .106, t = 1.71, p < .01, 95%CI: -.01, .08), number of foster parents in the home(b = -.13, t = -2.12, p < .05, 95%CI: -2.03, -.07), and satisfaction with communication(b = .264, t = 4.238, p < .001, 95%CI: .04, .11)
• Conclusions and Implications: This study attempts to fill a gap in the literature around the critical impact of the first placement experience. There has yet to be any known literature examining this unique experience of the first placement and its effects on future placements and the overall foster parenting experience. While various other factors have been considered, this study adds a potentially crucial missing piece to understanding the foster caregiving experience. This presentation will also include research, practice, and policy implications and recommendations that should impact and encourage child welfare professionals to consider focusing on providing extra support to initial placements.