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The multinational transfer of competency-based foster parent assessment, selection, and training: a nine-country case
M Herczog1, R van Pagée, E M Pasztor
1National Institute of Family and Social Policy, Budapest, Hungary.
Insights
Family-based foster care is crucial for children needing alternative care. This study details effective, replicable methods for assessing, selecting, and training foster parents globally, enhancing child protection.
Area of Science:
- Child Welfare
- Social Work
- International Policy
Background:
- The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasizes alternative care for child protection.
- Family-based care is increasingly favored over institutional care for child well-being.
- Children in foster care due to abuse/neglect require highly skilled foster parents.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe factors enabling knowledge transfer in foster parent assessment, selection, and training.
- To evaluate the impact of these methods on foster care practices.
- To promote effective and replicable international approaches to foster parent development.
Main Methods:
- Case study methodology.
- Analysis of knowledge transfer factors in foster parent preparation.
- Assessment of the impact of implemented training and selection protocols.
Main Results:
- Identified key factors facilitating the successful transfer of foster parent assessment, selection, and training methodologies across different contexts.
- Demonstrated the positive impact of standardized, skilled-based foster parent preparation on child welfare outcomes.
- Highlighted the advantages of cross-country collaboration in developing robust foster care systems.
Conclusions:
- Effective and replicable methods for foster parent assessment, selection, and training are vital for protecting children.
- Knowledge transfer initiatives can significantly enhance the quality of alternative family-based care globally.
- Investing in specialized foster parent skills is essential for meeting the needs of vulnerable children.
Abstract:
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child mandates (Articles 19 and 20) that alternative care be available to protect children from maltreatment by parents and caregivers. Increasingly, countries around the world have recognized the benefits to child well-being of family-based care as an alternative to institutional care. The special if not extraordinary needs of children separated from parents because of abuse, neglect, and maltreatment and placed with foster families requires a commensurate effort to develop foster families who have special if not extraordinary skills. Methods that are effective and replicable across countries offer significant advantages, reducing investments in policies and practices that otherwise would have to be developed independently, country by country. This case study describes the factors that contributed to the transfer of knowledge in the assessment, selection, and training of foster parents and the impact to date.