Foster parent perceptions of competency: Implications for foster parent training ☆ Morgan E. Cooley ⁎, Raymond E. Petren Department of Family & Child Sciences, Florida State University, United States abstract article info Article history: Received 22 February 2011 Received in revised form 10 May 2011 Accepted 13 May 2011 Available online 19 May 2011 Keywords: Foster parent training Foster parenting Foster parent competency Foster families Studies have examined factors that impact successful placements in foster care. Absent from this body of research, however, are factors that promote foster parent competence. The purpose of this study was to assess perceived competency of foster parents, subsequent to pre-service training, in tasks of foster parenting across 12 domains of foster parenting as recommended by previous research. The sample consisted of 20 foster parents who had completed foster parent training within the past five years. Although foster parents in this study rated themselves as competent in primary domains of foster parenting, there were mixed results as to their satisfaction and acceptance of demands of foster parenting in relation to foster family adjustment and working with a complex care system. Implications for therapeutic interventions are discussed. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction There are 423,773 children in foster care in the United States and 72% of those children live with foster families (U.S. Department of Health Human Services, 2010). Foster parents, who represent the front line of care for these children, face many challenges. Children who are in the foster care system often struggle with repercussions of previous physical abuse and/or sexual abuse, in addition to ongoing mental health problems, social problems, and problems in school (Galehouse, Herrick, & Raphael, 2010; Holland & Gorey, 2004). In addition to these vulnerabilities, other risk factors may include the age of the child, history of neglect and abuse, behavior problems, history of drug and alcohol abuse in the biological family, previous placement disruptions, and the presence of biological children in the foster family (Leathers, 2006; Oosterman, Schuengel, Slot, Bullens, & Doreleijers, 2007). Each of these risk factors has been associated with undesirable outcomes for foster families (Leathers, 2006; Oosterman et al., 2007). The creation and sustainment of productive relationships with fostering and training agencies also place a high demand on foster parents. Many foster parents view foster care agencies as potential sources of support and resources (Brown & Campbell, 2007), but there are inherent challenges in these relationships as well. Although foster parents are more satisfied when they believe that foster care agencies respect them and are willing to share information with them (Denby, Rindfleisch, & Bean, 1999), foster parents often report that agencies provide inadequate assistance, support, and information (Chipungu & Bent-Goodley, 2004; Cuddeback & Orme, 2002; MacGregor, Rodger, Cummings, & Leschied, 2006). Moreover, some foster parents report they do not feel valued or trusted by caseworkers (MacGregor et al., 2006; Rosenwald & Bronstein, 2008), and caseworkers and foster parents frequently have divergent views concerning the role of foster parents (Rhodes, Orme, & McSurdy, 2003). Holland and Gorey (2004) posit that strain in relationships between foster parents and case- workers may be due to the caseworkers' inability to devote resources to increasingly complex foster care cases that require case specific interventions for an array of diverse needs. Whatever the reason, the limited support and, in some cases, lack of cooperation from foster care agencies may hinder foster parents' sense of competency. 1.1. Foster parent training Effective training is just one aspect of support, but it is important because some foster parents stop fostering due to perceived deficits in support (MacGregor et al., 2006). Numerous studies have shown the benefits of foster parent training (Fees et al., 1998; McNeil, Herschell, Gurwitch, & Clemens-Mowrer, 2005; Rinn, Markle, & Wise, 1981). Results indicate that foster parents who complete training have an enhanced sense of wellbeing, increased role satisfaction, and greater willingness to help children connect with their biological parents (Fees et al., 1998; Sanchirico & Jablonka, 2000; Whenan, Oxlad, & Lushington, 2009). Whiting, Huber, and Koech (2007) report the benefits of foster parent training in past research include less placement disruption, knowledge and support towards building a relationship with the foster agency and other support services, connecting with other foster families, less foster parent burn-out, improved child-placement matching, and better foster parent-foster Children and Youth Services Review 33 (2011) 1968–1974 ☆ Each author contributed equally to this study and both authors should be given equal recognition in the order of authorship. Special thanks to Lenore McWey, Heather Farineau and Ebony Okafor for their editorial assistance in the preparation of this manuscript. ⁎ Corresponding author at: Department of Family & Child Sciences, 242 Sandels Building, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, United States. E-mail address: mec03f@fsu.edu (M.E. Cooley). 0190-7409/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.05.023 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Children and Youth Services Review journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth