Foster care during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative analysis of caregiver and professional experiences

Child sexual abuse reporting: Trends and challenges before, during, and after COVID-19 school closures in Georgia, USA

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread school closures, raising concerns that reduced contact with mandated reporters would result in underreporting of child sexual abuse (CSA). However, limited empirical research has examined how school closures influenced CSA reporting trends.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigated whether COVID-19 school closures were associated with varying demographic characteristics of CSA reports in Georgia.

METHODS

Data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) Child File 2019-2021 was used to inform the following research questions in Georgia: 1) What were the demographic characteristics of CSA victims between 2019 and 2021?; 2) Were the COVID-19 school closures associated with the demographic differences (e.g., age, race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic circumstances, prior victimization, etc.) in CSA reports?

RESULTS

The findings from this study supported the hypothesis that COVID-19 school closures diminished CSA reporting for some victim groups. The largest proportion of reports involved racial/ethnic minority children (49.9 %), girls (83.0 %), and elementary school-aged children (39.0 %). Prior victimization was noted in 17.2 % of cases, and nearly half of the reports involved children from single-parent households (45.0 %). Proportions of some victim sociodemographic characteristics significantly differed across each of the time periods examined.

CONCLUSIONS

COVID-19 school closures led to a decline in CSA reporting for certain victim groups and shifts in victim demographics in Georgia, underscoring the need for future research, policy adaptations, and interventions to address these reporting gaps and ensure more equitable protection for vulnerable children in times of public health emergencies.

Closing the Gap: Foster Parents' Lived Experiences and Recommendations for Interdisciplinary Health-Care Providers

Purpose: This study explored barriers and facilitators to utilizing health-care services for foster youth, from the perspective of foster parents. Background: There are nearly 437,283 youths in the United States foster care system. Youths living in locations that are different from their familial home situations have a significantly higher occurrence of physical and mental health illnesses than children who remain in their familial homes, increasing risk for homelessness, substance use and abuse, chronic long-term illnesses, and incarceration, thus placing additional burden on the health-care system. Design and Methods: This study utilized a qualitative descriptive design with purposive sampling, with video focus groups to explore 15 foster parents' experiences in accessing health-care services for foster youth. Results: Barriers and facilitators to accessing health care and care coordination were identified, including logistics, transportation, electronic health record access, location of health care, and the impact of the social worker. Practice Implications: Nurses are well-positioned to aid in closing gaps in care for foster youth. Conclusions: These experiences provide important insights and implications for health-care providers and for future research and policy development.

The Impact of Data Suppression Rules on Data Access and Re-Identification Risk in Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System Annual Files

One of the most widely used data sources for research on foster care and adoption is the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS). County identifiers in AFCARS are suppressed for all counties with fewer than 1000 cases to prevent the re-identification of vulnerable children, but this also impacts researchers' ability to study smaller communities and analyze how local environments may affect out-of-home placements. This study uses non-public AFCARS datasets to assess, for the first time, how data suppression rules impact data access and re-identification risk. It compares the long-standing 1000-case threshold against a wide range of potential alternatives and finds substantial data access gains coupled with moderate risk increases for thresholds between 400 and 700. Adopting a 700-case threshold leads to a 50% increase in the number of identifiable counties while also keeping the percentage of fostered children who face an elevated risk of re-identification below 1%. Making data from a substantial number of rural counties available to researchers requires much larger threshold changes, which in turn increases re-identification risks.

COVID-19 pandemic related racial/ethnic disparities in the foster care system in the United States

BACKGROUND

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on racial/ethnic differences in the US foster care system is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To study the COVID-19 pandemic-related differences in racial/ethnic disparities in entry rates, exit rates, and adverse exits from foster care in US.

METHODS

Dataset: Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS) data from Census Bureau.

POPULATION

1,040,581 children entering and 1,140,370 children exiting foster care between 2017 and 22, under age 25 years.

ANALYSES

Age-group, sex, and race/ethnicity-specific entry rates were compared using Fisher's exact test. Exit rates and adverse exits were compared using Cox proportional hazard and logistic regression models respectively using difference-in-difference approach.

RESULTS

Entry rates increased for all children <1 year during COVID [entry ratio = 2.75 (2.72, 2.78)], especially American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) [entry ratio = 3.00 (2.80, 3.22)]. Exit rates decreased for all children during pandemic [exit ratio (ER) for white children = 0.399 (0.395, 0.403), p < 0.0001] with persistent disparities for AIAN [ER = 0.86 (0.83, 0.90)] and Hispanic children [ER = 0.96 (0.94, 0.97)] compared to white children. Adverse exits increased slightly during pandemic for most racial/ethnic groups [OR for white children = 1.09 (1.06, 1.12), p < 0.0001] with increase in disparities for most children of color, except Asian children. The greatest increase in disparities was for AIAN children [OR for adverse exits compared to white children post pandemic = 9.43 (8.82, 10.07), p < 0.0001].

CONCLUSION

The pandemic adversely affected all children in foster care. Entry rates disproportionately increased for AIAN children. Disparities in exit rates persisted for AIAN and Hispanic children. Disparities in adverse exits increased for most children of color, especially, AIAN children.

Hope amidst crisis: exploring perinatal mental health and family dynamics in out-of-home care through virtual assessments during the UK COVID-19 response

Caring for a young child exposed to early trauma, along with caregiving stress and heightened by the impact of lockdowns as a result of the COVID-19 response, may compromise the development of the parent-child relationship. Understanding a foster carer's attachment history and considering relational dynamics through an attachment lens may shed light on areas they need support in, to enhance their parenting capacity for vulnerable children. The feasibility of collecting and coding observational data and attachment interviews of foster carers and their children, when conducted remotely during COVID-19, needs to be explored. This perspective piece considers the impact on infant and perinatal health in the context of COVID-19 with particular emphasis on relational dynamics and attachment assessments, using a case study of a foster carer and her child in an out-of-home-care placement. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for safeguarding the well-being of both caregivers and vulnerable children during this challenging time.

Examining resilience among child protection professionals during COVID-19: A global comparison across 57 countries

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic led to numerous challenges for child protection professionals (CPPs). However, limited research has investigated the interwoven concepts of coping, resilience, and mental distress among CPPs during COVID-19 on a global scale.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to explore CPPs' practice, resilience, and mental distress during COVID-19, the relationship between their resilience and mental distress, the global stability of the Multi-System Model of Resilience (MSMR), and how CPPs' resilience varied according to the Human Development Index (HDI).

METHODS

Data were collected from 420 CPPs in 57 countries across five continents between July and September 2021. Participants completed an online questionnaire on demographics, resilience, mental distress, coping, and perceptions of child protection during the pandemic in their native languages. The analyses compared the countries grouped according to HDI using means comparisons, correlations, and multiple linear regressions. A two-path analysis was also performed to identify variables associated with behavioral resilience engagement and mental distress.

RESULTS

The findings indicated that CPPs' perceptions of COVID-19's impact on child maltreatment varied in correlation with their country's HDI. There were also significant HDI-based differences regarding the perceived opportunity to engage in resilient behavior and its helpfulness. Years of professional experience, internal resilience, and external resilience were shown to be significant predictors of mental distress among CPPs during the pandemic, and resilience mediated how years of experience predicted mental distress.

CONCLUSIONS

This study emphasized the importance of experience and internal resilience for CPPs' psychological well-being. It also provides empirical evidence to support the MSMR theory on a global scale. Additionally, it demonstrates how the perceived changes in child maltreatment during COVID-19 may be associated with regional HDI. Lastly, the opportunities CPPs had to engage in resilient behavior and how much this helped them was associated with regional HDI, but not in the way originally predicted. Study results also hold implications for how practice and policy may be altered to help CPPs cope better during times of crisis and generally.

"It's already stressful being a foster parent": A qualitative inquiry into foster parenting stress during COVID-19

BACKGROUND

Emerging literature suggests parents were under increased stress as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, fewer studies to date have examined the wellbeing of foster parents in this season. Miller et al.'s (2020) quantitative study recommended in-depth, qualitative study of the stressors faced by foster parents during COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE

Accordingly, this qualitative study sought to fill a gap in the literature regarding foster parents' lived experiences of foster parenting stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Virtual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with n = 20 foster parents from across one Southern U.S. state between April and July 2021.

METHODS

Verbatim transcripts were analyzed utilizing Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Five themes emerged in the analysis: (1) Varied Descriptions of Fostering in a Pandemic; (2) Nowhere to Go; (3) COVID-Consciousness; (4) The Virtual Reality; and (5) Stress Relief. Eight total additional subthemes were recorded. All themes and subthemes were described with representative direct quotations from the data.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this study demonstrated foster parents experienced both shared and unique parenting challenges during COVID-19. Three areas for further consideration and development in practice included improving online service delivery, strengthening guidance for online parent-child visitation, and enhancing support for foster parents of children with special needs. Developing social support and self-care practices should continue to be ongoing priorities for foster parents and foster parent-serving agencies.

Learning from child welfare staff experiences during the pandemic: Practices to maintain and discontinue

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic led to multiple changes in the ways child welfare agencies operate. Child protection agencies had to make rapid changes that impacted where and how staff operate. Minimal research has examined child welfare workers' views of these practices.

OBJECTIVE

This qualitative study seeks to understand CPS workers' perspectives regarding practices utilized during the pandemic. Staff provided input into practices they found beneficial and hope to see maintained and those they hope to see discontinued.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

The full study involved 267 staff members from 50 agencies across Ohio; this study examines qualitative data from 100 staff members who responded to two open ended survey questions.

METHODS

This qualitative study used thematic analysis to analyze two open ended questions from a survey sent to all the child welfare agencies in Ohio.

RESULTS

Thematic analysis of practices staff hoped to continue after the pandemic resulted in five themes: Nontraditional Site and Schedule, Remote Meetings, Safety Protocols, Communication and Support, and Helping Children and Families. Thematic analysis or practices staff hoped would end after the pandemic resulted in six themes: Masking, Virtual Meetings, Mandated Work Location, Unreasonable Policies, Overloading and Overwhelming Staff, and Separation from Coworkers.

CONCLUSIONS

Study results fill a gap in the research by asking CPS staff about their experiences and recommendations after practicing during COVID-19 restrictions. The most common recommendation from staff was to continue offering a nontraditional site and schedule. This study highlights the importance of soliciting and learning from staff perspectives.

Child protective services and out-of-home Care for Children during COVID-19: A scoping review and thematic analysis

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged child protection and posed new risks for child maltreatment (CM). Moreover, governmental efforts worldwide prioritized mitigating the spread of the virus over ensuring the welfare and protection of families and children. This neglect caused hardship for many vulnerable children, including those in out-of-home care (OOHC), and challenged the functionality of child protective services (CPS). However, only limited research has investigated the impact of COVID-19 on OOHC and CPS and explored how CPS overcame the challenges of helping children in OOHC.

OBJECTIVE

This review aims to address this gap in the research to unveil the 'positive legacy' left by CPS in their work with children in OOHC during COVID-19.

METHOD

This review utilized three stages of analysis, including a scoping review followed by two rounds of thematic analysis. The scoping review was carried out in six languages: English, Hebrew, Arabic, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. The first round of thematic analysis found eight relevant articles for this review. The second round of thematic analysis found three themes related to this paper's aim in the context of COVID-19.

RESULTS

Three main themes were identified: 1) decision-making and OOHC, 2) difficulties in procedures related to OOHC placement, and 3) handling challenges of OOHC.

CONCLUSIONS

The discussion emphasizes the crucial role of preserving children's rights, hearing their voices and needs, and considering their safety and well-being when planning policies and practices to protect them. It also emphasizes society's responsibility to acknowledge contextual factors in child protection.

'I probably wouldn't want to talk about anything too personal': A qualitative exploration of how issues of privacy, confidentiality and surveillance in the home impact on access and engagement with online services and spaces for care-experienced young people

This paper draws on a qualitative interview-based study that explored online mental health and wellbeing interventions and services for care-experienced young people. The study involved young people (n = 4), foster carers (n = 8), kinship carers (n = 2) and social care professionals (n = 9) in Wales, UK. The paper reflects on the complexities of online communication in the space of 'the home'. It documents the ways in which care-experienced young people's living arrangements can restrict access to services and complicate confidentiality within portals to the virtual world, creating an environment where young people and their carers 'wouldn't want to talk about anything too personal'. Drawing on data generated in a study focused on services and interventions to support the mental health and wellbeing of care-experienced children and young people, the paper considers privacy, confidentiality and surveillance in the home and reflects on how associated relational practices impact on care-experienced young people. While the data discussed in this paper was generated during the Covid-19 pandemic, its findings have implications for how care-experienced young people and their carers can be supported to engage with the digital world in the future.

Professionals' Perspectives on the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic among Child and Adolescent Victims of Domestic Violence Living in the Portuguese Residential Foster Care System

The COVID-19 pandemic had several negative impacts on child and adolescent victims of domestic violence, especially on those who lived in the residential foster care system. The main goal of the present study was to understand these negative impacts through the perspectives of professionals in Portuguese residential foster care structures using both individual interviews and an online survey. One hundred and three professionals aged between 22 and 64 years (M = 38.39; SD = 8.34) participated in the online survey (86 females and 17 males). Of those, seven professionals, four females and three males aged between 29 and 49 years (M = 38.43, SD = 7.50), were also interviewed. According to the participants, the conditions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic contributed adversely not only to the increase in domestic violence against children and adolescents but also to the aggravation of the conditions children and adolescents living in the Portuguese residential foster care system were exposed to, namely concerning family relationships, access to resources and services, and institutional dynamics. The results suggest the necessity to develop standard procedures to cope with pandemic situations in the residential foster care system.

A qualitative analysis of child protection professionals' challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic

PURPOSE

Child Protection Professionals (CPPs) play a key role in providing insights into the child protection system and how it can best support children's right to personal security, particularly during trying times like the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative research provides one potential tool to tap into this knowledge and awareness. This research thus expanded earlier qualitative work on CPPs' perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 on their work, including potential struggles and barriers, into the context of a developing country.

METHODS

A total of 309 CPPs from all five regions in Brazil answered demographics, pandemic-related resilient behaviors, and open-ended questions regarding their profession during the pandemic.

RESULTS

Data went through a three-step process of analysis: (1) pre-analysis; (2) category creation; and (3) coding of responses. Five categories emerged from the analysis: the Pandemic's Impact on CPPs' Work; the Impact of the Pandemic on CPP-Involved Families; Occupational Concerns during the Pandemic; Politics and the Pandemic; and Vulnerability due to the Pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

Our qualitative analyses showed the pandemic resulted in increased challenges for CPPs across several fronts within their workplace. Although each of these categories is discussed separately, they all influenced one another. This highlights the need to continue efforts to support CPPs.

The Effects of the Compassionate Mind Training for Caregivers on Professional Quality of Life and Mental Health: Outcomes from a Cluster Randomized Trial in Residential Youth Care Settings

Background

Psychological distress is highly noticeable among caregivers working in residential youth care (RYC). Maintaining and enhancing caregivers' professional mental health and quality of life is crucial to achieve effective outcomes in RYC. Nevertheless, trainings to protect caregivers' mental health are scarce. Considering the buffering effect over negative psychological outcomes, compassion training could be beneficial in RYC.

Objective

This study is part of a Cluster Randomized Trial examining the effects of the Compassionate Mind Training for Caregivers (CMT-Care Homes), looking at professional quality of life and mental health of caregivers working in RYC.

Method

The sample was composed of 127 professional caregivers from 12 Portuguese residential care homes (RCH). RCHs were randomly allocated at experimental (N = 6) and control group (N = 6). Participants were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and 3 and 6-month follow-ups, answering to the Professional Quality of Life Scale and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. Program effects were tested using a two-factor mixed MANCOVA, with self-critical attitude and education degree as covariates.

Results

MANCOVA showed a significant Time × Group interaction effects (F = 1.890, p = .014; η p 2 = .050), with CMT-Care Homes participants presenting lower scores on burnout, anxiety, and depression at 3 and 6-months follow-ups, when compared with controls. Participants that received CMT-Care Homes considered the program useful to deal with pandemic threats and with youth during lockdowns.

Conclusion

This study shows the benefits of the CMT-Care Homes in helping professional caregivers reducing burnout, anxiety and depression, and dealing with pandemic challenges in RYC.Trial registration: This cluster randomized trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (TRN: NCT04512092) on 6th August 2020.

A Mixed-Methods Study Exploring the Educational Experiences of Foster Youth and Foster Parents During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken to decrease the spread impacted youth in foster care and foster parents in a myriad of ways. One critical yet unexplored area is how educational changes during the first 2 years of the pandemic impacted this specific group of youth in foster care and foster parents. This exploratory study used three methods: (1) A scoping review of the prior research on pandemics/climate events and school closures and the research from early 2020; (2) individual interviews and focus groups with foster parents and teachers; and (3) an online survey of 88 foster parents. We endeavored to include findings at each stage of the process. Research from prior epidemics and school closures and predictive models predicted learning losses which were verified by the findings in the survey and interviews. Foster parents reported that the youth in foster care had great difficulty concentrating with on-line delivery and the absence or greatly limited access to mental health services compounded the challenges. Even as children returned to classrooms, the behavior of children, youth resulted in suspensions and expulsions likely increasing learning losses. The discussion identifies some approaches to addressing COVID-19 learning gaps and the mental health needs of this vulnerable group of children and youth.

Effects of formal center-based care and positive parenting practices on children in foster care

BACKGROUND

The current study examined whether children in foster care have better cognitive and social-emotional outcomes at kindergarten age when they enroll in formal center-based care and when they receive positive parenting practices at home.

OBJECTIVE

Two primary questions were addressed: (1) Do children in foster care who attended formal center-based care (including Head Start) have higher cognitive and socio-emotional outcomes than children in foster care who did not attend formal center-based care? (2) Does positive parenting practice promote better cognitive and socio-emotional outcomes?

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Based on the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-K: 2011 data, 299 children in foster care were selected.

METHODS

Regression analyses were conducted on children's cognitive and social-emotional scores by types of children's childcare arrangements (formal vs informal care) and positive parenting practices. Active parental involvement was measured based on how frequently parents read books with their children, and authoritarian parenting discipline was measured based on whether parents spanked their children.

RESULTS

Children in foster care who enrolled in formal center-based childcare at pre-school age have higher cognitive and socio-emotional scores at kindergarten age. Positive parenting practice also promotes children's outcomes. Children in foster care who are both enrolled in formal center-based care and experience positive parenting practice had the most positive outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Parents raising children in foster care should be informed about the positive impacts of certain parenting practices on their children. Foster parents should be connected to available community resources, including formal-center-based preschool programs and required to continuously attend parenting classes to sustain positive impact of parenting practice on foster children.

The impact of the resumption of in-person school attendance on COVID-affected child abuse and neglect trends in Florida

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to fewer child abuse and neglect (CAN) hotline calls, CAN investigations, and foster care entries across the U.S.

OBJECTIVE

To determine if there were decreases in CAN hotline calls, CAN investigations, foster care entries, and foster care exits in Florida (the largest among the few states that publishes monthly public data on the four areas) after the pandemic began, and to determine if there was any amelioration of these trends in Florida once schools had reopened for in-person learning.

METHODS

Secondary data analyses of administrative child welfare data from January 2010 to June 2021 from Florida were used. Spline regression equations were calculated for CAN hotline calls, CAN investigations, foster care entries, and foster care exits during three periods: 1) before the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2010 to February 2020); 2) after the pandemic, but before schools reopened (March 2020 to October 2020); and 3) after the pandemic and after schools reopened (November 2020 to June 2021).

RESULTS

Prior to the pandemic, there was a non-statistically significant increase of 1.35 hotline calls per 100,000 children per month (p = .478), a statistically significant increase of 0.01 investigations per 100,000 children per month (p < .001), a non-statistically significant increase of 0.01 foster care entries per 100,000 children per month (p = .415), and a statistically significant increase of 0.03 foster care exits per 100,000 children per month (p < .05). Once the pandemic started in March 2020, there were statistically significant decreases of 136.02 hotline calls per 100,000 children per month (p < .001), 102.84 investigations per 100,000 children per month (p < .001), 6.32 foster care entries per 100,000 children per month (p < .001) and 5.75 foster care exits per 100,000 children per month (p < .01). Once all schools reopened for in-person learning in November 2020, there continued to be statistically significant decreases of 47.86 hotline calls per 100,000 children per month (p < .05), 6.38 foster care entries per 100,000 children per month (p < .001) and 6.53 foster care exits per 100,000 children per month (p < .001). This suggests that there were an estimated 34,374 fewer CAN hotline calls, 2338 children who did not enter foster care, and 2587 youth residing in foster care (YRFC) whose foster care exits were delayed. The delay in foster care exits suggests that YRFC in Florida had stayed a combined cumulative equivalent of 477.1 years longer in care.

CONCLUSION

With the COVID-19 variants like Omicron continuing to wreak havoc in Florida, there will be a continued trend of decreasing CAN hotline calls, foster care entries and foster care exits even with in-person learning in all Florida schools. A real-time interoperable data system utilizing real-time predictive analytics must be developed in concert with the development of leaders and executives with advanced degrees in child welfare organizations who are able to maximize information from such systems.