Nikki Luke

1

Informing and evaluating foster carer peer
support groups

• Nikki Luke
• Rees Centre for Research in Fostering and
  Education
• nikki.luke_at_education.ox.ac.uk

http//reescentre.education.ox.ac.uk/wordpress/wp-
content/uploads/2013/07/ReesCentre_PeerContact2013
_web.pdf
2
Peer support project

• Key messages from the literature review
• Translating evidence-based recommendations into
  practice
• The involvement of peer researchers
• Preliminary results from the evaluation
• Research and practice an iterative process

3
Stages of the project
4

• Role of foster carer satisfaction and fulfilment
  but also stress
• Types of support
• informal (family and friends)
• formal (practitioners, schemes for meeting other
  carers)
• Review questions
• What is the nature of peer contact between foster
  carers and what does it provide?
• How far does peer contact improve outcomes for
  carers, children and placements?
• What are the interventions that increase contact
  between carers and could thereby potentially
  improve outcomes?
• 33 studies from UK, USA, Australia, Canada, New
  Zealand and Ireland

5

• Key findings
• Providers offer a range of forms of peer contact
• e.g. local support and advocacy groups, social
  contact, training sessions, mentoring
• Peer contact can fulfil a number of important
  support needs
• emotional, instrumental, informational and
  appraisal (Hinson Langford et al., 1997)
• counters sense of isolation (Blythe et al., 2011)
• Less positive experience when group meetings
  become gossip sessions or a forum for putting
  down social workers (Murray, 2007)
• important role of group facilitator (Fostering
  Network, 2009)
• Key factors chance to meet with other carers,
  learn from each other, offload about problems,
  reduce potential social isolation, talk to those
  with a shared understanding of the issues

6

• Key findings
• Only four studies examined links between peer
  contact and benefits for carers, children and
  placements they showed
• a greater likelihood of continuing a career as a
  foster carer (Rhodes et al., 2001 Sinclair et
  al., 2004)
• a more positive attitude to fostering (Sinclair
  et al., 2004)
• a lower likelihood of depression (Cole Eamon,
  2007)
• increased availability of respite care might help
  to avoid placement disruptions (Northwest
  Institute for Children and Families, 2007)
• Intervention designs which directly relate pre-
  and post-test outcome measures to the experience
  of peer contact could increase the validity of
  the findings

7
Stage 2 menu of recommendations

• Working with three local authority/state
  providers
• We produced a detailed menu on peer support
  groups, based on the research in the review
• The menu contains
• practical questions on how the provider will
  operate the scheme
• specific evidence-based recommendations
• Providers used the menu to design their
  new/revised schemes
• Examples of menu items

8
(No Transcript)
9

• Eight-month pre- and post-test design to evaluate
  impact
• Semi-structured interviews (conducted by
  carer-researchers)
• carers perceptions of peer support
• perceived impact of the group on relationships
  with others, attitudes to fostering and intention
  to continue in the role
• what they liked/didnt like about the group
• why some carers might not attend
• Questionnaires
• stress levels (Parenting Stress Index Abidin,
  1995)
• parenting attitudes (Child-Parent Relationship
  Scale Pianta, 1992)

10

• Carer-researchers provided feedback on
• draft review
• choice of questionnaires
• interview schedules (before and during data
  collection)
• experiences of conducting research
• emergent findings
• Carer-researchers invited to contribute to
• trade magazine articles
• conference presentations
• journal articles (at end of project)

11

• 50 interviews completed at baseline across 7
  support groups
• 26 follow-ups completed so far across 5 groups
• Preliminary findings from 2 groups

12

• Group 1
• Authority runs separate groups for carers of
  children in three different age groups Asian
  carers and male carers
• Preliminary findings are from one of the age
  groups
• Group discussed review findings and
  recommendations in Sept 13
• Carers were asked what they wanted to see change
  and what they liked about the group
• Group is organised and run by two link workers
• Fairly unstructured lots of social time,
  occasional speakers

13

• Group 2
• Authority had previously run support groups but
  these had fizzled out some time ago
• Wanted to relaunch groups but with best chance of
  success
• Carers were asked what they wanted to get out of
  a group
• Group is organised and run by foster carers
• Fairly structured agenda, information posters,
  meeting with service providers

14

• Shared experience
• It has been a great support because the people
  are going through the same things that you are.
• Just listening just being able to talk things
  through with somebody that understands.
• Its nice to hear that there are other foster
  carers who have similar problems to you, and they
  might be able to give you ideas on how to make
  things better at home.

15

• Advice and support
• Its not so much advice, its more saying how
  they do things, and its not saying, If you did
  this it would be better.
• You think, I dont know if that will work but
  maybe Ill try it.
• Other carers tell you about things you can do,
  places you can go if youve got a problem.
• You dont feel like youre having a finger
  pointed at you.
• It can save you money.

16

• Reducing sense of isolation
• Things youre going through, you find out
  somebody else is as well so its, Maybe its not
  just me.
• I do think its a good thing because you do feel
  isolated, and it is nice to meet people who are
  doing the same thing as youre doing.
• Its put my faith in people. Youre not on your
  own.
• It shows that youre not on your own theres
  always someone that you can turn to I could have
  given up a couple of times, but the supports
  been there.

17

• Confidentiality
• Ive got lots of friends and family, but
  everything is on a need-to-know basis. You
  wouldnt divulge a persons background or perhaps
  some of the things theyre doing. You just
  wouldnt talk about it, but you can in the group
  because its confidential.
• Ive got friends who have seen whats going on,
  but I try not to go into an in-depth conversation
  about it, I just try and gloss over it really.
  Because I dont think its fair on the child to
  divulge everything to everybody. Young people in
  care are in the spotlight. Your own kids wont
  have as much going on in their lives that will be
  told to everybody theyve got such a lot of
  people knowing such a lot about them.

18

• Letting off steam
• Its quite informal, quite mixed, sometimes you
  can just talk and have a laugh, which is useful
  because it lightens the atmosphere because
  sometimes you can feel very stressed and very
  negative, but you come in and listen to everybody
  else and you just end up laughing about it
  sometimes! Because sometimes its not a nice
  feeling when youve got a young person and
  everything feels so negative and you cant think
  of any positives that makes you feel upset. But
  to come in and you can talk about it, and you
  just think, Its not as bad as that! Maybe it
  is, but other people are doing it as well.

19

• Group 1 What had changed?
• Moved from 6-weekly to 4-weekly
• some felt this had made it more difficult as it
  was one more thing to fit in with school runs,
  meetings etc.
• others were happy to attend more often
• More informal atmosphere
• carers liked the fact that meetings were no
  longer minuted as they felt more relaxed in
  nature

20

• Group 2 What had worked?
• Had tried different formats, including training
  and guest speakers
• The speakers are really useful.
• Theres more training than support.
• Supervisors were present for part of session if
  appropriate
• carers found this very helpful
• problems get heard and passed up the chain, but
  carers felt they didnt always hear the outcome
• Some carers organised their own groups outside
  the sessions, meeting for lunch and a chat
• they enjoyed the informality of these groups
• there wasnt always time to exchange names and
  phone numbers in the group
• Room space and parking were seen as problematic

21

• Both groups felt they needed to attract more
  carers
• Carers were concerned that it was still always
  the same faces turning up
• Thought the group was important, especially for
  new carers
• I had worked with children before and I thought
  I could do it but its different 24 hours a
  day!
• I thought I knew what I was letting myself in
  for, and it was nothing like I thought. Its 24
  hours a day, its very difficult. But being able
  to come and share that with other people makes a
  difference.
• Im glad I did because I burst into tears! You
  think maybe not that its easy but the stuff
  that you have to put up with, you dont expect.
• Unsure how to attract new faces to the group
• Felt that taking support out of the title might
  help
• Theyll say, Im alright, I can cope.

22
Research and practice an iterative process

• Practitioners and foster carers
• Helping to ensure practice is evidence-based
• Getting practitioners and carers priorities
  onto researchers agendas
• Partnering up with researchers to contribute
  complementary skills (e.g. data analysis,
  practical interpretation of results)?

Research
Practice

• Researchers
• Helping to ensure were asking the right
  questions
• Getting practitioners and carers to buy into
  research
• Working with practitioners and carers to get more
  authentic data

23
Peer support project

• Thanks to
• Colin, Theresa, Gwen, Alex, Jane, Sue, Mike,
• and
• all of the foster carers, social workers and link
  workers who have welcomed us into their groups

Tusind tak
24
References

• Abidin, R. R. (1995). Parenting Stress Index (3rd
  ed.). Odessa, FL Psychological Assessment
  Resources.
• Blythe, S.L., Jackson, D., Halcomb, E.J.,
  Wilkes, L. (2011). The stigma of being a
  long-term foster carer. Journal of Family
  Nursing, 18(2), 234-260.
• Cole, S. A., Eamon, M. K. (2007). Predictors of
  depressive symptoms among foster caregivers.
  Child Abuse Neglect, 31(3), 295-310.
• Fostering Network (2009). Learning together
  Learning from each other. London The Fostering
  Network.
• Hinson Langford, C. P., Bowsher, J., Maloney, J.
  P., Lillis, P. P. (1997). Social support A
  conceptual analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing,
  25(1), 95-100.
• Murray, L. (2007). Foster and kinship caregiver
  perceptions of support and training in
  Canterbury, New Zealand. M. Ed. University of
  Canterbury, New Zealand. Available at
  http//ir.canterbury.ac.nz/bitstream/10092/1061/2/
  thesis_fulltext.pdf.txt Accessed 12 November
  2012.
• Northwest Institute for Children and Families
  (2007). Mockingbird Family Model project
  evaluation pdf Available at http//www.mockingb
  irdsociety.org/images/stories/docs/MFM/nwicf_2007-
  5_report.pdf Accessed 18 January 2013.
• Pianta, R. C. (1992). Child-Parent Relationship
  Scale. University of Virginia. Retrieved from
  http//curry.virginia.edu/academics/directory/robe
  rt-c.-pianta/measures
• Rhodes, K. W., Orme, J. G., Buehler, C. (2001).
  A comparison of family foster parents who quit,
  consider quitting, and plan to continue
  fostering. Social Service Review, 75(1), 84-114.
• Sinclair, I., Gibbs, I., Wilson, K. (2004).
  Foster carers Why they stay and why they leave.
  London Jessica Kingsley.