Vol. 9, No. 2• May 2005

Small study may have implications for foster parent trainers

Randi Wolfe, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education at Northern Illinois University, believes that foster parent training is often drier—and less effective—than it needs to be.

Instead of simply lecturing about child development or agency procedures, Wolfe believes trainers could benefit foster parents—and foster children—more if they also used the classroom to (1) create a safe setting in which foster parents can network and support each other, (2) encourage foster parents to examine how their own childhood experiences impact their parenting, and (3) offer concrete tools to increase foster parents’ ability to develop trusting relationships with foster children.

Wolfe’s ideas arise in part from her work with 13 African-American foster mothers from inner-city Chicago. Over the course of many sessions, Wolfe led the women using an adapted version of the parent training program Listening to Children.

Based on interviews she conducted after this course, Wolfe concluded that foster parent training improves when:

• The group setting provides critical social support and time for networking.
• Course content encourages the acquisition of parenting skills in areas such as handling misbehavior, setting limits, and developing listening skills.
• Facilitators help foster parents understand the role parents play in encouraging children’s healthy development.
• Group leaders establish group safety, encourage open and honest discussion, and mediate respect among group members.
• Training is participatory, interactive, and reflects a sincere concern about the participants and their families.

Wolfe believes foster parent trainers can incorporate the unique elements emphasized by Listening to Children into any training curriculum they teach.

For more information about the Listening to Children program, contact Dr. Wolfe (tel: 815/753-9337; [email protected]).

To learn how to become a foster parent trainer co-training MAPP in your county, contact the North Carolina Foster and Adoptive Parent Association (toll-free: 866/623-7248; e: [email protected]).

Copyright © 2005 Jordan Institute for Families