Attachment Knowledge of Foster Care Practice Social Workers

Abstract

In Aotearoa, New Zealand there has been a recent high level focus on poor outcomes for children in State care. Currently there are over six thousand children and young people in State care. This thesis argues that ascertaining whether intending foster parents have the capacity to provide emotionally responsive care, needs to be a central facet in a care practice appraisal of applicant non-kin foster parents. However, literature suggests that foster parent screening is inconsistent and that the affective attributes of care quality are not routinely considered in such evaluations. Using attachment theory, this thesis has explored what core attachment knowledge is essential to assessing the affective attributes of applicant non-kin foster parents. A three-phased exploratory sequential mixed methods research approach was taken. Key informants and care practice social workers were the two participant groups involved in this study. Phase 1 obtained the perspectives of specialists in foster care practice. Qualitative interviews were conducted with six key informants in order to create a survey instrument for use with a wider care practice social work participant group in Phase 2. To elucidate the quantitative findings, a set of 11 single qualitative interviews were conducted in Phase 3 with participants from both groups. The combined results of this exploratory mixed methods study showed that participants perceived the affective domain to be an important facet to consider in determining an applicant foster parents suitability for the role. Despite this consensus, overall study results also revealed that neither the affective domain, nor attachment knowledge was likely to be routinely applied in statutory foster care practice assessments. This thesis offers a unique insight into the professional experience, challenges and educational needs of a national foster care practice social work sample. In addition, in the absence of an instrument that measures foster care practice social workers attachment knowledge, a psychometrically sound tool has been created to do this. A model of the seven relational facets of affective care quality has been devised as a working tool to support foster care practice assessment of the affective indices of care quality.