from NCDOCKS Institutional Repository http : / / libres . uncg . edu / ir / asu / Foster Parent Support And Retention : A Policy Approach By : Leah Hamilton

Foster parent retention is an important, yet often overlooked, component to long term outcomes for children in the foster care system. A recent pilot study examining the perspectives of four Arkansas foster care caseworkers found that, much like the rest of the country, Arkansas experiences high foster parent attrition. This current study explores the perceived effectiveness among sixteen foster parents of the Foster Parent Support Act of 2007 for improving retention in Arkansas. It was discovered that Arkansas foster parents were largely unaware of the act and reported insufficient support, voice and information in the child welfare process. Hamilton, L. (2013). "Foster Parent Support and Retention: A Policy Approach." Humanities and Social Sciences Review, 2(3):377–411. Version of Record available at: http://www.universitypublications.net/hssr/0203/html/P3G23.xml Humanities and Social Sciences Review, CD-ROM. ISSN: 2165-6258 :: 2(3):377–411 (2013) Foster parent retention is an important, yet often overlooked, component to long term outcomes for children in the foster care system. A recent pilot study examining the perspectives of four Arkansas foster care caseworkers found that, much like the rest of the country, Arkansas experiences high foster parent attrition. This current study explores the perceived effectiveness among sixteen foster parents of the Foster Parent Support Act of 2007 for improving retention in Arkansas. It was discovered that Arkansas foster parents were largely unaware of the act and reported insufficient support, voice and information in the child welfare process. Foster care, Child welfare policy, Foster parent retention. Among the myriad of issues facing American child welfare professionals, foster parents retention has become a growing concern in the past 20 years. High turnover and insufficient recruitment has a led to a shrinking and largely inexperienced pool of foster parents. Many agencies report foster parent turnover between 30 and 50 percent per year (Christian, 2002). Caseworkers in Arkansas report similar concerns (Hamilton, 2011). Unfortunately, because there is no national database of foster parents, it is impossible to track the full extent of the problem (Unknown, 2008). Christian (2002) explains that insufficient numbers of qualified (trained and state certified) foster parents increases the likelihood of inappropriate placements, disruptions and placement in expensive institutional settings. The following study analyzes Arkansas’ legislative effort to improve foster parent retention. First, however, the theoretical importance of foster care stability must be established. John Bowlby’s (1988) theory of attachment, established in the mid-twentieth century, helps to support the connection between child well-being and foster care. A British child psychiatrist,