Hearing their voices: Findings from a study of American Indian/Alaska Native foster parents in Oregon

• In Event: The importance of Indigenous knowledge and culture for parenting and educating Indigenous children.

Abstract

Background: The “foster parent crisis” or the challenge of supporting and retaining satisfied foster caregivers has tremendous implications for placement stability and related health and wellbeing outcomes for children in foster care (Fisher et al., 2013; Kilos et al., 2017; Wulczyn et al., 2018). This crisis is amplified in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, and is reflected in the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) -which prioritizes kinship, tribe-affiliated placements whenever possible for indigenous children, thus preserving the cultural identities central to their communities (Kilos et al., 2017). This program relies on the continued satisfaction, motivation, and retention of ICWA-eligible foster homes to meet the needs of children in care. This study aims to report on the qualitative experiences, challenges, and motivations of AI/AN foster parents in Oregon, and provides initial connections to ICWA recruiting and retention efforts and subsequent outcomes for children in this historically understudied community.

Methods: The 2021 Foster Parent Engagement survey was created as part of an ongoing OSU-ODHS collaboration to improve the supports of foster parents in Oregon. Of the full sample (n=1,023), 26 foster parents identified as AI/AN, representing 13 counties, suggesting a strong representation of AI/AN foster parents in Oregon. 80.8% were women, 50% were between 30-49 years of age, and on average, were foster parents for 3.85 years (SD= 5.16). Foster parents reported on individual and household demographics, as well as on existing measures of stress, supports, and motivation to continue fostering. Open-ended questions related to COVID-19, their motivations, and the rewarding aspects of foster parenting, were reviewed using a grounded approach to uncover themes on two main categories (rewards and challenges), both during and beyond the pandemic.

Results: Three researchers individually reviewed the open-ended responses and then collectively determined several themes related to rewarding aspects of foster parenting, including developing a close connection with children, being able to see them grow, and a sense of personal fulfillment and cultural identity- one person said they were fostering to “carry on the fight [my] ancestors died for to protect the innocent”. Many of the challenges and stresses reported consisted of agency related concerns, especially challenges with communication and strengthening opportunities for training related to BIPOC children.

Implications: Themes suggest that there are many similarities in the needs and motivations of AI/AN foster parents and the general foster parenting community, however, some are also unique. In particular, findings highlight the value of cultural sensitivity and connection for this community, and uncovers already existing challenges that are exacerbated during a global crisis (e.g., COVID-19). Research efforts to support the goals of ICWA and related programs should attempt to highlight the strengths of these valuable caregivers and their cultural identities, which a follow up study attempts through in-depth interviews in 2022 - the initial results of which will also be discussed. Future policy-relevant work could be informed by this research in efforts to adopt an equity-based lens to supporting AI/AN foster parents.

Authors

• Kylee Probert, Oregon State University - Corvallis
  Presenting Author

• Danielle Zandbergen

• Fawn Harris

• Brianne Kothari, Oregon State University-Cascades