Co-parenting Attitudes of Foster Parents

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Co-parenting Attitudes of Foster Parents

• Marine Walls
• and
• Diane E. Wille
• Indiana University Southeast

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• Special thank you to the foster parents who
  participated in this study.
• Thank you to Regional Youth Services for their
  assistance.

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• Co-parents are defined as the executive
  decision-makers adults who are responsible for
  the care and upbringing of children.
• A child in foster care will have a wide range of
  co-parents foster parents, biological parents,
  other biological family members, officers of the
  court, social workers and mental health
  professionals.

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Methods

• 10 Foster parents
• Foster parents for an average of 11.25 years.
• Average age of foster parents 52 years.
• 4 males and 6 females.
• Average schooling is 1 year of college.
• Child has lived with the foster parents on
  average 18 months.

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• Foster parents
• Provided information about contact between child
  and biological parent and between foster parent
  and biological parent
• Provided rating of others as co-parents
• Completed Co-parenting questionnaire

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Co-parenting Questionnaire

• Please indicate how many times, during a typical
  visit by the childs parent, you
•  
• Show physical affection (hug, touch or kiss) to
  the child.
• Say something nice about the child to the
  childs parent.
• Say something nice about the childs parent to
  the child.
• Say or do something to invite, encourage an
  affectionate or pleasant communication
• between the childs parent and the child (such
  as show mom or let dad play.)
• Take the lead in setting a limit or disciplining
  the child.
• Request that the childs parent set a limit or
  discipline the child.
• Take a back seat while the child parent deals
  with the childs negative behavior.
• Undo or oppose a punishment or limit that the
  childs parent has set on the child.
• Find yourself in a mildly tense or sarcastic
  interchange with the childs parent.
• Argue with the childs parent.

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Co-parenting Questionnaire

• Please indicate how many times in a typical week
  (when you are alone with the child) you
•  
• Say something to the child about the parenting
  team (Your mom and dad and I)
• or the family group (We all) __________
• Make a comment to enhance the childs image of
  the childs parent
• (daddy loves you or mommy is proud of
  you). __________
• Make a remark to include the absent parent (e.g.,
  you should
• show this to your mom). __________
• Make a comment about the childs parent that
  might create a somewhat negative
• feeling state in the child (dad gets mad when
  you do that or I dont think mom
• would like that). __________
• Find yourself saying something clearly negative
  or critical about the childs parents
• to the child. __________
•  

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Attitudes about and interaction with biological
parents

• The childs parent and I have very good
  communication about the child.
• The childs parent and I share information about
  child rearing issues.
• The childs parent and I have basic differences
  of opinion about issues related to child
  rearing.
• I would like to have more contact with the
  childs parents.
• When the childs parent and I discuss parenting
  issues an argument
• often happens.
• The underlying atmosphere between the childs
  parent and me is one of
• hostility and anger.
• I feel I am important in helping the childs
  parent maintain relations
• with his or her child.
• I feel I have an important role to play in
  assisting the child to return
• to his or her parent.
• I feel that I am more important in the childs
  life than the parent.

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Results

• How often do the childs parents interact with
  the child?
• 50 weekly
• 10 monthly
• 40 not at all
• Average of 3.5 hours per visit

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• Co-parent selection
• Biological parents 3
• Other family members 3
• Courts 5
• Social workers 7
• Teachers/day care 4
• Therapist 7
• Babysitter 3
• DCS 2

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• Co-parent rating (7 very much co-parents)
• Biological parents 3.33
• Other family members 2.67
• Courts 3.78
• Social workers 3.22
• Teachers/day care 3.22
• Therapist 4.56
• Babysitter 2.67
• DCS 1.33

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• Show physical affection (hug, touch or kiss) to
  the child. 4
• Say something nice about the child to the childs
  parent. 4
• Say something nice about the childs parent to
  the child. 2
• Say or do something to invite, encourage an
  affectionate or pleasant 3
• communication between the childs parent and the
  child (such
• as show mom or let dad play.)
• Take the lead in setting a limit or disciplining
  the child. 0
• Request that the childs parent set a limit or
  discipline the child. 0
• Take a back seat while the child parent deals
  with the childs negative behavior. 4
• Undo or oppose a punishment or limit that the
  childs parent has set on the child. 0
• Find yourself in a mildly tense or sarcastic
  interchange with the childs parent. 0

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• Say something to the child about the parenting
  team (Your mom and 5
• dad and I) or the family group (We all)
• Make a comment to enhance the childs image of
  the childs parent 5
• (daddy loves you or mommy is proud of
  you).
• Make a remark to include the absent parent (e.g.,
  you should 6
• show this to your mom).
• Make a comment about the childs parent that
  might create a 0
• somewhat negative feeling state in the child
  (dad gets mad when
• you do that or I dont think mom would like
  that).
• Find yourself saying something clearly negative
  or critical about 0
• the childs parents to the child.
•  

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1- Strongly agree, 3 neutral, 5 Strongly
disagree The childs parent and I have very
good communication about the child.
2.63 The childs parent and I share information
about child rearing issues. 2.75 The
childs parent and I have basic differences of
opinion about issues related to child
rearing. 3.13 I would like to have more
contact with the childs parents. 3.13 When
the childs parent and I discuss parenting issues
an argument often happens. 4.00 The
underlying atmosphere between the childs parent
and me is one of hostility and anger.
3.88 I feel I am important in helping the
childs parent maintain relations with his or
her child. 2.63 I feel I have an
important role to play in assisting the child to
return to his or her parent.

2.12 I feel that I am more important in the
childs life than the parent.
3.25
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Conclusions

• Childs parents not viewed as co-parents
• Interactions primarily positive and somewhat
  supportive

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Future research

• Determine if factors such as length of time as
  foster parent may influence attitudes.

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• Questions????