Improving the quality of contacts during foster care: Learnings from foster families

Abstract

Contact visit with the family of origin during foster care is a recognized right in Spain, although these contacts are often not of quality. The current study examines the changes achieved by foster families who have completed the parental education programme Visits: a context for family development to improve the quality of the visits that children in non-kinship foster care have with their birth parents. Qualitative research was conducted using semi-structured interviews before and after the intervention with six foster carers from four foster families. This study demonstrates the short-term effectiveness of the potential of this programme to improve the quality of contact visits and collaboration relationships between birth and foster families. It highlights the importance of adequately preparing foster carers to enhance contact visits quality, by promoting parenting skills, encouraging communication between the foster carers and the child, and providing resources to manage the preparation of children for visits. My Visits Book is a resource that helps foster carers to feel more engaged in collaboration with birth families. These findings are relevant for child welfare practitioners to promote positive parenting during foster care and contact, creating rewarding experiences for parties involved.