Screening for Relational Indices of Care Quality in Applicant Foster Parents
Keywords:
Care practice assessment, Adult attachment, Self-report measures, Relational quality, Foster parent–foster child relationshipsAbstract
Emotionally responsive care provision is a primary function of the fostering relationship. Attachment research in foster care shows that care quality is influenced by a foster parent’s own attachment experiences and relational history. However, a recent systematic literature review on foster care indicates that relational quality is inconsistently addressed in care practice evaluations of prospective foster parents. Limited use of evaluation methods appropriate to distinguishing individual differences in care quality may be one reason for the inconsistency noted. This paper argues that assessment of relational quality of applicant foster parents must be a routine component of care practice evaluations, supported by assessment methods capable of distinguishing individual differences on the relational indices of interest. Attachment orientation mediates relational quality and outcome. Accordingly, five self-report instruments commonly used in the attachment field for assessing adult relational quality are reviewed.
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