Foster care parents' perceptions of their foster care youth's self-efficacy beliefs

Abstract

Every year, thousands of children are placed in foster care. It is estimated that approximately 24,000 youth age-out of the foster care system each year. Improving outcomes for youth in foster care when they age-out of the system has been a concern among government agencies, policy makers, and advocates (Casey Family Programs, 2010). Although research in the foster care area has studied the outcomes of foster youth when they age-out of the system, the role of the foster parents related to these outcomes, especially in the area of career development, has not received the same attention. The purpose of this study was to explore the perception of foster parents of youth with and without disabilities about their foster youth’s career self-efficacy beliefs. A total of 157 foster parents registered in the Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association (IFAPA) and Nebraska Foster and Adoptive Parent Association (NFAPA) email databases responded to an online survey. The survey included a demographic questionnaire which presented questions about the extent of their role as foster parents and the Career Decision Making Self-Efficacy Scale – Short Form (CDMSE-SF) that measured the foster parents’ perception of the career self-efficacy of their foster youth. After conducting MANOVA and ANOVA analyses, a highly perceived selfefficacy belief was found among the foster parents in general. A comparison of the career self –efficacy beliefs of foster parents of children with or without disabilities was found to be higher among those foster parents serving youth without disabilities. Additionally, the foster parents identified services and/or training they understand are important for them and the foster youth such as more orientation about disabilities, the parent’s role in Individual Educational Plan (IEP) meetings, and the opportunity for the foster youth of having employment experience before they leave the foster care system. Considering the important role of the family in the career development of youth and the development of expectations, these findings are important not only to the rehabilitation counseling professionals, but to many individuals in the helping