Oh What a Difference a “Good” Worker Can Make. Fostering Children with Complex Medical Needs: A Phenomenological Study

Abstract

Foster parents receive training to prepare them for managing the various behaviors foster children may exhibit, but it may not prepare them to care for children with complex medical needs. This study sought to understand the lived experiences of foster parents who care for a child with complex medical needs. Using a phenomenological approach, a sample of eight foster parents were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Foster parents indicated they felt supported by their assigned workers, but many foster parents experienced problems with the workers assigned to their foster children. Findings indicate the need for increased supports and services for foster parents, and a need for children’s workers to receive more training to increase their knowledge of how to support children with disabilities, as well as their foster parents. Future research should focus on the specific needs of workers, including training on issues related to children with disabilities as well as the types of supports these children need, and ways to better support foster parents who care for children with complex medical needs.