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Social Support Group for Foster Parents
by: Dan Russell
Introduction
I began my community project by choosing to start a social support group for
foster parents. The reason I chose this project was because my senior internship was at
a foster agency, and I was working closely with foster parents and foster children. I
became aware that there were several foster parents who did not have a very good support
system outside the foster agency, and the support from the foster agency was limited.
Foster care is extremely demanding on foster parents, more so than parenting biological
children. This is because of the "baggage" that comes along with foster children.
Foster children are taken from their biological parents because they have been
physically or emotionally abused or seriously neglected. This does not occur without
damaging the child, thus influencing their behavior. This places great demands on the
foster parents. Unfortunately, help from social workers is limited. The purpose of the
support group for foster parents is to provide a setting that will allow them a chance
to vent their frustrations, and provide them the potential for educational growth. They
will also be able to gain from the strengths of the more experienced foster parents in
dealing with foster children.
Statement of Need
My next step was to research the professional literature of social support
groups for foster parents. I was shocked as to how little information I found. I
thought the first four articles I chose would broaden my knowledge on what a foster
parent might need from a social support group. The remaining two articles were about
the physical and mental rewards of social support groups.
The first article (Staying in Sync, Lowinger, 1996) was an article on adoptions,
but I felt the information was pertinent to my topic. The author describes how during
the adoptive process the new parent is required to share a great deal of information
about their personal life. This can set the stage for the parent to have difficulty
later discriminating what information to share and with who. The author explains how
the parent soon learns the difference between secrecy, privacy, and information that is
okay to share with others. This is one example of how a support group could help the
parent identify with whom to share. The article goes on to identify the different
stages and ages of children and the difficult questions that "normal" children ask of
adoptive or foster children. This is another area in which a support group could aid
the foster parent in helping the child to cope with such questions.
The next journal (Identifying Sources of Social Support, Birch, 1998) was a
social support lesson plan for a school. I thought this article was related to my topic
because it could be used for either the foster parent or the foster child to help them
recognize that there is social support and where it could be found.
The next two articles (Support Groups as Shock Absorber, Kacen, and Sofer, 1997
and Force to be Reckoned With, O'Hanlon, 1998) were articles that described the purpose
of a support group and its functions. For example, " it [support group] can be used as
a tool for socialization, for teaching and learning values and social skills, for
reinforcing weaker communities and as a lever for social change" (Kacen & Sofer 1997).
Kacen and Sofer believe that a support group should focus on both the individual and the
society. They point out that the social worker's main objective is to bridge the gap
between the individual and society.
The final two articles (Studies Show Social Ties Can Alter Our Immune System,
Key, 1997, and Social Support: Social Planning Council Sudbury Region: Technical
development, Bourget, 1998) explain how a social support system is one of the most
effective means of reducing the impact of stress on the immune system. The articles
explain how people who belong to support groups actually get sick less than people who
don't have strong social networks. I believe these articles would be good references
while educating a support group as to the benefits of a support group.
The next step for my project was to interview two foster parents, two social
workers in the field of foster care, and two administrators in the field of foster care.
Both foster parents whom I interviewed agreed and wanted to be a part of a support
group. The two social workers I interviewed thought that the support group was a good
idea. One of the concerns they had was finding a neutral place to have the group. The
social worker felt that, if the group were held in the agency's office, the foster
parents might be reluctant to speak out against the agency if there were a problem.
Another concern, because the group is from a small community, would be confidentiality.
Because everybody knows everybody, it would not be hard to figure out which foster
child the foster parent was talking about. The two administrators that I interviewed
had conflicting views. The first administrator agreed that the group was a good idea.
The second, however, did not. He did not believe support groups worked. He was afraid
that, because of the group, a foster parent might get upset and leave the agency. His
concern was a financial concern. If he lost a foster parent, that would ultimately mean
he would lose money. Both administrators were concerned about confidentiality. Both
administrators also said that there was no money available for the group. With the
exception of the one administrator, everyone I interviewed believed that a support group
for foster parents was a good idea and was needed.
Description of the Intervention
The next part of my project was the plan. The first goal was to have my
supervisor act as the facilitator, and I was to be the co-facilitator. The reason for
having my supervisor be the facilitator was because the group would go on longer than I
would have been with the agency. The next goal was to pick a day and time to meet. I
also needed to find a safe and neutral place to meet. Finally, the goal was to supply
personal support as well as educational support in the area of foster care for foster
parents.
Evaluation of the Intervention
Unfortunately I ran into barriers that did not allow the group to get started.
The first barrier was the one administrator who did not believe that support groups
worked. The next barrier was that an adoption agency was trying to start up a support
group as well, which delayed my plans. That support group never happened. The final
barrier was that my supervisor found another job and will be leaving the agency at the
same time that I will, and time had run out as far as finding another facilitator.
Reflections on the Project
After looking back, I believe one thing that I would have done differently would
have been to act in a more timely matter. Time tends to sneak away from you. It was
very evident that the group was needed. I encourage you to start your own group, but to
expect barriers. Try not to get discouraged, and good luck!
References
Birch, D.A. (1998). Identifying Sources of Social Support. Journal of School
Health, 68, 159-161.
Bourget, B. (1998). Social Support: Social Planning Council Sudbury Region:
Technical development. retrieved September 29, 1998 from the World Wide Web:
http://webserver.isys.ca/healthcanada/detss.htm
Kacen, L., & Sofer, G. (1997). Support groups as shock absorber. International Social Work, 40, 277-289.
Key, S.W. (1997). Studies show social ties can alter our immune system. Cancer Weekly Plus, 14.
Lowinger, P. (1996). Staying in sync. Adoptive Families, 29, 28-30.
O'Hanlon, T. (1998). A force to be reckoned with. Adoptive Families, 18, 34-38.
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