Adapting and Testing a Parent Training Program for Foster/Relative Caregivers and the Teens in Their Care

Purpose

The challenge of implementing evidence-based programs in social service settings has received considerable attention yet is more pronounced and relatively unaddressed in the field of child welfare (Aarons & Palinkas, 2007). The goal of this research study is to adapt an evidence-based, self-administered, parenting program called Staying Connected with Your Teen for foster teens and their caregivers using the ‘ADAPT-ITT’ framework which was developed to systematically adapt evidence-based interventions (Wingood & DiClementi, 2008).  By strengthening family connections, this prevention program has been found to reduce high-risk behaviors such as substance abuse and violence among teens in the general population. This study evaluates the feasibility of modifying this program to determine its effectiveness with child welfare involved families.

Method

Assessment involved analysis of qualitative data from 9 focus groups conducted with former foster youth aged 18-21 (n=20), foster parents (n=16), and child welfare agency staff (n=27) which were used to inform decisions on program modifications.  Adaptations to the original program involved the creation of program activities to build connections between foster teens and their caregivers including the use of digital stories made by former foster youth to facilitate conversation between the teen and caregiver about the teen’s experiences prior to entering foster care. Adaptations were tested with nine caregiver/foster youth dyads in a ‘theater test’. Feedback on the program modifications from the theater test were incorporated into program materials and reviewed by topical experts and further modifications were integrated into the program prior to the final training and testing phases of the study.  The currently running pilot RCT with 60 caregiver/foster youth dyads is testing the feasibility of using this modified program within a public child welfare setting.

Results

The ADAPT-ITT process yielded critically important information that systematically shaped the current program being tested. This included changes to the name and target age group for the program, the development and testing of activities to develop a strong connection between caregivers and foster youth before beginning the program.  The use of digital stories as a mechanism to illustrate issues that foster youth often contend with were incorporated into the program and theater testing indicated that they gave caregivers and youth an opportunity for meaningful dialogue which “cracked open” issues that were important to fostering connections between youth and their caregivers.  Adaptation examples, descriptive and preliminary outcome data as well as lessons learned from the adaptation and implementation of this evidence based program will be presented.

Implications

This study is critically important due to the prevalence of high-risk behavior among foster youth and the dearth of evidence-based parenting supports for foster families caring for teens.