Improving the wellbeing of children in care through a group intervention for foster carers

Not Applicable

• Conditions: Mental and Behavioural Disorders; Mental health

• Registration Number: ISRCTN70832140
• Lead Sponsor: niversity of Hertfordshire

Brief Summary

2021 Protocol article in https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-021-05739-y (added 13/12/2022)

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Results First Posted: 1900-01-01
• Study Start: 2020-11-16
• Last Update Posted: 16 October 2023
• Study Completion: 2024-09-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Ongoing
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 524

Inclusion Criteria

1. The carer is currently fostering a child aged between 4 and 13 years
2. The child has been in this placement for at least 4 weeks
3. The care plan is for the child to remain in this placement for more than 4 months
4. The inclusion criteria are in place to ensure that the intervention targets carers of children in medium to long-term placements, rather than respite care or emergency placements

Exclusion Criteria

1. Recruitment of foster carers in England and Wales specifies that they must have sufficient English language ability to engage with the child’s school and other services. For this reason, participating LAs have confirmed that they would expect no foster carers to be excluded on this basis. However, the process evaluation (see below) will include the number of potential participants excluded due to not meeting the language criteria, to check if this assumption is correct. The recruitment screening logs will also include this. Those with poor literacy will be supported through having a research assistant read questionnaires to them.
2. To ensure health inequalities are addressed, foster carers of any child with a disability (e.g. autism, developmental delay), and those currently caring for more than one child will be eligible to take part. If carers or the child in their care are currently receiving any other form of counselling or mental health support, this will not be a reason to exclude them from participating in the study. Attendance at the Reflective Fostering Programme is not designed to replace such usual support.

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified