Cultivating resilience in new foster parents through mentoring: A dyadic analysis

Despite the use of mentor programs within child welfare, few studies have examined relational issues between matched pairs of mentors/mentees. This qualitative study uses interpretive description and adapted dyadic analysis to explore the challenges faced by new foster parents and how foster parent mentors council them through these challenges. Using in depth interviewing, primary data were collected from mentor/mentee dyads (N = 22). Emergent themes were permitting grief, taking breaks, setting boundaries, and attending to the needs of the family. This study contributes to extant knowledge by identifying ways in which foster parent mentoring can help new foster parents remain engaged, promote placement stability, and support competency.