Establishing a Good Relationship with Foster Parents after Issues with Their Performance: Experiences of Foster Parent Resource Workers

This study examined the experiences of foster parent resource workers from fourteen child welfare agencies in a large metropolitan area. In focus groups, they were asked to respond to the following question: 'How do you establish a good relationship with foster parents after a problem with their performance?' Responses were analysed using concept mapping. The seven resulting concepts included: outline the issues, share responsibility, acknowledge mistakes, focus on prevention, add resources, retain supportive relationships and map out next steps. The results were noteworthy for the absence of participants' experiences of systemic and agency context influencing their relationships with foster parents. In addition, there was an absence of literature on resource workers' experiences of dual roles of quality assurance and support. Implications of these findings are offered.