2012 Foster Parent Survey

Between April 2012 and August 2012, DSHS surveyed 1,371 foster parents who had a child in care on February 13, 2012 or May 15, 2012. These foster parents were asked about their satisfaction with support and training provided by Children’s Administration and private agencies contracted by the Administration to provide services to foster parents. They were also asked to offer recommendations for change. The majority of foster parents expressed satisfaction with the support and training they receive, and with the social workers assigned to their cases. In regard to support, they indicated they want more complete and timely information about their foster children’s cases; more efficient and flexible bureaucratic processes; more resources, such as respite and reimbursements; and more social workers hired. In regard to training, they suggested a need for improved access to training; more training on specific topics; more non-traditional training formats; and more choice about which trainings they take. This report is the first in a series of annual Foster Parent Survey reports. In the future, each report will summarize foster parents’ responses to a “rolling survey” (four quarterly surveys – August, November, February, and May) in a given fiscal year.