The Reflective Fostering Programme—Adapting a group parenting programme for online delivery in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic in the United Kingdom

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveIn the context of the Covid‐19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown restrictions, service providers faced significant challenges in delivering programmes to support their vulnerable service users. Foster carers‐an already often isolated group of caregivers ‐ were offered an adapted remote‐delivery model of the Reflective Fostering Programme (Redfern et al., Adopt. Foster., 42, 2018, 234) from March 2020.MethodThis paper outlines the adaptation process of the original programme to online‐remote delivery and describes the feedback from participants in the programme.ResultsThe adaptation of the Reflective Fostering programme to online, remote delivery had both strengths and weaknesses ‐ including wider access to foster carers who might struggle to attend in person and challenge a to maintaining a Mentalizing space online and ensuring confidentiality within a therapeutic space. The programme was overwhelmingly well received by foster carers in this format.ConclusionsThere are opportunities and challenges in the delivery of online therapeutic services, particularly those with a group format. This paper contributes initial reflections to what we hope will be a rapidly developing literature on best practice of supporting group services in an online format.