Foster carers’ reflective understandings of parenting looked after children: an exploratory study

Abstract

This study explores reflective functioning (RF) in foster carers using the Parent Development Interview. A mixed-methods design was employed in eliciting personal accounts of fostering by carers alongside an assessment of their RF. Results suggest that the carers displayed varying levels of RF and specifically that the elements of reflection that may be most salient for effective fostering – developmental, systemic and attachment-based thinking – were uncommon among the sample. Given the importance of foster carers’ potential to redirect the lives of children and enhance healthy attachment strategies, therapeutic and training packages that might increase RF are considered.