IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v177y2025ics0190740925003433.html

Why do people become foster parents and how to recruit new families? A multi-informant study

Author

Listed:
  • Ferreira, Sofia
  • Magalhães, Eunice
  • Pinto, Vânia S.
  • Graça, João

Abstract

The shortage of foster families in child protection systems worldwide is a critical issue that requires a deeper understanding of culturally situated approaches to recruit new families. This study aimed to explore public awareness of foster care, examine barriers and enablers to becoming a foster family, and draw on behavioural theory to inform the development of outreach and recruitment strategies. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews with 29 participants (14 foster parents, 15 staff; Portugal) and subjected to a thematic analysis. The results suggested that there was limited public knowledge about foster care. Becoming a foster parent was linked both with reflective motivational processes (e.g., child-centred motivations) and the availability of multidimensional resources (e.g., social support), but multi-level constraints were identified as barriers to becoming a foster parent (e.g., worries related to the foster child). Integrated outreach strategies (e.g., combining tailored and mass media approaches) with a range of communication channels and vehicles may raise awareness and enable the recruitment of more foster families. Participants indicated that message content should involve system-related information and evidence about the positive impact of fostering, among other aspects. Overall, this multi-informant study provides conceptually grounded and practice-relevant insights to support the recruitment of prospective foster families.

Suggested Citation

  • Ferreira, Sofia & Magalhães, Eunice & Pinto, Vânia S. & Graça, João, 2025. "Why do people become foster parents and how to recruit new families? A multi-informant study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:177:y:2025:i:c:s0190740925003433
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108460
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740925003433
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108460?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Geiger, Jennifer M. & Beltran, Susanny J., 2017. "Experiences and outcomes of foster care alumni in postsecondary education: A review of the literature," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 186-197.
    2. Unrau, Yvonne A. & Seita, John R. & Putney, Kristin S., 2008. "Former foster youth remember multiple placement moves: A journey of loss and hope," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(11), pages 1256-1266, November.
    3. De Maeyer, Skrallan & Vanderfaeillie, Johan & Vanschoonlandt, Femke & Robberechts, Marijke & Van Holen, Frank, 2014. "Motivation for foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 143-149.
    4. Harris, Marian S. & Jackson, Lovie J. & O'Brien, Kirk & Pecora, Peter J., 2009. "Disproportionality in education and employment outcomes of adult foster care alumni," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(11), pages 1150-1159, November.
    5. Van Holen, Frank & Geys, Lynn & West, Delphine & Gypen, Laura & Vanderfaeillie, Johan, 2019. "Characteristics of successful foster families according to Flemish foster care workers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    6. Magalhães, Eunice & Costa, Patrício & Pinto, Vânia S. & Graça, João & Baptista, Joana & Ferreira, Sofia & Castro, Emma & Anjos, Catarina & Gouveia, Lucilina, 2022. "Reasons, willingness, and intention to be a foster family: A community-sample study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    7. Mitchell, Monique B. & Kuczynski, Leon, 2010. "Does anyone know what is going on? Examining children's lived experience of the transition into foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 437-444, March.
    8. Elisete Diogo & Francisco Branco, 2017. "Being a Foster Family in Portugal—Motivations and Experiences," Societies, MDPI, vol. 7(4), pages 1-14, December.
    9. Raudkivi, Madli, 2020. "What factors predispose the intention to become a foster family in Estonia: Applying the theory of reasoned action and planned behavior?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    10. Hetherington, Marc J., 1998. "The Political Relevance of Political Trust," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 92(4), pages 791-808, December.
    11. Joan Llosada-Gistau & Ferran Casas & Carme Montserrat, 2017. "What Matters in for the Subjective Well-Being of Children in Care?," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 10(3), pages 735-760, September.
    12. Baer, Lauren & Diehl, David K., 2019. "Foster care for teenagers: Motivators, barriers, and strategies to overcome barriers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 264-277.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Magalhães, Eunice & Carvalho, Helena & Matoso, Mariana & Pinto, Vânia S. & Costa, Patrício & Ferreira, Sofia & Baptista, Joana & Anjos, Catarina & Graça, João, 2026. "Why do people become a foster parent? Insights from a national study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Magalhães, Eunice & Carvalho, Helena & Matoso, Mariana & Pinto, Vânia S. & Costa, Patrício & Ferreira, Sofia & Baptista, Joana & Anjos, Catarina & Graça, João, 2026. "Why do people become a foster parent? Insights from a national study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    2. Magalhães, Eunice & Costa, Patrício & Pinto, Vânia S. & Graça, João & Baptista, Joana & Ferreira, Sofia & Castro, Emma & Anjos, Catarina & Gouveia, Lucilina, 2022. "Reasons, willingness, and intention to be a foster family: A community-sample study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    3. Nesmith, Ande, 2017. "Coping with change: Using the Bridge's Transitions Framework with foster youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 41-47.
    4. Griffiths, Austin & Holderfield-Gaither, Emily & Funge, Simon P. & Warfel, Erin T., 2021. "Satisfaction, willingness, and well-being: Examining the perceptions of a statewide sample of public and private foster parents," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    5. Okpych, Nathanael J. & Courtney, Mark E., 2018. "The role of avoidant attachment on college persistence and completion among youth in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 106-117.
    6. Salazar, Amy M. & Schelbe, Lisa, 2021. "Factors associated with post-college success for foster care alumni college graduates," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    7. Unrau, Yvonne A. & Dawson, Ann W. & Anthony, Jonathan C. & Toutant, Tamara M. & Hamilton, Ronicka D., 2020. "An exploration of life outcomes for college graduates with foster care histories by race: Preliminary results from a campus-based program," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    8. Longhofer, Jeffrey & Floersch, Jerry & Okpych, Nate, 2011. "Foster youth and psychotropic treatment: Where next?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 395-404, February.
    9. Anjos, Catarina & Magalhães, Eunice & Graça, João & Pinto, Vânia S. & Baptista, Joana & Pinheiro, Micaela, 2023. "Perceived barriers, drivers and enablers to becoming a foster family: An exploratory study in Portugal," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    10. Collewet, Marion & Fairley, Kim & Kessels, Roselinde & Knoef, Marike & van Vliet, Olaf, 2024. "The design of welfare: unraveling taxpayers' preferences," OSF Preprints 4am7e, Center for Open Science.
    11. Jaeyoung Lim & Kuk-Kyoung Moon, 2021. "Can Political Trust Weaken the Relationship between Perceived Environmental Threats and Perceived Nuclear Threats? Evidence from South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-13, September.
    12. Blakeslee, Jennifer E. & Kothari, Brianne H. & Miller, Rebecca A., 2023. "Intervention development to improve foster youth mental health by targeting coping self-efficacy and help-seeking," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    13. Hébert, Sophie T. & Lanctôt, Nadine & Turcotte, Mathilde, 2016. "“I didn't want to be moved there”: Young women remembering their perceived sense of Agency in the Context of placement instability," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 229-237.
    14. Tucker, Romina & Mares, Sarah, 2013. "Establishing a mental health service for young children in out-of-home care: The Gumnut Clinic for 0 to 5year olds in Western Sydney," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 205-212.
    15. Baker, Amy J.L. & Creegan, Alyssa & Quinones, Alexa & Rozelle, Laura, 2016. "Foster children's views of their birth parents: A review of the literature," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 177-183.
    16. repec:plo:pone00:0209013 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Cameron, Claire & Hollingworth, Katie & Schoon, Ingrid & van Santen, Eric & Schröer, Wolfgang & Ristikari, Tiina & Heino, Tarja & Pekkarinen, Elina, 2018. "Care leavers in early adulthood: How do they fare in Britain, Finland and Germany?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 163-172.
    18. Stéfanie André, 2014. "Does Trust Mean the Same for Migrants and Natives? Testing Measurement Models of Political Trust with Multi-group Confirmatory Factor Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 115(3), pages 963-982, February.
    19. Cage, Jamie & Corley, Nicole A. & Harris, Leon A., 2018. "The educational attainment of maltreated youth involved with the child welfare system: Exploring the intersection of race and gender," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 550-557.
    20. Nunkoo, Robin & Smith, Stephen L.J., 2013. "Political economy of tourism: Trust in government actors, political support, and their determinants," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 120-132.
    21. Joan Costa-i-Font & Cristina Vilaplana-Prieto, 2023. "Health System Trust and Compliance with Covid-19 Restrictions," CESifo Working Paper Series 10291, CESifo.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:177:y:2025:i:c:s0190740925003433. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.