Funded Projects

Group Care Model for Foster Families

Project Year

2023

City & State

Dallas, Texas

Program Name

CATCH Resident

Topic

Well-Child/Well-Baby Care

Program Description

The American Academy of Pediatrics has identified young people in foster care as a population with special healthcare needs (7). Multiple studies have shown that children in foster care have improved health outcomes when their foster parents are provided with continued support and education(15, 17). The Group Well Child Care (GWCC) model is a promising new approach to healthcare that could meet these particular needs. As of August 2022, there were 11,919 children in foster care in Texas. On average, these children experience 3.6 placements (10). The Rees-Jones Center for Foster Care Excellence is located in North Texas, where 33% of the Texan foster care population is located (9). The clinic served over 2,000 children in 2022 (11). Our project will focus on families of children 0-2 years old, particularly those with Prenatal Substance Exposure (PSE). This population was selected for the multiple neuro-developmental challenges that they face and the caregiver stress that may accompany these challenges. Of the 557 children aged 0-2 seen at the clinic in 2022, 40% had experienced PSE (11). Foster parents face unique challenges. When compared to non-foster parents, they have higher levels of stress over time (12). When looking at factors that influence a foster parent’s intent to continue fostering, the strongest include feelings of self-efficacy, readiness to ask for help, having a professional consistently providing information, and being treated like one needed help oneself (13). Caring for these caregivers can lead to decreased turnover in foster parents. It has been shown that increased number of foster care placements correlated with more ED visits and greater percentage of care conducted in the ED overall (16). The current body of research supports the idea that supporting foster parents leads to better care for their children. Group well child care is a growing model in the United States. Unique strengths of GWCC include increased retention of anticipatory guidance, increased attendance at scheduled well-child visits, and promotion of resilience and a sense of community (22-24). New foster parents can struggle with addressing the unique needs of their children. Our goal is to conduct focus groups with foster parents of infants and young children with PSE to inform the development of a GWCC model tailored to this patient-caregiver population. Through this model, we aim to improve delivery of anticipatory guidance, to provide more education on child development and parenting, and to create a social support system for our families to lean upon. For this planning grant, the objectives are to: 1. Recruit at least 20 participants from separate families to participate in focus groups by November 2023; 2. Hold 4 focus groups with 5 participants each by January 2024; and 3. Conduct a formal analysis of focus group findings by May 2024.

Project Goal

By bringing the group well child care model to our foster care clinic, our goal is to improve the health outcomes of foster children through empowering their foster parents with knowledge and resources.

Project Objective 1

We will recruit at least 20 participants from separate families to participate in focus groups by November 2023.

Project Objective 2

We will conduct 4 focus groups with 5 participants each by January 2024.

Project Objective 3

A formal data analysis of focus group findings will be complete by May 2024.

AAP District

District VII

Institutional Name

Children's Health

Contact 1

Radha Patel