| Description |
There is compelling evidence for why we need to pay attention to the negative effects of childhood trauma. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study determined that there is a correlation between childhood adversity and negative physical, neurological, and behavioral outcomes. When looking at the foster care system, nearly all children in foster care in the United States have undergone multiple traumatic experiences. Scientific studies have examined the importance of trauma-informed care in working with children and have identified some effective interventions that help children heal from trauma. However, there is still a disconnect between foster parents' understanding of trauma and the skills required to address trauma-related behaviors. Foster parents spend the most time with children in foster systems and should be considered central figures in children's healing from trauma. As such, it is important that Utah's child welfare system provide in-depth trauma-informed foster parent training. The purpose of this study was to evaluate foster parent perceptions of current trauma-informed training in Utah. This study surveyed licensed Utah foster parents and asked questions regarding their perspective on trauma-focused foster parent training. Three main themes were identified through thematic analysis: foster parents believed that they had a basic understanding of trauma, foster parents indicated a need for more in-depth training on trauma, and foster parents expressed a desire for training on specific trauma-informed parenting skills. Thus, this thesis illustrated the need for more specific trauma-informed training of Utah foster parents. In addition, this study highlighted the need for Utah child welfare agencies to equip foster parents with the concrete skills necessary to be able to help foster children understand and heal from their trauma. Future research should be conducted to better understand the strengths and shortcomings of trauma-informed training within the Utah child welfare system. |
