Fostering the sexually abused child, training for foster parents
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Abstract
This practicum report describes the development and results of a group training program for foster parents of sexually abused children. The two major training goals were to: (1) strengthen foster parent competence by increasing their skills and knowledge about issues and care requirements of sexually abused children; and (2) assist foster parents to address family of origin issues which might be triggered by behaviours or issues presented by the foster children. Results from this practicum showed that foster parents highly valued training experiences which included a number of factors: (1) realistic information about how to respond to sexually abused children; (2) time in training to consider new information and reflect on their knowledge and experiences of fostering these children; (3) competent trainers; (4) opportunities to influence program development for training foster parents; (5) validation and evaluation of their work with children; and (6) resources and planning to assist both members of the foster parent unit to attend training events together. Group participants recommended mandatory and specialized training for foster parents throughout a foster parent's career. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)