About the Foster Parent and Caseworker Surveys:
What are we doing?
Over the next year, we will be surveying Foster Parents and Child Welfare workers
How will we do the Foster Parent Survey?
- They will be phone surveys conducted in English and Spanish with foster parents who are caring for at least one child age 0 to 5.
- We will use a screening question when we contact the foster care homes selected to determine if they are currently caring for at least one child in that age range.
- We will talk to at least 500 foster parents who are chosen at random.
- Parents will participate voluntarily and all information will be kept strictly confidential.
- All parents will receive a stipend
Where do we find the foster parents?
List of foster care homes statewide
How will we do the Child Welfare Workers Survey?
- They will be email and phone surveys conducted in English and Spanish with child welfare workers.
- We will talk to at least 200 child welfare workers who are chosen at random.
- Child Welfare workers will participate voluntarily and all information will be kept strictly confidential.
Where do we find the child welfare workers?
From state/local lists
Table 1. Domains and Measures in the Foster Parent and Caseworker Surveys
Data Domains |
Data Elements/Questions |
Source |
Characteristics of the foster parent and child(ren) in foster home |
||
Foster Parent Characteristics |
Marital/Partner status, zip code for geographical location, employment status, household income, education, gender, age, race/ethnicity, how long been a foster parent |
Foster parent survey |
Foster Child Characteristics |
For children 0 to 5 in foster home, age, gender, race/ethnicity, how long with that foster family, developmental concerns/special needs status |
Foster parent survey |
Services |
||
Access |
What triggers a referral? How quickly is child screened/enrolled? Compliance with timelines required under IDEA where applicable, what programmatic, policy barriers exist to enrolling children/receiving services. |
Foster parent and child welfare caseworker surveys |
Receipt |
Whether child(ren) ages 0-5 in foster home has regular medical provider, receives screening, receives services, types of services received, how the child receives services, through what program? Whether child enrolled in ECE program? For how many hours, days, type of setting? |
Foster parent survey |
Satisfaction with Services |
Degree of general satisfaction with ECE/IDEA services child(ren) in foster home receive, satisfaction with communication with providers, satisfaction with coordination of services, perceptions about child’s progress. |
Foster parent survey |
Ongoing Monitoring |
Whether and with what frequency child(ren) get ongoing screenings, what questions about child’s development are asked when caseworker monitors implementation of service plan, who acts as the key informants for monitoring developmental progress? How often do these check-ins occur? |
Foster parent survey |
Level of Awareness and Training |
||
Perception of ASFA Educational Well Being Indicator as it applies to children 0 to 5 |
How interpret responsibility to address education needs? What agency guidance is given on this issue? Does it apply to younger children? For what services? Is IDEA/ECE considered in developing service plans? Are questions asked about developmental issues in investigations? |
Caseworker survey |
Knowledge/training about child development |
Knowledge about child development/ needs, and knowledge of signs/symptoms of problems /whether he/she had any specialized training specific to these issues |
Foster parent and Child welfare caseworker surveys |
Knowledge/training about the importance of ECE/IDEA |
Knowledge about importance of early intervention/ECE settings, whether he/she had any specialized training specific to these issues |
Foster parent and child welfare caseworker surveys |
Knowledge/training about how to access ECE/IDEA |
Knowledge about what agency provides what services, who does screening, and who to call for what services, what to look for in ECE programs/whether he/she had any specialized training specific to these issues |
Foster parent and child welfare caseworker surveys |
Knowledge/training about policies on ECE/IDEA |
Knowledge about rules and regulations, and eligibility criteria, whether he/she had any specialized training specific to these issues |
Foster parent and child welfare caseworker surveys |
Collaboration Between the Three Systems |
||
Communication |
How efficiently referrals get made, the frequency of communications between the key players in the three systems, information sharing and confidentiality issues, what’s kept in case file relevant to ECE/IDEA |
Foster parent and child welfare caseworker surveys |
Responsibility |
Perception/degree of clarity of each other’s roles and responsibilities in carrying out referral/application processes for ECE/IDEA programs, for participating in IDEA planning and monitoring process if child found eligible, for checking on child’s progress with ECE/IDEA providers, problems/disputes in cooperation between the systems |
Foster parent and child welfare caseworker surveys |
