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Mental Needs of Aboriginal Foster Parents

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Abstract

Aboriginal foster parents were surveyed about their mental needs. Each was asked “What do you need mentally to be a good foster parent?”. A total of 58 unique responses were made. They were grouped together by participants and the grouping data were analyzed using multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. Seven concepts resulted from the analysis. The concepts included: knowledge, breaks, recognition, optimism, discipline, patience and determination. Results were compared and contrasted with the fostering literature.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of this research through a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. We would also like to thank Brian Ridd, Caludia Ash-Ponce, Candace Seyour and Cathy Wiebe for their expertise.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, University of Western Ontario, 1137 Western Road, London, N6G 1G7, Canada

    Jason D. Brown, Julie Rodgers, Viktoria Ivanova, Nisha Mehta & Donna Skrodzki

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  1. Jason D. Brown
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  2. Julie Rodgers
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  3. Viktoria Ivanova
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Correspondence to Jason D. Brown.

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Brown, J.D., Rodgers, J., Ivanova, V. et al. Mental Needs of Aboriginal Foster Parents. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 31, 539–557 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-014-0335-7

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