Empowering Foster Parents

Partners have applied for this project with the intention to meet the current needs of the main target groups of the project which are: foster parents and their educators in order to support foste...

Project partners were aiming at supporting foster parent educators to empower them to provide efficient education, guidance, and support for foster parents. The objectives of the project were as follows: 1. Enhancing foster parent educator competencies by enabling the application of new methods and tools in educating and guiding foster parents; 2. Empowering foster parents to ensure safe and strong foster families by strengthening their parenting skills in particular related to problematic behavior management.

During project lifetime the following activities were undertaken: - research and country comparative analysis were undertaken on foster parents’, as adult learners, parenting skills, learning needs and their behaviors caused by foster children's behavior problems; effectiveness of adult learning methods used for behavior management and strengthening supportive parenting skills in Belgium, Lithuania, and Latvia; - foster parent educator manual for teaching behavior management techniques was developed. A methodological tool presenting foster parents’ parenting skills’ training, educating on behavior management and effective intervention techniques and methods for further guidance, the role of and competencies needed for foster care workers in the process; - international training for educators (foster care workers) and relevant supervisions were organized; - foster parent handbook for problem behavior management as a practical tool providing post-intervention session support to foster parents ensuring that foster children’s physical, emotional, developmental was developed; - roundtable discussions in Lithuania and national seminars in Latvia and Belgium as well as final conference was organized; - local foster parent training and counseling in Lithuania and Latvia were undertaken.

Intellectual outputs of the project (e-versions in LT, LV, NL, EN): - research and comparative analysis on foster parenting and their educational and counseling needs in partner countries; - foster parent educator manual for behavior intervention techniques; - foster parent handbook for problem behavior management. Dissemination results: - articles and information on partners' web pages and social media; - relevant information communicated to the target groups directly; - round-table discussions with stakeholders and national seminars; - international final conference. Learning activities: - transnational training for educators with suppervisions; - local training and counseling for foster parents. Intangible (qualitative) results of the project: - enhanced competencies of 14 foster parent educators in 2 countries (Lithuania, Latvia); - improved foster parent education practices in 3 countries (Lithuania, Latvia, Belgium); - foster care systems supported by applying evidence-based methods in counseling foster families in 2 countries (Lithuania, Latvia) - improved parental skills of 42 foster parents in 2 countries (Lithuania, Latvia); - strengthened transnational cooperation among 3 organizations.