*WINNER* The status of Tennessee foster parent training and support including fostering children with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), and the relationships of foster parents’ perceived abilities and motivations with likelihood to continue fostering

Abstract

This correlational study used a survey to gather data across Tennessee from 164 foster parents to describe the status of foster parent training and support, and how the training and support related to the perceived abilities, motivations, and willingness to continue fostering. A secondary purpose was to gather data on and describe Tennessee’s training and support for those who foster infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). The participants were 82.7% female, 88.9% white, and 75 of the 164 foster parents reported caring for an infant with NAS.  Data revealed that foster parents in Middle Tennessee reported less training in NAS topics than their East and West Tennessee counterparts.  Twenty percent of foster parents caring for infants with NAS reported being trained by their foster parent agency, while 46.6% reported not being trained to care for infants with NAS. Despite the lack of training in NAS, 90.3% foster parents felt confident to meet the needs of the children placed in their care. There was no relationship between the types and amounts of training with the foster parents’ likelihood to continue fostering children.