TY - JOUR
T1 - Conceptualizing effective foster parent mentor programs
T2 - A participatory planning process
AU - Jay Miller, J.
AU - Benner, Kalea
AU - Pope, Natalie
AU - Dumas, Tamikia
AU - Damron, Larry J.
AU - Segress, Melissa
AU - Slone, Melissa
AU - Thrasher, Shawndaya
AU - Niu, Chunling
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2017/2/1
Y1 - 2017/2/1
N2 - Mentor programs have been recognized as an integral tool in the child welfare services array. However, there are few conceptual frameworks for planning and developing mentor programs for a key constituency group: foster parents. This study employed Concept Mapping (CM) with a convenience sample of 59 foster parents in one southeastern state. CM is a participatory, mixed-method research approach that utilizes non-metric multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses to analyze qualitative data. As a result, pictorial representations of the data are generated. Results yielded seven (7) distinct clusters: Ongoing Supports, Matching Practices, and Program Evaluation, among others. Participants viewed the Recruitment cluster as most pertinent and most important for mentor programs. Contrariwise, Program Evaluation and Matching clusters were viewed as least feasible and least important, respectively. After a review of pertinent literature, this paper explicates CM methodology as applied to the current study, reports results, and discusses lessons learned as they apply to child welfare research and practice.
AB - Mentor programs have been recognized as an integral tool in the child welfare services array. However, there are few conceptual frameworks for planning and developing mentor programs for a key constituency group: foster parents. This study employed Concept Mapping (CM) with a convenience sample of 59 foster parents in one southeastern state. CM is a participatory, mixed-method research approach that utilizes non-metric multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analyses to analyze qualitative data. As a result, pictorial representations of the data are generated. Results yielded seven (7) distinct clusters: Ongoing Supports, Matching Practices, and Program Evaluation, among others. Participants viewed the Recruitment cluster as most pertinent and most important for mentor programs. Contrariwise, Program Evaluation and Matching clusters were viewed as least feasible and least important, respectively. After a review of pertinent literature, this paper explicates CM methodology as applied to the current study, reports results, and discusses lessons learned as they apply to child welfare research and practice.
KW - Concept Mapping
KW - Foster parents
KW - Mentorship
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U2 - 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.01.004
DO - 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.01.004
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85010223572
SN - 0190-7409
VL - 73
SP - 411
EP - 418
JO - Children and Youth Services Review
JF - Children and Youth Services Review
ER -