Foster care as risk or protective factors: institutional evaluation and quality indicators / O abrigo como fator de risco ou proteção: avaliação institucional e indicadores de qualidade

• Main Authors: Alessandra Salina-Brandão, Lúcia Cavalcante de Albuquerque Williams
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SpringerOpen 2009-01-01
• Series: Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica
• Subjects: Foster care; Child and adolescent protection network; Risk and protective factors; Institutional assessment
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-79722009000300003&lng=pt&nrm=iso&tlng=pt

Based on studies relating the impact of foster care organizations on the development of institutionalized children and adolescents, the present paper conducted an investigation of the strategies used by professionals in charge of foster care evaluation in Brazil, as well as the quality indicators used for this task. Nine evaluators and five foster care coordinators took part in the study. Data collection involved interviews, questionnaires and document analysis, using a framework from Developmental Psychopathology, specifically in terms of its contribution on risk and protective factors. Evaluators used the institutional visit as a predominant assessment strategy, conducting it in different ways and frequency. The quality indicators found were also varied. A low frequency of reports related to the educational practice of frontline staff and institutional efforts in order to maintain family ties were observed as well.