kContact study: Characteristics and perspectives of parents having supervised contact with their children in out-of-home care

Objectives Supervised contact for parents of children in out-of-home care presents a number of challenges particularly when supervision is viewed as intrusive and if parents are not provided with sufficient information and... [ view full abstract ]

Objectives
Supervised contact for parents of children in out-of-home care presents a number of challenges particularly when supervision is viewed as intrusive and if parents are not provided with sufficient information and support to facilitate visits with their children. Supervision can also ensure the child’s safety when concerns exist. Few studies have obtained the views and perspectives of parents whose children are in care about supervised contact and the quality of the parent-child relationship. This paper will present parents’ perspectives of supervised contact, describe the characteristics of these parents and the contact they have with their children. It draws on data collected as part of the kContact study underway in two Australian jurisdictions where contact arrangements can vary considerably.
Method
Parents (n=69) of children in foster care or kinship care who were having supervised contact were recruited into the study prior to the trial of the kContact intervention. Parents completed a structured interview which included valid and reliable scales and purpose designed questions exploring their perspectives and experiences of contact visits and supervision.
Results
This paper will report the baseline characteristics of parents, including psychosocial difficulties, reasons children were placed into care. It will describe the characteristics of their visits, including the location and frequency, activities undertaken during the visit, and the role of the supervisor. The median frequency of contact was quarterly, however, this ranged from at least weekly to once per year. Parental understanding of reasons for supervision will also be described.
Conclusions
This is the first study of its kind in Australia that obtained both qualitative and quantitative data on parents (and other participants) experiences of supervised contact visits and their perceptions of the parent-child relationship. Whilst challenging, including parents views about contact can enable better planning of visits and improved relationships between parents, carers and caseworkers.