Date

9-17-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

Bridgette Hester

Keywords

foster parents, foster care professionals, child welfare, virtual learning, mental health

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

It was not known how foster care parents and foster care professionals perceived the challenges they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using family stress theory and the Double ABC-X framework, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how foster care parents and foster care professionals perceived the challenges they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Northeast region of the U.S. Thirteen participants were purposively sampled, including eight foster parents and five foster care professionals from New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. Interview data were collected from semi-structured interviews, a focus group, and an open-ended questionnaire. Four main themes emerged from thematic analysis. Themes included: (1) stressor events, which captured external pressures and chronic stress; (2) existing and accessed resources, capturing formal and informal supports as resources; (3) perceptions or meaning-making, reflecting participants’ emotional toll and growth; and (4) adaptation or maladaptation for outcomes for crisis, showing how individuals persevered despite limited organizational support. Participants’ responses indicated that agency leaders and policymakers should create crisis protocols and preparedness training within child welfare systems. Future research should explore the effects of mental health decline in foster youth and foster parents, the experiences of male foster parents, and measure the AWOL rate for children who left foster homes to return to their biological parents.

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