Child Welfare Outcomes: Permanency and Child/Family Well-Being
Types of Maltreatment: Does not target any specific kind of maltreatment
Target Population: 4 to 12-year-old children in foster or kinship care placements.
The objective of KEEP (Keeping Foster and Kin Parents Supported and Trained) is to give parents effective tools for dealing with their child’s externalizing and other behavioral and emotional problems and to support them in the implementation of those tools. Curriculum topics include framing the foster/kin parents’ role as that of key agents of change with opportunities to alter the life course trajectories of the children placed with them. Foster/kin parents are taught methods for encouraging child cooperation, using behavioral contingencies and effective limit setting, and balancing encouragement and limits. There are also sessions on dealing with difficult problem behaviors including covert behaviors, promoting school success, encouraging positive peer relationships, and strategies for managing stress brought on by providing foster care. There is an emphasis on active learning methods; illustrations of primary concepts are presented via role-plays and videotapes.