Perceptions about family foster care and intention of becoming a foster family: a short report

Family foster care (FFC) is associated with positive developmental outcomes for children. However, the recruitment and retention of foster families prepared to respond to children's needs are a cross-cutting challenge worldwide and require a better understanding of which factors may influence it. This study analysed the associations between personal characteristics, perceptions about FFC and intention of becoming a foster family in a community sample. A total of 348 Portuguese adults completed an online cross-sectional survey. Participants completed the Integrated Model of Family Foster Care-Perceptions about Family Foster Scale (MIAF-PFFS; ProChild CoLAB & SCML, 2024), comprising five dimensions (perceptions about caregiving, about foster children, about the biological family, about the foster family and about the decision-making process) and answered two questions reporting on their intention of becoming a foster family. Female participants, with higher education, and with children reported higher intention for fostering. More adequate perceptions about caregiving, the biological family and the decision-making process were associated with higher intention for fostering. Regression analyses showed that being female, having children and more adequate perceptions of caregiving of foster children were the factors that most contributed to the intention for fostering. These results highlight how specific perceptions of FFC can enhance individuals' intention for fostering, thus informing targeted recruitment strategies.