Objectives
Children in or adopted from foster care have significant risk factors and vulnerability to distress. The emergence of COVID-19 has forced significant adaptations for these children, their resource families, and clinicians who support them. This study examined various impacts of COVID-19 and changes to daily life on youth adopted from foster care, their caregivers, and staff at UCLA Training, Intervention, Education, and Services (TIES) for Families, an agency that provides interdisciplinary services to youth in or adopted from foster care and their families.
Methods
Surveys were completed by foster/adoptive youth (N = 14), their caregivers (N = 48), and their therapists and related staff (N = 27) in August 2020. Participants answered questions about their experiences with COVID-19, the helpfulness of supports, the resources needed, and the transition to telemental health.
Results
Service providers reported more worry about returning to “prepandemic” life than caregivers and youth (p < .05). Youth reported less adverse impact related to COVID-19 than caregivers or service providers (p < .05) and reported more positive feelings about the transition to telemental health than caregivers (p < .05). Approximately 50% of both youth and caregivers preferred a hybrid model for future treatment, while service providers reported vulnerability, stress, and exhaustion in implementing telemental health. While youth, caregivers, and service providers all identified unforeseen benefits, Latinx service providers reported more appreciation and gratitude for life than White service providers (p < .05). White resource parents reported more stress transitioning to telemental health than Black parents and were less satisfied with the care they received (p < .05).
Conclusions
Youth, caregivers, and service providers all reported both adverse and positive impacts from COVID-19. Clinicians are experiencing similar COVID-19–related stressors as the population they serve and are reporting burnout and stress related to telemental health service delivery. In general, Latinx service providers and caregivers reported high levels of appreciation and gratitude. Further, the transition to and satisfaction with telemental health services varied by race and ethnicity, suggesting that future service delivery needs to be tailored to individual family needs. Findings of a current follow-up study of service providers will also be presented.
FOC, TVM, STRESS