Exploring the impact of child and placement characteristics, carer resources, perceptions and life stressors on caregiving and well-being.

Background: The effect of potential protective factors and stressors faced by carers on their well-being and ability to provide care for children in out-of-home-care (OOHC) needs examination.

Objective: To explore the impact of child and placement characteristics, carer resources, perceptions and stressors on caregiving and well-being; and identify carer group-based trajectories over time.

Participants & Setting: Longitudinal study of up to 1143 carers caring for 1359 children in OOHC in Australia.

Method: Carers completed questionnaires at 4 waves across 2011-2018 regarding their demographics, various potential stressors, resource availability and support. A composite indicator of caregiving quality was generated. Caseworkers, who manage child placements with carers, and administrative data provided information on placement characteristics, child demographics and history in OOHC. Multilevel modelling and group-based trajectory analyses were conducted, and carer views examined.

Results: Potential concern for carer well-being and caregiving was flagged for 12-20% of carers. Increased odds of concern were found for carers in employment, with placements provided by a non-government organisation, and caring for >1 child in OOHC. Odds were lower for carers satisfied with caseworker assistance. Carer responses illuminated how these resources and stressors interact to impact caregiving. Four trajectory groups were identified: Minimal concern (12.7%), No concern (74.5%), Ongoing concern (6.2%) and Fluctuating concern (6.5%).

Conclusions: Effective support for carers is essential to ensuring that children and young people in OOHC can be placed with capable, resilient, and responsive carers. Without adequate support, carers are likely to experience decreased well-being and have difficulty adequately performing their caregiving role.