Though the experiences of individual non-professional stakeholders involved with dependency courts overseeing child protective services cases have been documented, this article provides a unique comparison across four non-professional stakeholder groups.
Through analysis of focus groups and individual interviews, the authors compare the perspectives of birth parents (n=6), kinship caregivers (n=14), young adults removed from their homes as children (n=15), and foster parents (n=57) involved with the dependency courts in Maryland. Despite their different roles, the experiences of all groups are characterized by common themes including time, consistency, role, voice, and what is best under the broader context of feeling valued.
