Abstract
Trauma exposure is pervasive among children living in foster care, and yet most resource parents (foster parents and kinship caregivers), child welfare staff, and others in the child welfare system are not adequately prepared to recognize and respond effectively when children exhibit trauma symptoms. Trauma-systems Therapy-Foster Care (TST-FC) is a systemwide model of trauma-informed care focused on meeting the emotional needs of children in foster care who have experienced traumatic events. This study evaluated the implementation of TST-FC in two state child welfare agencies that included training for staff (n = 123) and resource parents (n = 111). Study findings show training participants had positive perceptions of TST-FC and found it useful. TST-FC also was associated with significant increases in trauma-informed parenting and tolerance of children's misbehavior by resource parents, as well as more trauma-informed policies and practices in the child welfare agencies. Training participants reported that TST-FC provided useful tools and a common language about trauma that enhanced their capacity to collaborate with one another and manage children's difficult behavior. An exploratory study of resource home retention and children's placement stability revealed fewer foster home closures and placement disruptions when resource parents were trained in TST-FC compared to homes not trained in the model. The results of this study suggest that TST-FC is a promising model for increasing the capacity of child welfare agencies to provide trauma-informed care to children and families in the foster care system.