Enhancing Foster Care Relationships Through Attachment-Based Intervention: Protocol of SAFE FAMILY STUDY

Summary

Background: Children in out-of-home care constitute a vulnerable population often experiencing mental health challenges related to early adversity and placement disruptions. The Circle of Security Parenting® (COS-P) program is an attachment-based intervention designed to enhance carer sensitivity and reflective functioning, ultimately improving the quality of carer-child relationships.

Methods This study protocol follows a mixed-methods randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of the COS-P program for foster carers in France. A total of 70 foster carers will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group (receiving COS-P in addition to Treatment as Usual) or the waitlist control group (receiving Treatment as Usual only). Quantitative measures, including the Caregiving Composite Questionnaire, Parenting Stress Index, and the Marschak Interaction Method, will be administered at baseline and at follow-up). Qualitative data will be collected through focus groups with foster carers and COS-P facilitators, and through self-confrontation interviews with a subset of foster carers.

Discussion: This study is the first to evaluate COS-P for foster carers in France. Findings will provide valuable insights into the program's effectiveness in improving carer-child relationships and foster carer well-being, ultimately contributing to better outcomes for children in out-of-home care. The study will also explore potential moderators of treatment outcome and shed light on the subjective experiences of participants.

Conditions

• Parenting Sensitivity
• Foster Care

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Circle of security Parenting (COS-P)

The Circle of Security Parenting® (COS-P) program is an attachment-based intervention designed to enhance caregiver sensitivity, parental reflective functioning, and the quality of the child's attachment to their caregiver. This manualized intervention, with both educational and therapeutic components, empowers caregivers to better understand and respond to their child's needs, fostering secure attachment (22).

BEHAVIORAL

Traitement as usual (TAU)

TAU typically involves home visits, educational and psychological support for foster carers and/or children in placement, and efforts to support and monitor contact between children and their birth families.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Observatoire National de la Protection de l'Enfance (ONPE)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Centre Hospitalier Emile Roux

  collaborator OTHER

• Shankland Rebecca

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

70 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-10-10

Primary Completion

2025-09-01

Completion

2025-12-01

Countries

• France

Study Locations