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A new study from TXICFW Director Dr. Monica Faulkner, Samantha Zuniga Thompson, and colleagues Anna Wasim, Dr. Catherine A. LaBrenz, and Nelkasia Graves, explores how foster and kinship caregivers perceive and navigate family engagement within the child welfare system to better understand their role in advancing relational permanency and improving outcomes for children in foster care.
Findings revealed a central theme, the caregivers’ need for a “middleman” to facilitate engagement, and three major themes: (1) countering negative messaging and systemic barriers, including biases toward families; (2) negotiating engagement through setting boundaries, building trust, and facilitating dialogue; and (3) partnering with families to support child well-being, often requiring ongoing support and adaptation. Differences between kinship and non-relative caregivers emerged, highlighting the need for tailored approaches.
This qualitative study addresses a critical gap in the literature by centering on family engagement processes, an area often examined from a professional perspective. Caregivers play a pivotal yet under-recognized role in family engagement. Providing structured facilitation, clear role guidance, and relational support may strengthen caregiver-family partnerships and address system-level barriers. Findings offer actionable insights to inform training, practice, and policy improvements that advance family engagement in child welfare.
Citation: Wasim, A., LaBrenz, C. A., Graves, N., Thompson, S. Z., & Faulkner, M. (2026). “Sometimes you need a middleman”: negotiating family engagement for foster and kinship caregivers involved with child welfare. Children and Youth Services Review, 108841. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2026.108841