Caring for carers: Why foster carer well-being and role satisfaction matter
Mar 2025
Written by Amy Miko
The experiences that inspired a PhD thesis
My career has been full of twists and turns. I studied social work straight out of high school. After securing a placement in child protection during my studies, I accepted a full-time case management position upon graduation. Growing up, I was instilled with values of community care, advocacy for the less fortunate, and a willingness to embrace discomfort to help others. Working in child welfare felt like a natural extension of these values.
Nothing, however, could have prepared me for the intensity of the work. It was confronting, often disheartening, but also deeply inspiring. I got to know hard-working, compassionate staff; I worked alongside complex families, most of whom were truly doing the best they could with the hand they’d been dealt; and I witnessed the empathy, grit, and commitment of families who opened their homes to vulnerable children, providing safety and stability amidst chaos.
After five challenging years in child protection, I transitioned into a part-time foster care case management role and returned to university to study psychology. During this time, I developed a deeper understanding and appreciation for the transformative role foster carers play in a child’s healing and development. I still remember a colleague saying, “I don’t know how foster carers do it; I don’t think I could.” I paused to think, then responded, “I would.”
That period sparked a passion for foster care that continues to shape my life. My honors thesis explored parenting styles and self-efficacy in foster carers, while my master’s research focused on self-care practices, which I later published. In 2019, halfway through my master’s in educational and developmental psychology, my husband and I became accredited foster carers ourselves.
Starting with respite and emergency care, we eventually embraced longer-term placements, gaining firsthand insights into the system’s challenges and the immensity of the role. In times of stress, despite the best efforts of our foster care agency, I observed a reactive rather than proactive approach to supporting my well-being. This gap, combined with my professional experiences and academic interests, led me to embark on a PhD to explore foster carer well-being and role satisfaction.
Why foster carer well-being and role satisfaction matter
Foster carers play a critical role in the child welfare system. Their ability to provide stable, nurturing environments directly impacts children’s outcomes, including their emotional, educational, and social development. However, the demanding nature of foster care—combined with limited systemic support—often leads to stress, burnout, and role dissatisfaction, contributing to high turnover rates.
Retention of foster carers is essential for positive outcomes for children in care. A stable pool of experienced, well-supported carers reduces placement disruptions, which are known to impact children’s sense of security and well-being. Research consistently highlights that when foster carers feel valued, supported, and satisfied in their role, they are more likely to remain engaged and provide the high-quality care vulnerable children desperately need.
By addressing foster carer well-being and role satisfaction, agencies can strengthen retention, build a more sustainable care system, and improve outcomes for children in care. These urgently needed benefits underscore the need to develop evidence-based frameworks and targeted supports to support foster carers through challenging times.
Starting research
This year, I conducted a literature review to identify the factors influencing foster carer well-being and role satisfaction. I explored how personal characteristics, relationships, agency interactions, and systemic policies shape carers’ experiences. The findings revealed a striking gap: despite the wealth of research on foster care outcomes, there is no clear, shared conceptualisation of foster carer well-being.
Without this clarity, agencies risk relying on generic, one-size-fits-all approaches to support that fail to address the unique challenges carers face. My research aims to bridge this gap by working with carers and agencies to define well-being and role satisfaction while exploring how social-ecological frameworks can guide systemic improvements.
This research is still in its early stages. Immediate priorities include obtaining ethics approval and forming an Advisory Body of foster carers and agency staff. This group will provide invaluable input to ensure the research remains practical, inclusive, and relevant at every stage.
By advancing our understanding of foster carer well-being and role satisfaction, this research has the potential to drive systemic changes that enhance carers’ experiences and improve outcomes for the children who rely on their care. Foster carers give so much—it’s time we ensure they receive the support they need to thrive.
