Fostering in a Digital Age
Evaluating a Tailored Online Safety Training Programme for Foster Carers
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21975245 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Aiman El-Asam (Kingston University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 11 |
| Pages | 648 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-05 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2076-0760 • E-ISSN: 2076-0760 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/socsci14110648 |
| OpenAlex | W4415930798 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 25 |
Foster carers are a hard-to-reach population who carry a vast bureaucratic and emotional load. They need tailored and specialised training, support, and advice regarding the digital lives of the children and young people (CYP) they care for. Looked-after CYP are vulnerable in multiple ways and are particularly at risk in the digital age. Their susceptibility to online risks raises complex challenges. The training programme Fostering in a Digital Age was designed to support foster carers’ understanding of and responses to the digital lives of looked-after CYP, including both positive and negative aspects. It is research-informed and provides relevant knowledge, resources, tools, and skills. This exploratory study sought the opinions of foster carers and social workers regarding the strengths and limitations of the programme and recommendations for improving it. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten foster carers who had completed the programme and ten social workers who accessed the programme for evaluation purposes. Participants’ experiences and reflections were analysed using thematic analysis. Resulting themes highlighted the relevance of the training programme, with participants recognising the importance of digital lives for looked-after CYP and the need for tailored guidance. The programme was viewed as flexible, accessible, and user-friendly, with comprehensive coverage of key concepts and reflective activities that enhanced carers’ understanding and confidence. Its child-centred and sustainable design enabled carers to apply learning “as and when” needed and to collaborate with CYP to promote safer digital engagement. However, some participants found the volume of resources overwhelming and reported navigation challenges or digital anxiety. Social workers emphasised professional and structural improvements, while carers focused on the programme’s relational benefits and practical relevance. Both groups recommended wider promotion through local authorities and fostering agencies and adaptations to make the programme suitable for social workers and carers with differing digital skills. Overall, fostering in a digital age effectively provided foster carers with tailored knowledge to support CYP online, prevent harm, and respond to adverse digital experiences, aligning with Self-Determination Theory by supporting carers’ autonomy, competence, and relatedness. This evaluation also revealed gaps in online safety knowledge among both foster carers and social workers, highlighting opportunities for the development of future training programmes
Coaching · Digital health · Exploratory research · Population · SAFER · Thematic analysis · Child Development and Digital Technology · Child Welfare and Adoption · Family Support in Illness · Social Work
Self-Determination Theory
Motivation and Education
Children in Foster Care
Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom
Psychological Distress and Its Mediating Effect on Experiences of Online Risk
A Systematic Review of Internet Communication Technology Use by Youth in Foster Care
Maximizing Opportunities and Minimizing Risks for Children Online
Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being
A Foster Care Alumna’s Past and Present Technological Experience
Vulnerable Young People and Their Experience of Online Risks
Twenty-first century contact
Retaining foster carers during challenging times
Surviving the System as a Foster Carer
Foster parents' needs, perceptions and satisfaction with foster parent training
Foster parent perceptions of competency
Mobile Phones and Contact Arrangements for Children Living in Care
Using thematic analysis in psychology
The "What" and "Why" of Goal Pursuits
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |