About Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI)
The Quality Parenting Initiative is an approach to strengthening foster care, by refocusing on excellent parenting for all children in the child welfare system.
When parents can't care for their children, the foster or relative family must be able to provide the loving, committed, skilled care that the child needs, while working effectively with the system to achieve the best possible permanency option for that child. Both the caregiver's parenting skills and the system's policies and practices should be based on child development research, information and tools.
QPI is an effort to rebrand foster care, not simply by changing a logo or an advertisement, but by changing the expectations of and support for foster parents and other caregivers. The key elements of the process are defining the expectations of caregivers, clearly articulating these expectations (the brand statement) and then aligning the system so that those goals can become a reality. When these changes are accomplished, the new brand becomes the basis for developing communication materials and designing integrated recruitment, training and retention systems.
When QPI is successful, caregivers have a voice, not only in issues that affect the children they are caring for, but also in the way the system treats children and families. Caregivers, agency staff and birth parents work as a team to support children and youth. Caregivers receive the support and training they need to work with children and families and know what is expected as well as what to expect. Systems are then able to select and retain enough excellent caregivers to meet the needs of each child for a home and family.
Communities, including California, participating in QPI have formed a network that shares information and ideas about how to improve parenting, recruit and retain excellent families. They develop policies and practices that are based on current child research to support skilled loving parenting.
FRESNO FOSTER
PARENT BRAND
Fresno Foster Parents are respected, skilled members of the child’s team who honor each child’s individual experience and need for Permanency. They have shared values of supporting and developing lasting relationships with the child, the child’s birth family, and connections. They are our neighbors who provide nurturing homes and become specially trained advocates in meeting the diverse needs of children in their care.