Danish Foster Care Support Protocol

As of 2019, foster parents in Denmark receive intensive support during the first six months of a placement consisting of both coursework and supervision from foster care consultants After the first year of placement, training consists of two one-day training courses annually [47 ]. As part of the follow-up casework, Danish foster parents receive face-to-face counseling from the local authorities at least once every six months [47 ]. Given their professional and personal skills, counselors can choose whatever counseling methods or techniques they deem best [48 (link)]. According to a large survey of services for foster parents and foster children in 50% of Danish municipalities, 35% of foster parents had not received any counseling within the previous year beyond the basic national requirements [49 ]. Nineteen percent of foster parents had received group supervision, 23% had received supervision by a trained psychologist or psychiatrist, 13% had participated in a peer group for foster parents, and 15% had received other types of supervision or counseling. Many foster children are, at some point during placement, offered an additional intervention besides the placement, such as treatment for mental health issues [49 ]. One out of three foster parents in the survey [49 ] reported feeling partially or entirely unequipped to raise children with mental health issues [48 (link), 49 ]. During the trial, families who receive the MBT intervention will not receive any other therapeutic interventions (including individual psychotherapy for the child). However, they may still receive the regular and mandatory support services available to all foster families in Denmark, consisting of coursework and the twice-yearly supervision. Foster care consultants will record the additional services and interventions received by the foster families in the control group during the trial. Researchers from VIVE will contact the families to motivate them to participate in the data collection.