Evaluation report
An evaluation of a 10-week Nurturing Attachments group: Exploring quantitative and qualitative outcomes for foster carers and children in care
Matthew Hershon, Anita Holtom-Viesel, Claudine Fox ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This evaluation examined a 10-week Nurturing Attachments group run by an NHS service for 82 foster carers and children in care across 12 groups from 2017 to 2023. The programme aimed to improve child outcomes, strengthen carer-child relationships, and increase carers' confidence and understanding of attachment and trauma. Participants showed statistically significant improvements in carer self-efficacy, closeness between carers and children, and children's peer problems by week 10, with further improvements in children's dependency by follow-up. Carers reported feeling more supported and better understood attachment after the course.
Key points
- Significant improvement in carer self-efficacy from week 1 to week 10 (p = .04, Cohen's d = .40)
- Significant improvement in carer–child closeness from week 1 to week 10 (p = .04, Cohen's d = .30)
- Significant improvement in child peer problems from week 1 to week 10 (p = .03, Cohen's d = .30)
- Children's dependency significantly decreased from week 10 to follow-up (p = .02)
- Carers reported increased understanding of attachment and trauma and feelings of support from fellow carers
Limitations
High attrition rates reduced statistical power (82 at baseline, 54 at week 10, 29 at follow-up). The evaluation lacks a comparison group, making it impossible to determine whether improvements would have occurred without the intervention.
Abstract
This service evaluation examined a modified, 10-week Nurturing Attachments group provided by an NHS service for children in care. Areas of evaluation included child outcomes, child–carer relationships, foster carers’ self-efficacy and carers’ experiences of the course. The groups ran 12 times, from September 2017 to July 2023. Eighty-two foster carers provided data at week one, 54 at week 10 and 29 at a two-month follow-up, highlighting a high rate of attrition. Carers completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, the Child-Parent Relationship Scale and the Brief Parental Self-Efficacy Scale at the three time points and provided qualitative comments. Quantitative data were analysed using repeated-measures analysis of variance tests (ANOVAs) and t-tests; qualitative comments were collated and summarised. From week one to week 10, significant improvements were found for carer self-efficacy (p = .04, Cohen’s d = .40), carer–child closeness (p = .04, Cohen’s d = .30) and child peer problems (p = .03, Cohen’s d = .30). Children’s dependency significantly decreased from week 10 to follow-up (p = .02, np 2 = .15). Carers also reported an increased understanding of attachment and trauma, and feelings of support from fellow carers. Findings are further discussed in relation to the limitations, previous literature, clinical implications and future research.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- A 10-week Nurturing Attachments group programme delivered by an NHS service, providing support and education to foster carers
- Population
- 82 foster carers and children in care in the UK (12 groups from September 2017 to July 2023)
Key finding
Carer self-efficacy improved significantly (p = .04, Cohen's d = .40)