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Magalhães, E., Carvalho, H., Matoso, M., Pinto, V. S., Costa, P., Ferreira, S....Graça, J. (2026). Why do people become a foster parent? Insights from a national study. Children and Youth Services Review. 180

E. V. Magalhães et al.,  "Why do people become a foster parent? Insights from a national study", in Children and Youth Services Review, vol. 180, 2026

@article{magalhães2026_1787636762484,
	author = "Magalhães, E. and Carvalho, H. and Matoso, M. and Pinto, V. S. and Costa, P. and Ferreira, S. and Baptista, J. and Anjos, C. and Graça, J.",
	title = "Why do people become a foster parent? Insights from a national study",
	journal = "Children and Youth Services Review",
	year = "2026",
	volume = "180",
	number = "",
	doi = "10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108686",
	url = "https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/children-and-youth-services-review"
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Why do people become a foster parent? Insights from a national study
T2  - Children and Youth Services Review
VL  - 180
AU  - Magalhães, E.
AU  - Carvalho, H.
AU  - Matoso, M.
AU  - Pinto, V. S.
AU  - Costa, P.
AU  - Ferreira, S.
AU  - Baptista, J.
AU  - Anjos, C.
AU  - Graça, J.
PY  - 2026
SN  - 0190-7409
DO  - 10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108686
UR  - https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/children-and-youth-services-review
AB  - Objective
Many countries face a shortfall in the number of foster families needed to support maltreated children. This study aims to explore the drivers and barriers to becoming a foster family and to identify clusters derived from these drivers/barriers and their association with sociodemographic factors.
Method
A representative sample of 1,066 Portuguese adults (Mage = 52.76, SD = 14.92) responded to a survey assessing sociodemographic characteristics, awareness, willingness, and intention to foster and two open-ended questions related with enablers and barriers to becoming foster carers.
Results
Three profiles emerged: Material Resources (9.2% of participants), linked to material factors such as housing and economic resources; Personal Traits and Characteristics (23.0% of participants), associating the decision to become a foster family with various individual attributes and capabilities; and Child-centered Motivations (67.8% of participants), where the drivers to become a foster family focused on children and altruistic motivations, and barriers centered on personal and familial fears and threats, and child protection constraints. Differences regarding awareness, willingness and intention to foster, gender, marital status, education, family income, and having children significantly distinguished clusters.
Conclusions
The identification of these profiles, based on enablers and barriers to becoming a foster parent, can inform tailoring recruitment strategies that align with the specific needs and characteristics of prospective foster families.
ER  -