Research

Building a clear evidence base

CFKC has collated a body of research – including peer reviewed studies, sector reports and carer-informed projects – to build a clear evidence base about the experiences, challenges and needs of foster and kinship carers in South Australia.

This research strengthens our advocacy and ensures the voices of carers are presented to government and service providers.

Research

Peer-reviewed research

Experiences of parental regret among Australian foster parents

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03085759251398552

(2025) by Damien W. Riggs, Shoshana Rosenberg and Stacy Blythe, Adoption & Fostering.

Validating a Measure of Vicarious Trauma as Experience by Foster Carers

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cfs.70100

(2025) by Damien W. Riggs, Ben A. Lohmeyer, Shoshana Rosenberg, Yvonne Clark, Clemence Due, Child & Family Social Work.

Foster carer experiences of vicarious trauma: A qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis

sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740925003044

(2025) by Sam Arthurson, Ben Lohmeyer, Damien W. Riggs, Children and Youth Services Review.

‘The whole system is designed to create more trauma than it solves’: Australian foster and kinship carers navigating child protection systems

sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740925002841

(2025) by Damien W. Riggs, Ben Lohmeyer, Shoshana Rosenberg, Yvonne Clark, Clemence Due, Children and Youth Services Review.

Allegations of abuse in care: The experience of South Australian foster carers

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03085759251329939

(2025) by Damien W. Riggs and Shoshana Rosenberg, Adoption & Fostering.

‘But isn’t that normal?’: Australian foster parent’s experiences of parental abuse by children in their care

academic.oup.com/bjsw/article/55/6/3113/8148709

(2025) by Damien W. Riggs, Ben Lohmeyer, Shoshana Rosenberg, Yvonne Clark, Clemence Due, The British Journal of Social Work.

Exploring Stability Within Kinship Care From the Perspective of Kinship Carer Advocates

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cfs.13216

(2024) by Esther Rowlson and Fatin Shabbar, Child and Family Social Work.

Esther Rowlson interviewed our Carer Advocates and Project Officer in 2022 as part of her Honours thesis research. A chapter from her Honours thesis was published in the above-named peer-reviewed journal, which includes our perspectives on kinship care.

Grief and Loss: Supporting Foster Carer Families Through Placement Terminations

tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0312407X.2024.2378751

(2024) by Margaret Kertesz, Australian Social Work.

“There’s no disenfranchisement when you’re sitting in that room”: Evaluating a South Australian loss and grief support group for foster and kinship carers

cfc-sa.argondev.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Grief-Transition-Published-Article_Apr22.pdf

(2022) by Damien W. Riggs, Tandanya Allain, Liz Browne, Fiona Endacott, Amanda Quince, Children and Youth Services Review Journal.

Dr Damian Riggs from Flinders University wrote the article regarding our Grief & Transition support group, with input from former CFKC Carer Advocate Tandanya Allain, CEO Fiona Endacott and Senior Advocate Liz Browne, as well as former social work student Amanda Quince.

Research

Building a clear evidence base

Research

Peer-reviewed research

Experiences of parental regret among Australian foster parents

Validating a Measure of Vicarious Trauma as Experience by Foster Carers

Foster carer experiences of vicarious trauma: A qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis

‘The whole system is designed to create more trauma than it solves’: Australian foster and kinship carers navigating child protection systems

Allegations of abuse in care: The experience of South Australian foster carers

‘But isn’t that normal?’: Australian foster parent’s experiences of parental abuse by children in their care

Exploring Stability Within Kinship Care From the Perspective of Kinship Carer Advocates

Grief and Loss: Supporting Foster Carer Families Through Placement Terminations

“There’s no disenfranchisement when you’re sitting in that room”: Evaluating a South Australian loss and grief support group for foster and kinship carers

CFKC Adelaide University intern research

The True Cost of Foster and Kinship Caring in South Australia

Keeping Aboriginal Children Connected to Culture

Foster & Kinship Carers rights to review government decisions: jurisdictional tangles and unacceptable realities

How can we help?

Connecting Foster & Kinship Carers