The Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI), a strategy developed by the Youth Law Center, is an approach to strengthening foster care. QPI was launched in Florida in 2008 with the focus on excellent parenting for all children in the child welfare system. As of 2018, over 75 jurisdictions in 10 states (California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin) have adopted the QPI approach. Beta Foster Care supports and implements the 5 core principles of QPI.
5 Core Principles of QPI
Principle 1: Excellent parenting is the most important service to provide children and youth in out-of-home care. Children need homes not beds. QPI emphasizes the quality of parenting and empowers Resource Families to treat any child in their care as their own. Principle 2: Child development and trauma research indicates that children need constant, consistent, effective parenting to grow and reach their full potential. QPI is based on research demonstrating that quality parenting is foundational for the successful outcomes we strive to achieve for children. Principle 3: Each community must define excellent parenting for itself. California, Florida, and Nevada offer “Just in Time Training,” an extensive online resource of video training courses for caregivers. “Just in Time Training” provides a platform for caregivers to ask questions that are answered via video and then posted in an online library. This video library is accessible for caregivers at the moment they need it. Principle 4: Policy and practice must be changed to align with the community. Principle 5: Participants in the system are in the best position to recommend and implement that change.
