LEXINGTON, Ky. — Adoption Support for Kentucky (ASK) is an award-winning program housed at the UK College of Social Work (CoSW), meeting caregivers where they are. One way ASK has done so is through Virtual Reality (VR).
ASK provides engaging trainings and inclusive peer support groups for foster, adoptive, and kinship caregivers across the Commonwealth. The program works to strengthen families by reducing caregiver stress and increasing parental competence through training and support groups from seasoned facilitators and trainers who have lived experiences with foster and adoptive care.
These groups help adoptive and foster families form communities and create safe spaces to discuss topics such as difficult family situations, in addition to finding solutions for addressing legal and financial issues related to caregiving.
In 2020, the ASK team made the pivot from in-person to online programming, understanding that participants who are homebound, have social anxiety, live in rural areas, have busy schedules, or prefer anonymity would still appreciate the opportunity to connect with mentors and peers. Meeting people where they are, when it is convenient in their schedules, can make a big difference in helping them to build better relationships and community connections.
In response to the online component, the ASK team deployed a reimagined program using Oculus Virtual Reality headsets as a platform to better serve foster and adoptive families through the spring of 2023.
“The purpose of launching this program in a new, innovative way is really two-fold,” explained Jay Miller, dean of the CoSW. “First, we wanted to come up with a way to ensure that foster and adoptive parents have access to the support services they need when they need them. Second, we wanted to engage caregivers who might not typically reach out for services delivered via traditional methods. Tech is a tool that served both goals.”
Research has shown that adoptive fathers may be hesitant to reach out for support services or perceive that services aren’t designed to meet their needs.
The first VR pilot support service group – which came to adopt the unofficial moniker of Digital Dads – launched in the fall of 2022. Josh Lynch, an adoptive father of two, facilitated the group.
“It was neat as far as us just getting to explore supports through technology because none of the dads had done anything like this before,” explained Lynch. “It was all kind of new territory as far as virtual reality space goes for us. So that was fun just navigating that together.”
The program also added a new demographic to the fold, with ASK Teens Virtual Reality Support Groups for teenagers ages 14-17 who are currently in foster care. ASK Teens launched in 2023 with sessions co-facilitated by both licensed clinicians and former foster youth.
The ASK-VR program is an innovation from Dean Miller’s CoSW eService Initiative. This initiative, which was announced in 2022, is designed to prepare future social, mental, and behavioral health professionals to engage with — and deploy — innovative services through technology solutions.
Additionally, the eService Initiative offers training for program participants to reduce barriers to tech engagement.
“The future of service is technology,” Miller said. “If we are to actualize the promise of ensuring efficacy, efficiency, and accessibility to those in need of services, we must ensure that our workforce is prepared to use, assess and improve that tech. That is what our eService Initiative is all about. We have been extremely fortunate to engage with some great partners in making this work happen.”
