Child/youth-specific & child/youth-centered recruitment:

Child/youth-specific recruitment is based on finding a family for a specific child or youth through pro-active outreach efforts, including interjurisdictional initiatives. This method is most often used in adoption, but also in foster care. Typical examples might include newspaper or television features of a specific child, youth or sibling group (e.g. Wednesday's Child) or photolisting a child or youth on AdoptUsKids.org. Along similar lines, child/youth-centered recruitment begins by comprehensively assessing the youth's history in the child welfare system, including case history and agency files, and previous relationships, and bringing this information into the current context. Every effort should be made to involve the child or youth, as developmentally appropriate. Workers can then build on this knowledge to pro-actively search out contacts who might be potential resources for a child or youth needing a foster or adoptive placement, such as relatives and other important people in the child or youth's life.

Diligent recruitment:

Specific tools & strategies to recruit families who reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of those for whom foster and adoptive homes are needed. The standards and provisions for this type of recruitment are dictated by the Multiethnic Placement Act (MEPA) of 1994 and were amended by the Interethnic Placement Act (IEPA) of 1996.

Faith-based recruitment:

A form of targeted and/or child/youth-specific recruitment that promotes formal and informal initiatives between social service providers and communities of faith to share the responsibility of serving children and youth by supporting families engaged in foster care and adoption. Communities of faith may partner with social service providers in a variety of ways to promote the recruitment of foster and adoptive families or to help retain those families. These types of partnerships may range from a single event or situation to a formalized, long-term collaboration.

General recruitment:

General recruitment broadcasts the need for foster & adoptive parents by building public interest & awareness. It focuses on drawing in a wide variety of families while setting the stage for more targeted recruitment. Examples include billobards, public service announcements, radio & advertising, agency publicity, e.g. around National Adoption Month (Nov) & National Foster Care Month (May).

Ideas from the field:

In this section, we present ideas heard from around the field of child welfare related to recruitment and retention. These ideas do not represent programs or policies and have not been studied or validated, but rather are for consideration and/or inclusion in existing programs as a fresh tactic or additional activity.

Interjurisdictional resources:

Practices, policies and procedures related to the adoptive placement of foster children and youth from one county, state, or tribal nation to a family living in another county, state, tribal nation, or country. Many of the challenges to placement that normally arise within jurisdictions are often exacerbated across jurisdictions. With commitment, collaboration and cooperation, these issues can be addressed and overcome. Areas of focus include ICPC/ICAMA, agency collaboration, working effectively with resource exchanges, agreements/contracts, funding or purchase of services, and subsidies.

Older youth & teen recruitment:

A form of targeted and/or child/youth-centered recruitment, these efforts are specifically aimed at finding permanent family connections for older youth and teenagers. While many youth at this age may be working with an independent living program, teen recruitment recognizes the vital and important role family plays in creating future stability and success for them. In addition to providing support and security through the sometimes turbulent teen and young adult years, a family is there to provide love over a person's lifetime.

Promising approaches:

In this section, we present programs and practices that have been tried by agencies and organizations around the country. While they have achieved documented positive results, they have not necessarily been rigorously, systematically studied to definitively link outcomes with the activity or effort. Historically, evidence-based research on recruitment and retention efforts in child welfare has been limited, even though the need is great. We will continue to post new information here as the body of knowledge on evidence-based practice in adoption grows and evolves.

Targeted recruitment:

The organization involved in targeted recruitment has a good understanding of the unique needs of the children and youth it serves through fostering and adoption, and bases recruitment strategies and messages on their needs (i.e. race, age, location, culture, medical/mental health needs). Effective targeted recruitment requires an organization to use data to inform its understanding of recruiting for the specific needs of children and youth in care. This type of recruitment also requires a good awareness of the demographics, including locations, of people who typically foster and adopt these children & youth. Examples of targeted recruitment include community and faith-based initiatives, incentive programs for foster and adoptive families to recruit others from their communities, and posters & flyers at places where foster and adoptive families typically shop.

Technical Assistance:

Activities and services addressing long-term, systemic organizational change around State and Tribal recruitment, retention and interjurisdictional practices. The goal of technical assistance is to build the capacity of States and Tribes to continually improve upon their recruitment and retention outcomes as specified through the Child & Family Services Review process and Program Improvement Plans. AdoptUsKids consultants utilize their experience and professional expertise to assist States and Tribes in planning collaborative strategies, reviewing policies, and/or procedures to support change and sustain it through implementation and evaluation.

Training:

AdoptUsKids provides this service to States and Tribes to support Technical Assistance. We strive to provide training opportunities that build organizational capacity, are integrated into systemic organizational change, and allow the organization to disseminate the information shared. For example, consultants might provide a "train the trainer" session based on a curriculum that addresses the State or Tribe's current and desired level of capacity.