Answering the Call Publications
To assist States and Tribes in recruiting foster and adoptive families for children in foster care, The Collaboration to AdoptUsKids has developed a number of recruitment resources. These tools encourage good practice regarding foster care and adoption recruitment. Simply click on the appropriate link below for a PDF version of these publications. For ordering and pricing information, download the order form.
National Adoption Month Toolkit:
National Adoption Month Recruitment & Marketing Toolkit (2007): designed to assist agencies in promoting November as National Adoption Month. (PDF 1 MB/64 pages)
Answering the Call Items:
Managers Guide
* Recruitment Work Plan for Adoption & Foster Care Program Managers: to help managers respond to the national recruitment campaign and as a guide in developing their Child and Family Service Plans and Program Improvement Plans. (PDF 1.7 MB/81 pages)
Practitioner's Guide
* Getting More Parents for Children from Your Recuritment Efforts: to help recruiters and agency staff to retain more parents from their recruitment efforts. (PDF 2.7 MB/45 pages)
* Finding a Fit that Will Last a Lifetime: A Guide to Connecting Adoptive Families with Waiting Children (PDF 374 KB/63 pages)
* Wherever My Family Is, That's Home! Adoption Services for Military Families: provides a roadmap to help caseworkers make quality and timely adoption services readily available for military families. (PDF 1.5 MB/92 pages)
Dollars and Sense: A Guide to Achieving Adoptions Through Public-Private Contracting: Designed to provide public and private agency program managers, supervisors, and contract managers with information to facilitate the purchase of interjurisdictional adoption services. (PDF 762KB/68 pages)
Photolisting Guide
Lasting Impressions: A Guide for Photolisting Children: CD-Rom included (PDF 615KB/50 pages)
Research Study
Barriers and Success Factors in Adoption from Foster Care: Perspectives of Families & Staff: This report presents the findings of two research studies conducted by Dr. Ruth McRoy's research team at the University of Texas at Austin Center for Social Work Research. These studies were longitudinal and spanned the first five years of the AdoptUsKids project (2002-2007). Findings from the two studies focused on:
- barriers experienced by a nationwide group of families seeking to adopt children from the U.S. foster care system and
- factors which contribute to successful adoption outcomes for families adopting children from foster care.
Read the report (PDF 1.2 MB/118 pages) or watch the video presentation.
ICPC Receiving and Sending State Checklists
To serve as an overview and generalized description of how ICPC might operate for children and youth being placed across State lines with recruited, general applicant families for the purpose of adoption.
Family Pocket Guide
Designed for prospective parents to help them understand and follow their individual journey throughout the process.
Spanish and English versions available:
Faith-Based Guide
* Finding Common Ground: A Guide for Child Welfare Agencies Working with Communities of Faith: A Guide for Child Welfare Agencies Working with Communities of Faith. (PDF 2.9 MB/100 pages)
Publications marked with an * are available for free on CD-Rom (limit of 5) and may be requested by emailing us at professional@adoptuskids.org. Printed publications are available for a small fee and can be ordered by downloading and completing an order form (PDF version).
As additional resources are developed they will be added to this list.
If you have any questions about the products or need additional information, please call us toll free at 1-888-200-4005 or email us at professional@adoptuskids.org.