Reflect your community in recruitment materials

About this recommendation

People often look for themselves in marketing materials. Diverse representation helps more people see themselves as potential and valuable resource caregivers.

Replace generic recruitment materials and photos with thoughtful and inclusive materials that reflect real community members. Images of foster families should include single parents, LGBTQ+ families, people of color, and people with a variety of abilities.

How to do this

• Review and update your recruitment and marketing materials (including websites, posters and brochures) to better reflect your community members. Prioritize the communities from which you need more homes in order to keep children within their community. For example, if you need more homes to support trans teenagers, make sure you include trans caregivers and LGBTQ+ positive stories in your materials. In addition to photographs, review materials for inclusive case studies and example scenarios.
• Ask for pronouns and preferred names in your inquiry and application forms, and use them. Make it routine for everyone to share pronouns when meeting prospective families, such as at orientation or training. You may need to use a legal name for formal background checks, but otherwise you should refer to individuals by their preferred names.
• Confirm that inquiry and application forms support household with single applicants, as well as households with two or three applicants, to support multi-generational households.

Anticipated costs and benefits

Who's doing this

4 of 54 states and territories have implemented this recommendation.

• Prince George’s County, MD, Fairfax County, VA, Colorado and Washington State have committed to having inclusive and representative imagery and stories in their recruitment materials.
• Washington State added pronouns and preferred names to their inquiry and application forms.