About this recommendation

By finding ways to stay connected with families who have shown an interest in becoming foster parents, you can help some become licensed caregivers, while still getting meaningful support from others through donation drives, CASA volunteering, or mentoring.

Setting reminders is a simple way to make sure that you stay in touch with potential foster families, and that they feel appreciated.

How to do this

Create a regular newsletter that you send to all families who submit inquiries. It doesn’t have to be long or complicated, and can be just a story or a few links. Consider including information about other ways to support foster youth without (or before) becoming a foster parent.
Create a calendar with reminders to check in with potential foster families. You can also use a task management app with date-based reminders to keep track of which families you need to check in with and when. Ideally, the entire team will share visibility across these lists, so if someone is out sick then another team member can cover their check-in calls.
If your agency has a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, you can use it to keep track of inquiry follow-ups.

Anticipated costs and benefits

Costs

Benefits

Low to no cost

Increased foster family recruitment and retention
Potential foster families stay engaged and support youth without or before becoming foster parents

Who's doing this

6 of 54 states and territories have implemented this recommendation.

Washington, D.C. schedules check-ins with every family on their inquiry list each quarter.
Prince George’s County invites recent inquiries to upcoming orientations and other events.
Michigan has an email newsletter that it sends to interested families containing agency news, child spotlights, and ways to get engaged. Michigan also uses electronic calendar reminders to keep track of check-ins with potential foster families.
Colorado keeps track of families who are interested but not ready to foster, and staff checks back with them when there are free periods between busy workloads.
Oklahoma checks back with families who submit inquiries within a week, 14 days, and 30 days.
Fairfax County, VA keeps track of families who indicate they aren’t ready to proceed due to a short-term issue like a move. They set reminders to check back in with families after the event is complete.