Use social media for general foster family recruitment efforts

About this recommendation

Create and regularly update social media presences for your agency, so community members can learn more about foster parenting and how to support the foster youth in their community. Radio ads, billboards, television commercials, and other offline media can help spread awareness of the need for more foster families, but a regular cadence of social media posts can raise awareness with even more community members.

How to do this

Make a Facebook page for your department and create a regular schedule of content. Include things like upcoming events, employee profiles, profiles of children who are available for adoption, upcoming orientations or trainings, FAQs, and ways for people to support foster youth without necessarily becoming a foster parent.

If you do not already have a social media policy, publish one. Here are our recommendations.

Anticipated costs and benefits

Costs

Benefits


  • Free to post general information
  • Increased foster family recruitment

Who's doing this

3 of 54 states and territories have implemented this recommendation.

  • Colorado posts about becoming a foster family on NextDoor.
  • Frederick County, MD has an active Facebook page
  • Rhode Island DCYF maintains an active Facebook presence
  • Rhode Island DCYF posts a "Friday Win" (a bit of good news) every Friday on social media to build interaction.