Inquiry Management

About this topic

Responding to and tracking inquiries from potential foster families can be time consuming, but represents a key moment for engagement and successful recruitment.

Why this matters

Potential families may fill out an inquiry form when they are ready to apply the next day, or the next year. Remaining proactive in your inquiry management process can mean keeping families engaged over the months or years as they decide to become a foster family, while allowing families who are ready to move to the application process quickly.

What we can do

• Respond to inquiries quickly. If too much time passes after a family completes an inquiry form, a potential caregiver may become discouraged, second guess themselves, or change their mind. Responding quickly and providing more information will help families to immediately feel engaged and supported, while allowing those who are ready to complete an application more quickly.
• Stay in touch with families. Some families may take years to decide they’re ready to become a foster family. Closing inquiries after a certain time period risks losing these potential caregivers altogether. Instead, stay in touch with families who inquire through email newsletters, personal check-ins, or by offering them other ways to support foster youth besides becoming a foster parent.
• Leverage inquiry data. You can use the data from incoming inquiries, such as zip code or languages spoken, to highlight gaps in your recruitment. Additionally, by tracking detailed referral information from new inquiries, you can better understand which recruitment methods are most successful.