Recruitment

About this topic

Foster family recruitment is vital to ensuring a wide pool of placement options for youth in care. Innovative programs are finding a variety of creative ways to successfully recruit new foster families that meet the needs of children in care.

Why this matters

Successful recruitment means that youth in care can be placed with families who are in their existing community and culture, who speak the same language, etc. Start by identifying the families your children need most, followed by intentional recruitment methods targeting the communities and types of families matching those needs.

What we can do

Be specific and intentional in recruitment. Use data about the youth who currently need placements, as well as the data from incoming foster family inquiries, to identify the gaps in your current recruitment. Once those gaps are identified, you can tailor your recruitment materials and methods to better reflect your community and the families needed most. Additionally, be clear in your materials that you need homes willing to work towards reunification, not people looking to adopt infants. Clarity early in the process will help potential foster families make the right choice for themselves, as well as help staff focus on the families most needed for placements.

Make the recruitment, application, and placement process seamless. By including recruiters in follow up activities with potential foster families, you can increase family satisfaction and prevent losing potential families, who may feel confused or unsupported if they’re passed off between multiple staff members. Recruiters should also be included in your routine case management and placement meetings, as they can help identify any pending families who are good matches for current youth. Once identified, you should prioritize licensing these matching families.

Include current foster families in recruitment efforts. Positive word of mouth can be a valuable tool in recruiting potential foster families. You can encourage current foster families to help recruit other families by providing financial bonuses for referrals, or when referrals complete major milestones like completing their application. Hiring current foster parents as trainers or for an orientation can also help current foster parents feel valued, while providing valuable information and perspectives to new families.

Be creative. Our members have had success using a variety of creative recruitment methods, including:

• Hosting information sessions with community organizations like fraternity and sorority alumni groups (especially HBCU fraternities and sororities).
• Recruiting families on military bases, who are often well-equipped with community supports and can be strong placements.
• Hosting brown bags at local hospitals to recruit caregivers with medical training for medically fragile children. In Michigan, they leave branded items like flashlights and stress balls in hospital lunch rooms with the Department phone number on them.
• Hosting information sessions at teachers’ events, including events for retired teachers.
• Hosting events at churches, or partnering with churches to host fundraisers and donation drives. In Washington, D.C., over 25 churches each host a monthly resource parenting information session.
• Inviting older foster youth to read books at the local library or participate in other community events to help spread awareness of the need for foster homes.
• To raise awareness of the need for fostering teenagers, Clinton County MDHHS in Michigan created a poster, “The Advantages of Teenagers.” Shared at farmer’s markets and other events, the poster reminds people of the advantages of fostering teenagers (like not having to change diapers and having someone who can help around the house).