With limited funding resources for foster parent recruitment, it often becomes important for agencies to be selective of and plan for the types of recruitment activities that you and your agency would like to implement.
Foster parent recruitment research informs us that the best recruiters of foster parents are licensed foster parents. Therefore, including foster parents in your community recruitment events can be a helpful strategy; not only to raise the awareness of the need for additional foster parents but also to provide prospective foster parents with insights and perspectives from foster parents themselves.
Another tip is for you and your agency to consider your current pool of families to determine who is being under-utilized, or not being utilized at all. Take a look at your existing resource family data, such as:
- The number of children the foster home is licensed to welcome into their home
- The number of children currently residing in the foster home
- Reasons why the family is not being utilized or under-utilized
This is important data that, when analyzed, will help you to potentially identify foster parent resources.
Raising awareness of your community’s need for additional foster families through the various media outlets is yet another way in which to expand your reach. Social media, radio and television Public Service Announcements, newspaper stories, etc., are all ways to inform your local community about the need for and importance of foster families.
You may also seek out ways to establish collaborations and partnerships with youth and family service agencies, such as:
- Boys and Girls Clubs
- Art and theater Groups
- YMCAs, YWCAs, and other recreational groups or clubs
- Faith-based communities
- Educational facilities
- Medical Communities
- Service Groups
All of these are potential partner agencies that can assist your agency with recruitment events and activities.
