Recruitment
and Retention Ideas from Wisconsin Workers
Each day, Wisconsin foster
and adoptive workers use creative and successful techniques to recruit
and retain the unique families that serve children in foster care and
adoption. The Foster Care and Adoption Resource Center (FCARC) “Wisconsin
Success “highlights strategies implemented by both urban and rural
Wisconsin agencies that have been successful. Please make use of these
ideas or expand upon them to recruit or retain foster and adopt families.
If your agency has had successful strategies, please share your ideas
by contacting your area FCARC resource specialist:
We are happy to post your
ideas.
UW-Madison
School of Social Work grad students' presentation: Recruiting Foster
Families of Color
St.
Aemillian-Lakeside
Sheboygan County Retention
Marinette County Gifts
Retention
Ideas from Door County
Planting the Foster Care Seed in Washburn
County
Saturday Harbor Market Recruitment in Kenosha
County
UW-Madison
School of Social Work grad students' presentation: Recruiting Foster
Families of Color
UW-Madison graduate students Jenna Reetz
and Misty Koob gave a presentation in May of 2010 about recruiting
families of color. Click here for the notes from
their presentation.
St.
Aemilian-Lakeside
St. Aemilian-Lakeside, Inc.sent postcards with magnets attached to 10,000 addresses in southeastern Wisconsin. They feature the recruitment slogan, “Grow Hope. Become a Treatment Foster Parent.” St. Aemilian-Lakesid staff followed up with recruitment posters and events in public places in the same area.
Sheboygan
County Retention
Sheboygan
County has many long term foster parents. Here are some of the ways
the foster care coordinator, Jackie Erdmier, and others in her department
recognize foster parents and show them appreciation for what they do.
Jackie had specially designed
cards printed to send to foster parents for Foster Parent Appreciation
Month in 2009. She asked each worker who had a child in a home to write
a short note and sign the card for that individual home. She pointed
out that the signing went quickly because the supervisor and foster
care coordinator took the cards around for signatures.
Here are e-mails sent from
two foster parents in response to the cards:
One parent wrote:
I just want to thank you for the card that you sent. What really
impressed me was that you took the time to write it with your hand
a little something. In this current world of busyness, people don’t
have the time to hand write anything anymore. I just wanted to let
you know that I appreciated the card with your handwriting on it.
I know that you have tons of foster parents and just to think you
did that to each one of us, makes me appreciative. Thank you again
for caring.
Another wrote:
A few days ago we received a generic letter from I believe,
Jim Doyle's office, thanking us for the work that we do as foster
parents. We skimmed it and then it went into the garbage. He doesn't
know us and is therefore unable to truly appreciate what we do as
parents.
In October we will more than likely receive the letter inviting
us to the appreciation dinner and in December you'll deliver the poinsettias
as a thank you for what we do. As much as Jamie and I appreciate all
of that which I've mentioned above, they pale in comparison to what
we felt when we received the card from the department yesterday. I
can imagine how difficult it must have been for all of those that
we have worked with to come up with something to write in the card.
It's like being at work and a birthday card being passed around. You
don't know what to write and eventually the same thing will get repeated
over and over again. But this little card was very special to Jamie
and I and we appreciate the fact that the time was taken to fill it
out, especially that it was handwritten.
We hope you know how much we love what we do and how much we love
the kids that come into our home. And yes, sometimes we butt heads
with some of the workers until we get to the point where we understand
one another. Please know that we don't do it to be pains in the butt.
We only do it because we love these kids. We are glad to be part of
such a dynamic group working to better the lives of these kids. As
much as you all appreciate what we do, we appreciate what you do.
Other things Sheboygan County staff do for their foster parents,
include:
- At Christmas, Jackie
buys nice poinsettias. The supervisor and two workers deliver them
personally to each family.
- The county has dress
down day on paydays to raise money for different charities. Employees
dress casually in exchange for donations to the designated charity
for that payday. Each employee can decide how much they want to donate.
Jackie signed foster care up for a payday fund raiser.
- Giving out a list of
suggested items that county employees can donate to foster families,
such as:
- Disposable cameras
- Scrapbooks/photo
albums/ colorful binders for life books
- Gently used/new
smaller size suitcases (several people could go together on this)
- Binders for foster
parents to use as record keepers for each child.
- Money for training
tapes or online training gift certificates.
- Books for foster
kids – on foster care, etc. or at adoption time for foster
parents and adoptive families.
- Frames for family
pictures.
- Over
$200 was donated, as well as some of the items that were suggested.
- The county has held volunteer
appreciations banquets which included foster parents. They were hosted
at the civic center with catered food or at restaurants. The parties
ran as open houses. This gave the foster parents an opportunity to
interact.
- Jackie has solicited
donations from the local water park or other local family friendly
places where parents and kids can have fun and visit with one another.
- Jackie sends a sympathy
card to foster parents if there is a death in the family. She regularly
reads the paper and looks at the obituaries.
- She also sends cards
celebrating adoptions.
Sheboygan works at celebrating
the dedication of their families.
Marinette
County Gifts.
Denise Kunze in Marinette
County has a budget for small gifts for foster parents. She divides
that money between winter holiday gifts and gifts in Foster Care Appreciation
Month. She either
sends a gift card or a gift ranging in price from $10-$25. This past
May, she chose picture frames with family themes along with personalized
thank you cards for Foster Care Appreciation Month. Another year,
she sent car first aid emergency kits. For the holidays, the gifts
were sent accompanied by cards signed by agency staff.
Retention
Ideas from Door County
Diana Meenk, Door County’s
foster care coordinator, shares some of the activities she does during
the year to retain parents. She says that some are commonly used ideas
and others are unique to her county.
- Diana sends birthday
cards to foster parents with a note and personal signature. In the
note she recognizes some personal trait that makes that person a good
foster parent or something special that they have done during the
year.
- A foster parent is recognized
each month. She circulates a note with a description of the great
things that the foster parent does. All of the staff signs the note.
- One of Diana’s
families hosts a pizza party each April in their home. Pizza and broasted
chicken are paid for by the agency. Everyone brings a dish to pass.
- Diana holds her annual
foster parent banquet in October or November. The county buys recognition
gifts with family needs in mind that are worth approximately $20.
Some gift ideas are popcorn sets, emergency radios, car emergency
kits, Door County afghans, and cake pans inscribed with “from
the kitchen of and the name of the family” along with agency
cookbooks.
- Diana and her agency
actively encourage respite. Foster families do respite for one another.
One weekend a month is recommended for all families. Those that are
fostering children with more challenging needs are encourages to take
respite weekends twice a month.
As a whole, Door County
foster families have a history of longevity. Diana feels these extra
efforts reinforce their long time commitments to fostering.
Planting
the Foster Care Seed in Washburn County
Lisa Cottrell, Foster
Care Coordinator for Washburn County, found success in recruiting
foster families in her rural northwestern Wisconsin county by writing
letters to local churches. By providing several examples of short
announcements about the need for foster families, the church staff
chose the announcement for their bulletin and provided this message
to congregations for about one month.Lisa had 7 families voice an
interest in learning more about providing foster care! As a follow-up,
Lisa scheduled an informational meeting for those families. As a result,
she has met with two families who have followed through with the licensing
process. Lisa is pleased with this result, knowing that the word has
spread about the need for foster homes for children.
Retention
Counts in Jackson County
Coordinator for Jackson
County, Karla Meyer, has found success in retaining the families that
are currently licensed in her rural Western Wisconsin County. There
are presently 17 licensed homes. Within the last three years, she
has increased the number of homes by over double! Karla attributes
part of this success by expressing appreciation and support of these
families from the agency and community. The Jackson County Human Services
Department sponsored a picnic and potluck for families to acknowledge
Foster Family Month during the month of May. The agency director grilled
the meal and also supplied the food. Social work staff attended the
event and socialized with the families. One other method of retention
occurred when Karla organized a Foster Parent Appreciation Night.
The families were served a meal and they all received gift bags. Area
businesses donated items. Each foster family received a personalized
note written by social work staff to congratulate them and to acknowledge
their efforts and work with children. Karla updates her current foster
families of the newly licensed families so that they can be contacted
and supported by the experienced families. She believes this really
makes them feel a part of the team.
Saturday
Harbor Market Recruitment in Kenosha County
Nicole
Riedel of Community Impact Programs in Kenosha County has done some
successful recruiting at the weekly Saturday Harbor Market. The Harbor
Market provides them with a free spot at the market as a non-profit.
A lot of people have approached them there and have inquired about
foster care. She hands out an average of 7 inquiry packets each Saturday.
Of the 14 inquiry packets handed out, she has received 4 completed
applications which will most likely lead to licensing.Nicole
plans to have information at one more market in Kenosha, and borrowed
the Resource Center Live Deeper, Love Longer, Leave Bigger
poster board to display at her table. They also plan to have a booth
at the Farmer’s Market in Wilmot, a smaller city in their county,
so that they can reach those who live in the rural areas of the county
as well.
