The Needs of Foster
Parents: A Qualitative Study of Motivation, Support, and Retention
Tracy (2006)
This study examined motivation, support, and retention of
foster parents in a child welfare agency in nine Canadian
counties. Results showed that the most frequent motivations for
being foster parents were intrinsic, altruistic motivators of wanting
to make a difference in children’s lives and a desire to have
children in the home.
Family
to Family: Tools for Rebuilding Foster Care. Recruiting, Training
and Support, The Essential Tools of Foster Care
A guide providing concrete recruitment and retention tools
for rural, urban, public, and private agencies beyond the traditional
approaches. Emphasizes a family-centered approach to foster care
by seeking placements for children by tapping into resources within
their own communities.
Family
to Family: Tools for Rebuilding Foster Care., Lessons Learned
Tested and proven practical strategies used for five years
by child welfare agencies nationwide to reform foster care and the
child welfare system. Emphasizes active involvement, teaming, and
ownership by staff and community to improve care to children and
families.
Retaining
Recruited Resource Families
Often the focus and goal of agencies is to acquire resource families
for foster care and adoption. It is important however, that once
these families connect with the agencies, that they be retained.
The responsibility for retaining resource families is agency wide,
involving staff at all levels. This article will provide guidance
to develop a retention plan for resource families.
Finding,
Preparing and Supporting Foster and Adoptive Parent Resources.
This issue of Permanency Planning Today, the semi-annual newsletter
of the National Resource Center for Foster Care and Permanency Planning
from the Hunter College School of Social Work of the City University
of New York, was published in 2000. It is a compilation of six peer
reviewed articles about the recruitment and retention of foster
parents.
GLBT
Communities & Adoption: Courting an Untapped Resource
Opening doors to adoption and foster care to the GLBT community,
thus creating more options for waiting children. Concrete approaches
to create agency policies, advertising, as well as application and
interview processes that are GLBT sensitive.
Breakthrough
Series Collaborative (BSC): Recruitment and Retention of Resource
Families
Teams from state, county, and tribally administered child
welfare agencies come together to work on multiple ideas, strategies,
and tools on a very small scale in pilot sites. The most successful
measurable methods and strategies for recruitment of foster and
adoptive families are shared in this report.
Office
of Inspector General Report- 2002
Overview of the Nations’ foster care system concerning
recruitment and the changing needs of children within the foster
care system. Suggests enhancement of public education about foster
care and using the most effective and available recruitment tool—foster
parents.
Resource
Center on Family Practice and Permanency Planning-Power Point Presentation
2002 by Lorrie Lutz
Developing unique recruitment plans to meet the child and
community needs while partnering with community based agencies for
improved results.
Child
Welfare League of America: Recruiting Foster Parents-2000
A resource handbook that provides tools for conducting
needs assessment of agencies and communities as well as outreach
strategies and designs. Targeted recruitment plans and working with
media are also detailed.
Finding
African American Families for Foster Children: Tips for Workers
& Agencies
Creative ideas on how to connect and partner with members
and organizations of the African-American community with non-traditional
and effective recruitment methods.
Parents
Play a Vital Role in Recruitment & Retention
Learn how to promote the use of experienced foster and
adopt parents as “developers” to raise community awareness
about foster and adoptive care.
