Social Media and Out-of-Home Care

Social media networks can be an important avenue for sharing messages and educating the public about the issues affecting children, youth, and families involved in child welfare. Find resources and information that promote family finding, explore effective recruitment and retention strategies, and provide additional information to help support parents and caregivers involved in out-of-home care.

Resources for child welfare professionals

Facebook 101 for Child Welfare Professionals: An Introduction to Using Facebook to Reach Foster, Adoptive, and Kinship Families (PDF - 272 KB)
AdoptUSKids (2014)
Discusses ways in which a child welfare agency can use Facebook in order to connect with prospective resource families, including sharing useful information, answering common questions, and spreading awareness about upcoming events.

Facebook Useful in Finding Kin for Wards of the State
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (2013)
Highlights the success the agency has had in Lincoln, NE, using Facebook to locate family members of children in care. The press release also shares case examples.

Social Media: Tips for Foster Care Workers
Series Title Factsheets
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability View
Download (PDF - 265KB)
Order (Free)
Year Published 2017
Describes the advantages and challenges workers may encounter when using social media with foster parents and youth in foster care. Issues that should be considered and tips for handling issues are also offered, as are ways to use social media to support families and youth.

Social Media Use in Child Welfare
Chang (2013)
Children’s Bureau Express, 13(11)
Guides child welfare professionals in developing a social media strategy for dissemination and a security policy.

Using Social Media in Recruitment
AdoptUSKids
Offers resources that can help child welfare professionals decide if their agency is ready to use social media as a tool for recruiting and retaining families, including tips and best practices to get the most out of a Twitter profile or Facebook page.

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Resources for parents and caregivers

Foster Parents on Social Media: Think Twice Before You Post
Adoption.net
Discusses the ways in which foster parents' social media use can affect foster children. Posting information about foster children in online support forums may create unwanted connection with birth families and other online predators.

Social Media: Tips for Foster Parents and Caregivers
Series Title Factsheets
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability View
Download (PDF - 255KB)
Year Published 2017
Describes the advantages and challenges foster parents may encounter when using social media in their role as foster parents. Issues that should be considered and tips for handling issues are also offered. Ways to guide youth in the safe use of social media are also discussed.

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