Diligent recruitment is the systematic process through which child welfare agencies recruit, retain, and support foster and adoptive families that reflect the ethnic diversity of children awaiting placements. Find resources below explaining best practices, implementation strategies, and practical examples related to diligent recruitment in agency settings.
Appendix A: Foster and Adoptive Parent Diligent Recruitment Plan (PDF - 565 KB)
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Office of Families and Children (2014)
Explains Ohio's plan to implement diligent recruitment strategies from 2015 to 2019, including strategies like disseminating general and child-specific information in diverse ways, training staff to work with diverse communities, and strategies for dealing with linguistic barriers.
Developing Recruitment Plans: A Toolkit for States and Tribes
National Resource Center for Diligent Recruitment at AdoptUSKids (2016)
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Helps child welfare agencies develop data-driven recruitment plans and offers ideas for creating targeted recruitment plans focused on particular populations or areas.
Diligent Recruitment Navigator
National Resource Center for Diligent Recruitment at AdoptUSKids (2013)
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Provides resources to help State agencies develop an active, strategic approach to recruitment. Resources include the Diligent Recruitment Navigator—a tool designed to guide child welfare agencies through the development of comprehensive diligent recruitment strategies—and a list of diligent recruitment grantees.
I-CARE 365
National Resource Center for Diligent Recruitment at AdoptUSKids
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Highlights lessons learned through a 2010 diligent recruitment project administered by the Michigan State Department of Human Services in Oakland County and in the city of Lansing, Michigan.
LGBTQ Supplement to Diligent Recruitment Navigator
National Resource Center for Diligent Recruitment at AdoptUSKids
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Discusses methods for building the capacity of child welfare agencies in recruiting foster, adoptive, and kinship families for LGBTQ youth.
MEPA/IEAP, Diligent Recruitment
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau (2016)
Connects to frequently asked questions and their answers concerning the Multiethnic Placement Act and the Interethnic Adoption Provisions.
Placement Stability and Permanency
National Resource Center for Diligent Recruitment at AdoptUSKids (2008)
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Offers ideas from the field and tools and resources that provide strategies and information related to child-specific recruitment that can help child welfare professionals recruit foster, adoptive, and kinship families for specific children and youth in care.
Recruitment and Retention (PDF - 531 KB)
University of North Dakota Children and Family Services Training Center
Defines diligent recruitment tactics within the four main recruitment strategies utilized by child welfare agencies: general recruitment, targeted recruitment, child-specific recruitment, and retention.
Revitalizing Recruitment and Retention of Foster Parents
New York State Office of Children and Family Services & Welfare Research, Inc.
Includes practical strategies for recruiting and retaining foster, adoptive, and kinship families, as well as a blueprint for putting diligent recruitment into action with hands-on, step-by-step tools and tips. This resource was developed with funding from the Children’s Bureau.
Speaking the Same Language: Understanding Multiple Meanings of Terms Used by Child Welfare Program and IT/Data Staff to Support Diligent Recruitment
National Resource Center for Diligent Recruitment at AdoptUSKids (2015)
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Clarifies definitions in order to support the collaboration between child welfare agencies and information technology staff.
What is Diligent Recruitment? (PDF - 92 KB)
AdoptUSKids (2014)
Explains the historical context of diligent recruitment before providing key characteristics of best practices for recruiting families that reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of foster children.