In this section you will find State and local examples of promising practices for recruiting foster and adoptive families.
Annual Foster Parent and Adoptive Home Recruitment Report (PDF - 1,093 KB)
Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (2019)
Provides a broad overview of foster and adoptive parent recruitment; the retention of foster and adoptive homes; the status of home studies in Washington; and the tracking of medical, mental, and educational status of children in foster care.
Diligent Recruitment (PDF - 1,699 KB)
Kansas Department for Children and Families (2019)
Shares the comprehensive diligent recruitment plan and program developed by the Kansas Department for Children and Families, foster care and adoption contracted providers, and faith-based and community organization leaders.
Episode 15: Diligent Recruitment – Regional Resource Navigators
Child Welfare Information Gateway (2017)
Provides details about the New Mexico Regional Resource Navigator program. The program assigns navigators to work with specific regions of the State to guide families through the assessment and licensing processes.
Foster and Adoptive Parent Recruitment Retention Plan (PDF - 540 KB)
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (2019)
Highlights Nebraska's proposed ideas, strategies, activities, and coordination efforts related to the recruitment and retention of foster and adoptive parents.
NC’s New Plan for Recruiting (and Retaining!) Families for Children in Foster Care
The Family and Children's Resource Program (2017)
Reviews the State’s new diligent recruitment and retention plan through a 90-minute webinar, making it clear what the next steps will be at the State and local levels and what the concrete implications and requirements are for public and private agencies.
Research Summary: Supporting, Retaining & Recruiting Resource Families (PDF - 1,597 KB)
Public Child Welfare Training Academy, San Diego State University School of Social Work (2015)
Features promising practices around recruitment, including lessons learned from recruiting resource families for California's children in care.
Revitalizing Recruitment: Practical Strategies for Finding and Keeping Foster, Adoptive, and Kinship Homes (PDF - 10,107 KB)
New York State Office of Children and Family Services (2015)
Helps professionals navigate the challenges of finding foster and adoptive families equipped to meet the needs of children and youth entering foster care.
Revitalizing Recruitment and Retention of Kinship, Foster, and Adoptive 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.
Site Videos
Quality Improvement Center for Adoption Guardianship Support and Preservation (QIC-AG)
Chronicles the implementation of the QIC-AG permanency continuum framework at eight partner sites around the country, including one Tribe. The videos include the personal accounts of the staff and families that participated in the implementation.
West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services Bureau for Children and Families Recruitment and Retention Plan 2015 (PDF - 200 KB)
West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services (2015)
Points out tasks related to foster and adoptive parent licensing, recruitment, and retention, including diligent recruitment of potential foster and adoptive families who reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of the children in the State who need foster and adoptive homes.