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.
Developing Recruitment Plans: A Toolkit for States and Tribes
AdoptUSKids (2017)
Provides tools and resources for child welfare agencies to recruit, retain, and support potential foster and adoptive families.
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.
Diligent Recruitment and Retention Plan 2019–2024 (PDF - 1,858 KB)
Virginia Department of Social Services (2019)
Provides details about how Virginia plans to use a structured, diligent recruitment and retention process to ensure that foster parents receive the training they need to assess, train, and place children appropriately for the years 2019–2024.
Foster and Adoptive Parent Diligent Recruitment Plan (PDF - 261 KB)
Connecticut Department of Child and Families (2020)
Describes Connecticut's increased efforts plan for diligent recruitment of foster and adoptive parents for waiting kids in foster care for the years 2020 to 2024.
Foster and Adoptive Parent Diligent Recruitment and Retention (PDF - 2,199 KB)
North Dakota Child and Family Services (2020)
Outlines North Dakota’s plan for improved diligent foster and adoptive parent recruitment and retention.
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.
Resource Parent Recruitment, Retention and Support Services
California Department of Social Services
Highlights California’s efforts to increase recruitment of resource parents and how best to retain them, including what types of support services are being put in place to increase retention.
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.