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Washington State Foster Family Recruitment

Washington State Foster Family Recruitment. History of Foster Family Recruitment. For years, hardworking people have poured time, money and countless hours into trying to increase the number of foster families available to care for children.

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Washington State Foster Family Recruitment

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  1. Washington StateFoster Family Recruitment

  2. History of Foster Family Recruitment For years, hardworking people have poured time, money and countless hours into trying to increase the number of foster families available to care for children.

  3. For the past 10 years, the number of newly licensed foster parents has stayed within a range of about 1,200 to about 1,400 per year. Something’s not working! Conclusion 1 If we keep doing what we are doing, we will keep getting what we are getting

  4. It’s not who is doing the job, it’s how the job is being done! Conclusion 2

  5. Historically we tried to recruit foster parents like we were a “Ya’ll Mart” as in “Ya’ll come!” How has the job been done?

  6. It’s using effective products like… Brochures Booths at fairs and events Fliers in stores PSAs Banners Newspaper ads In less than effective ways, like casting a broad net into uncharted waters and hoping for a big catch. What does “Ya’ll Come” Recruiting Look Like?

  7. Mixed messages Lost time Lost resources Confusion Frustration Inaction What are the results of generalized recruitment? It is an axiom in politics that if people are confused by something appearing on a ballot, they will vote against it. If potential foster parents are confused about the need, the process, the benefit, and the outcome, they too will vote against foster parenting.

  8. We need to try something different. HOW… We have access to technology that we did not have 30 years ago. We have access to experts who can help us improve our recruiting skills. Conclusion 3

  9. When technology and experts merge! AdoptUSKids Provides Free Consultation on Recruitment and Retention. With them, we held three statewide meetings in 2007 to figure out what tools to use and how to use them. It is not as if people lacked passion, or effort. What has been lacking is the knowledge needed to do the work. We need to work smarter not harder and who better to teach us than the same kind of folks who helped bring the golden arches and the Nike swoosh into the world?

  10. We brought together the experts: Foster parents & relative caregivers Private recruiters & state recruiters Private agencies, marketers, communications consultants, and designers. 45-50 people met for two days each in June, September and December. When technology and experts merge!

  11. Licensed for more than three years. Gone through re-licensing process at least once. Currently are caring for a child in their home. What is a Successful Foster Parent!

  12. The experts helped us to use technology to find out some very important information: Which communities have the most children removed from home? In those communities, who are the most successful foster parents and what activities, events and products are important to them? Who are the people in those communities that most “resemble” our successful foster parents and where do they get their information? Targeted Recruitment

  13. We ended up with one million addresses of people who fit the profile of our most successful foster parents. 1,000,000! Targeted Recruitment It’s like fishing with state of the art sonar, knowing right where the fish are, and using bait tailored for their tastes.

  14. What does a potential foster parent look like? Our “target demographic” are folks who like the great outdoors, adventure activities, camping, fishing and gardening. They represent a higher socio-economic group than we originally thought. We know where they like to eat and shop, what cable channels they watch and even what kind of cars they drive. In your community, in your town, and throughout Washington state, people just like you are changing the lives of children for the better. You Can Too!

  15. How do we apply this new knowledge? New recruitment contracts will focus on target marketing to our demographic group All the demographic work will be integrated with Family To Family, a nationally recognized community and family-based recruitment and retention strategy. We’ll use software to show us specific areas from which children are removed, where foster parents are located, as well as the locations of community and businesses resources.

  16. In addition to our target demographic, we also identified under-recruited groups who may be possible foster families. How do we apply this new knowledge?

  17. Next Steps We have a new “brand” that contractors and DSHS employees will use on all publications and products related to recruitment. We are launching the “Bob did it, you can too!” campaign. It uses real foster parents to show potential foster parents that people just like them are doing this work. We launched this new toll-free number: 1-888-KIDS-414.

  18. Next Steps We’ve created a centralized statewide Recruitment Information Center. We have a new database of prospective foster parents that aides recruiters in guiding potential foster parents through the licensing process. We are developing a website where contractors can order customizable publications and products that help simplify the process and maximize their dollars.

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