Summary of problem:
It is very difficult to reach and recruit people that are potentially interested in becoming foster parents. It is often true that people don’t completely understand what all is involved in becoming a foster parent and the potential rewards. This results in a significant amount of time, energy and money being spent on finding foster families and placing children in alternative options when foster families are not available.
How it affects the organization:
Social Services spends a significant amount of time and money searching for potential foster care families and also spends a significant amount of money finding alternative options for children when foster families are not available.
Current state of problem:
Social Services has streamlined the certification process as much as possible and recently added a new position to help with the recruiting process. Despite this, it is still very difficult to reach potential foster parents.
Ideal state and its benefits:
An ideal state would be one where we have an innovative approach/strategy to reaching out to potential foster care parents/families and then receiving them as they are interested. It would also be ideal to have a communication strategy that is as inclusive as possible.