1. General Recruitment: Messaging to potential foster parents is the first step in the recruiting process. All recruitment materials should be available in English and Spanish. Strategies will need to include: • Development and management of a variety media tools including, but not limited to, visible online advertisements, maintenance and continuous improvement of the MonroeFosterCare.org website and the Monroe County Foster Parent Face Book page. Online media posts should be varied and multiple times per week, targeting a broad, diverse demographic of Monroe County residents. • Design and maintain a mechanism to respond to those seeking information utilizing online systems or traditional phone inquiries. This should include the development and maintenance of a data warehouse that tracks demographics related to race/ethnicity, geography, profession, community affiliation, faith connection, etc. for the purpose of identifying areas of recruitment success and areas to target for development. It should additionally include contact information for follow up efforts from Monroe County’s Homefinding Unit. • A strategy focused on moving potential foster parents from contemplation to certification. This strategy should include email reminders of meetings, thank you notes for attending meetings, outreach to encourage questions, offered opportunities to speak with Monroe County Homefinding staff, and recruitment events throughout the year. Follow up should be consistent over the course of extended periods of time. • Design and utilize a Visual Process Map that lays out the process of becoming a certified foster parent. • Hosting at least 30 informational/recruitment sessions for potential foster parents throughout Monroe County each year. 2. Targeted Recruitment: Child and Family Services is in critical need of foster homes to serve the following needs: teenagers, GLBTQ youth, black and Hispanic youth, emergency foster home beds, and homes for large sibling groups. We additionally need foster families who can care for youth with developmental disabilities, autism, and problematic sexual behaviors. Targeted recruitment should include, but not be limited to, youth engaged professions, ethnic groups, geographical locations and community or faithbased organizations. • Targeted recruitment should include informational sessions within targeted populations • Use of retargeting advertisements based on successful trends identified by both the agency and Child and Family Services. • Strategies that are created in partnership with targeted communities and cohorts. • Create and produce targeted recruitment videos to be utilized by casework staff. Videos should be designed to address the current need for our identified targeted need areas. • Utilize on the ground recruiters who have experience fostering and are trusted in communities from which we’d like to increase foster homes within. 3. Retention: Long term retention of existing homes supports future successful recruitment. Many of our foster parents engage their own families and friends to make the commitment to fostering. Additionally, fostering can take a significant emotional toll on the foster parents and their families. Foster parents who feel supported by their agency and who are happy and satisfied with their role as foster parents, are more likely to speak to others about fostering. The responses to this RFP will need to include the following strategies: • A Customer Care strategy that supports foster parents feeling valued and appreciated for their work with Monroe County youth. • Continued engagement and recognition through email blasts regarding upcoming events and trainings, as well as creating and distributing a quarterly newsletter featuring foster parents’ contributions through stories, successes, challenges overcome, and trends in fostering, as well as partnering with foster care agencies. • A specific strategy supporting foster parents through their first year of fostering. • An ongoing Recognition Strategy for all foster parents, but also specifically for foster parents who take our most challenging youth (emergency placements, teens, youth with significant behavioral challenges, and children and youth with developmental disabilities).
