May is National Foster Care Month, a time to recognize and thank the relatives, friends and community members who step forward to care for and support children and families when they are in crisis. It also offers an opportunity to recruit new foster families. To support agency recruitment efforts, this communication will provide information on recent department efforts, tools and available practice guides.
While there has been a significant decrease in placements over the past five years and an increase in children being placed with relatives, Minnesota is still in need of local community members to have a diverse pool of foster parents to make the best possible placement matches for children. The Minnesota Department of Human Services (department) staff has engaged with agency foster care licensing staff and is aware of the need for recruitment activity support.
Tool kit development
Department staff are working to build a toolkit to help support foster care recruitment at the local level. This spring, we’ll provide social media posts with graphics.
Foster Care Recruitment and Retention Advisory Council
The department will relaunch the Foster Care Recruitment and Retention Advisory Council this summer. The purpose of the council is to bring together experience and expertise to assess placement resource needs and provide input for recruitment and retention plans regarding foster care.
The council was initially convened as part of the approved program improvement plan following the Child and Family Services Review in 2016. The federal Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau determined that Minnesota’s child welfare system needed to improve engagement of, and communication with, foster families. The council was made up of county and private agency staff, foster parents and community members who met from 2019 – 2021. The council identified gaps in data, recommended significant edits to the annual foster care fact sheet to include information about recruitment needs and support available to foster parents, and considered who might be best able to meet those needs. These discussions helped develop a social media recruitment campaign launched in July 2021. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on daily life, child welfare agencies and limits on in-person gatherings, the council concluded upon completion of its two-year commitment.
Consultation with national resource center
The federal Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau refunded and recently launched a new National Center for Diligent Recruitment. Their staff, who offer technical assistance, traveled to Minnesota in early April 2024 to facilitate discussions with representatives of county, Tribal and private child-placing agencies on current data and recruitment needs. These discussions will inform the diligent recruitment goals, objectives and strategies being developed for the department’s next five-year Child and Family Services plan.
Recruitment support
To promote recruitment of prospective foster parents, the department continues to fund the Fostering Network through Foster Adopt Minnesota. They are also available to assist with general outreach and recruitment events.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services has created and updated publications related to foster care for your use, including:
The Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau’s National Foster Care Month theme this year is “Engaging youth. Building supports. Strengthening opportunities.” Their toolkit includes example social media posts and shareable graphics.
If you have questions about communications or media relations, please contact Beth Voigt in the department’s Children and Family Services Communications Office at 651-431-3833 or beth.voigt@state.mn.us.
If you have questions about foster care, please contact the Family Support and Placement Services Unit’s customer relationship management at dhs.csp.fostercare@state.mn.us.
Thank you for your continued efforts to improve the lives of children and families. Together, we can help support children in remaining connected to their families, schools and communities, and meet their safety and well-being needs.
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