Policy #2

A census is an ongoing, periodic collection of data on licensed foster parents, including those who are not currently caring for a child. A foster parent census can help agencies assess their overall capacity in terms of foster parents trained and available to care for infants (including those prenatally exposed to substances), teens, sibling groups, children with significant behavioral or mental health needs, and or special health care needs. A census can also identify foster parents who are particularly sensitive to and knowledgeable about the needs of children from diverse cultures. As such, it can help agencies determine whether their current families are being fully utilized and if there are significant gaps in agencies’ recruitment strategies. Because this information is not required for AFCARS, state and tribal policymakers may want to consider requiring and funding a periodic foster family census.

Data on current, successful foster families is analyzed to create statistically accurate profiles based on demographics, lifestyle choices, consumer behaviors and location, among other variables. For example, a profile could be created specifically for prospective foster parents interested in mentoring birth parents. Recruitment efforts are then targeted to reach families that fit these profiles. Market segmentation is most effective when it is based on a large number of foster families deemed to be successful. The need for a large data set, however, can be a barrier to states with relatively small populations.

Such plans are based on data, needs and strategies specific to a given county or region and are best developed in close consultation with local stakeholders, such as foster parents, tribal representatives, providers, youth, licensing staff, judges and guardians ad litem, among others.

North Carolina’s plan was published in June 2017 and is part of the state’s response to its Child and Family Services Review. Prior to development of the plan, the state experienced problems with data consistency across counties. The Division of Social Services (DSS) knew how many foster families it had, but was unable to drill down for more detailed information about actual capacity and actual need. DSS developed the new Diligent Recruitment and Retention (DRR) plan collaboratively with input provided at three regional stakeholder meetings attended by representatives of the provider community, the courts, foster parents, youth, county child welfare leaders, licensing staff, caseworkers, advocates and others. DSS continues to solicit input from stakeholders with quarterly peer-to-peer calls.

One of the goals of the new DRR plan is that “the state, counties and child placing agencies have the capacity to use data to inform and monitor recruitment and retention efforts.” The plan requires each county department of social services to submit its own individualized plan annually. The state also requires each county to create, maintain, update monthly and submit to the state annually a data profile that includes the following: characteristics of children in care, characteristics of families available for placement, average length of time from initial inquiry to licensure, total number of licensed beds, total number of available beds, number of children placed out of county due to lack of available beds, and number of placement disruptions or changes. Although private agencies are not required to submit data profiles, larger agencies have that capacity and the state encourages them to do so.

Data profiles are considered program tools rather than report cards and will be used by DSS to guide its technical assistance efforts, including informational websites, training, webinars, and publications such as “Treat Them Like Gold: A Best Practice Guide to Partnering with Resource Families”. The data are also intended to increase transparency and consistency of messaging across public and private agencies.¹

In 2019, the Virginia General Assembly passed Senate Bill 1339, an omnibus foster care bill that addresses a range of issues identified in a 2018 report of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC).[1] One of JLARC’s charges was to evaluate state and local efforts to recruit and retain foster parents. Noting the longstanding shortage of foster families, JLARC found that “[d]espite the known shortage of foster families in Virginia, and the fact that the shortage has been documented for years, VDSS currently has no plan, dedicated funding, or staff to systematically recruit non-relative foster families.” The report also noted the absence of reliable statewide information on current foster family availability. “Without this information, it is not possible for the state to identify shortages of foster families, such as for particular groups of children or areas of the state.” Accordingly, the JLARC report made four recommendations regarding foster parent recruitment:

• Require every local department of social services to provide semi-annually to VDSS a list of all licensed foster families in the locality, including contact information, placement preferences, demographic information, number and ages of children currently being fostered, and the number of other children in the home;
• Direct VDSS to develop and maintain a statewide strategic plan for recruiting and retaining foster parents that would identify localities with the greatest need for foster families; articulate state and local strategies to fill these needs; and specify the roles and responsibilities of staff in the state’s local departments, regional offices and central office in implementing the plan;
• Establish six positions—five regional staff and one at the central office—at VDSS responsible for implementing the statewide strategic recruitment and retention plan and supporting local efforts;
• Direct VDSS to determine the amount of funding necessary to implement the statewide strategic plan and to identify all possible sources of funding for that purpose.

Senate Bill 1339, which significantly increased the state department’s authority to hold county agencies accountable for compliance with foster care requirements, addressed each of the foregoing recommendations as follows:

• Requires each local board to submit to VDSS the names of all licensed foster parents and to update such list quarterly;
• Directs VDSS to develop and implement a data-driven strategic plan, to be updated biennially, to improve the recruitment and retention of foster parents;
• Directs VDSS to ensure that regional offices responsible for oversight of foster care and adoption services are equipped with sufficient staff. Each of the five regional offices of VDSS must have no fewer than four staff to, among other things, find family-based placement options for children who are at risk of being placed in congregate care.

In addition, 2019 amendments to the state’s biennial budget added $2.8 million in state and federal funds and 18 positions, including 10 additional regional foster care and adoption staff, a regional project manager, and five positions for monitoring foster care cases. An additional $100,000 was provided to fund a dedicated position to oversee the state’s foster care recruitment efforts.

[1] Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, Report to the Governor and the General Assembly of Virginia: Improving Virginia’s Foster Care System, December 10, 2018. http://jlarc.virginia.gov/2018-foster-care.asp

FCFC is a public/private partnership in which a consortium of foundations is funding 14 private provider agencies to work with the Washington state Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) to recruit, train and license 2,500 new foster families in three years, beginning in January 2019. The project is coordinated by the Washington Association for Children and Families (WACF), the state’s private agency membership organization, and consists of three components: