PS-MAPP Community Education and Recruitment Leader's Kit

Provided as a supplemental meeting, the Recruitment and Community Education Meeting, introduces prospective foster and adoptive parents, as well as interested community members, to the foster care program. This well-documented and flexible Leader's Guide helps group facilitators lead discussions based upon the unique needs of the group.

Helping a community take ownership for the welfare of its children and families requires an effective child welfare education and recruitment program. CWI's Community Education and Recruitment Leader's Kit features two videos and a companion Leader's Guide designed to educate prospective foster parents, foster/adoptive parents and others in the community about the community's foster care and foster/adoption programs. The videos feature foster, adoptive and birth parents telling their own stories. These tools help agencies build an education and recruitment program that fosters community-wide investment in the agency's goals of supporting children and their families.

Description of Tools

• Leader's Guide – Provides step-by-step guidance for planning and delivering an engaging two- to three-hour educational program for prospective foster parents, foster/adoptive parents and others in the community who might positively contribute to an agency's child welfare program.
• Two videos:
  • An Introduction to Foster and Foster/Adoptive Parenting – This 19-minute video features Renee and Randy, parents whose children were placed in foster care. The video is divided into four segments for ease in facilitating group discussions.
    • The first five-minute segment of the video features Renee and Randy talking about the initial anxieties of their foster care experience.
    • The second five-minute segment of the video features Linda Day, a foster parent, talking about her relationship with Renee and Randy.
    • In the third four-minute segment of the video Renee and Randy talk about ways Linda works with them to coordinate visits, share information, arrange similar schedules for the children and use discipline methods that are positive and effective. They also discuss how Linda inspires them and ways she helps build their relationships with her and with their children.
    • The final five-minute segment of the video features Linda discussing three important outcomes for foster parenting in the 21^st century: safety, well-being and permanence.
  • Thinking about Foster Parenting? – This 16-minute video features seven successful foster parents who talk about their experiences and offer advice to anyone who is interested in fostering or adopting.
    • David Dupruis, foster and adoptive father for 25 years, has fostered approximately 150 children. David candidly discusses the challenges of working with birth parents and emphasizes the importance of reunification. While foster care is meant to be a temporary support, David stresses that it is important for prospective foster parents to be committed to foster care for "a long run."
    • Linda Dupruis, foster and adoptive mother for 25 years, was in foster care and says that foster care "saved her life." Linda stresses the importance of working as much as possible to stay in contact with the agency, and explains that it may be difficult because caseloads are high. Linda talks about the joy of seeing children go home and seeing parents do the job of parenting.
    • Colleen, foster parent for six years, has helped eight children in therapeutic foster care. Colleen talks about one of her children who set fires and made bombs. She explains how her family constantly watched him and helped him feel part of the family at the same time. Colleen also stresses the importance of the long-term commitment to foster care, and how important it is not to move children from home to home.
    • Regine and Frantz, foster parents for one year, talk about their two girls who have trust problems. Frantz focuses on building trust, especially how foster fathers can build trust with girls who have been abused by other males. He also discusses the need for prospective foster families to talk about fostering with their own children before making the decision to foster.
    • Joseph, foster father for almost two years, explains the difference between being a friend and being a role model for children in care. Joseph's mother was a foster parent, and after he married, he and his wife decided to foster too. Joseph explains that fostering is not easy, and that it is important to "do it with your heart."
    • Linda, a foster mother for 26 years and for more than 400 children, recommends staying in contact with the agency and getting as much information as possible about children and parents. She stresses the importance of visits, both for the children and their families.

Close Window