NC’s New Diligent Recruitment and Retention Plan

Goals for this Presentation

•How did we get here?

•NC’s new diligent recruitment and retention plan

•Describe the plan’s concrete implications and requirements for county child welfare agencies and private child-placing agencies

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Why this new plan? Why now?

Direct result of the 2015 Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) results and is a strategy within the Program Improvement Plan (PIP).

PIP Goal: Strengthen cross-system service provision to improve safety, permanency,

and well-being outcomes for children and families.

Strategy: Strengthen and reframe the statewide foster and adoptive parent diligent

recruitment plan to support the recruitment of families who meet the needs of the children they serve and who reflect the ethnic and racial

diversity of children served by the Foster Care Program.

4 concrete activities outlining actionable steps in this process.

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How was the plan developed?

• Technical assistance from the National Resource Center for Diligent Recruitment (NRCDR)

• PIP Workgroup

• 3 regional stakeholder meetings with over 200 participants

• Developed by workgroup based on compilation of notes and ideas from stakeholder meetings

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What do we envision for the future of diligent recruitment and

retention in NC?

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Beliefs

• Value all prospective, current, and former foster and

adoptive parents

• Value all caregivers and encourage the licensure of

kinship placements whenever possible

• Provide and value opportunities for support,

engagement, and training of resource families

• An obligation to build our capacity to use data to inform

diligent recruitment and retention of foster and adoptive

families

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Vision is to increase . . . .

• Engagement in technical assistance, information sharing, and collaboration

• Customer service approach

• Involvement of foster and adoptive families and youth in the process

• Data driven recruitment and retention

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How will we get there?

• The new Diligent Recruitment and Retention Plan

• Concrete goals for statewide achievement, consistency, and structure

• Tools and resources to assist agencies

• Allowing for localized planning and diligent recruitment and retention effort within each individual County DSS, in partnership with private child-placing agency partners

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NC’s New Diligent Recruitment and Retention Plan

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What won’t change . . .

• Prospective foster and adoptive parents can be licensed/approved, retained, and supported as foster and/or adoptive parents by either public or private agencies

• NC Division of Social Services – NC Kids Adoption and Foster Care Network continues as a support and resource for recruitment and retention

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New Expectations

• Each county must write a DRR Plan to address their unique needs

• Plan must be updated and submitted annually

• Each county’s plan will also serve as their MEPA Plan

• County template for creation of DRR Plan

• Annual data profile for counties AND private child placing agencies

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DRR Plan Template

• 3 Main Sections • Information gathering

• Plan development process • Plan and measurement

• Reminders • Include stakeholders

• Opportunity for localized development to meet unique needs • Be creative • A living document

• Updated every year

• Private Child Placing Agency Role • Sit at the table and engage as a vital stakeholder • Use the template

• Share private agency DRR Plan

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Statewide Goals

• 4 concrete goals at the state level with strategies and activities attached

• All county strategies and activities must address same 4 goals

1. Recruit and maintain a sufficient pool of ethnically and racially diverse families who can provide ongoing safety for and meet the needs of children served by the foster care program

2. State, counties, and private child-placing agencies have the capacity and ability to use data to inform and monitor diligent recruitment and retention efforts throughout NC

3. Excellent customer service provided to prospective, current, and former foster, adoptive, and kinship families

4. Excellent customer service provided to internal and external community partners/stakeholders

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Deadlines for Completion

In the plan’s first year, the counties have been divided into completion phases:

• Phase 1 Counties – due February 1, 2018

• Phase 2 Counties – due May 1, 2018

• All plans effective July 1, 2018

• Updated annually and due for all counties on September 1 of each year going forward

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Data Profile

• Required of both County DSS’s and Private Child Placing Agencies

• Quarterly tracking

• Annual submission to Division of Social Services

• Annual publication of statewide data

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Data Profile Continued

• Examples of data points:

• Racial and ethnic characteristics of children and families

• Average length of time from initial inquiry to licensure

• Total number of licensed beds

• Total number of truly available beds

• Number of children placed out of county due to lack of available families

• Number of placement disruptions or placement changes

• Optional or additional data points encouraged

• Number of MAPP trainings completed each quarter

• Number of families who opt out and when

• Number of LGBTQ affirming beds

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Resource List

• External resource links

• General resources

• Concrete topics • Customer service

• Data driven recruitment

• Interjurisdictional placements

• Multi-Ethnic Placement Act

• Recruiting for specific populations

• Sample documents • New caller intake form

• Inquiry tracking table

• Exit interview

• Satisfaction survey

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State-Level Diligent Recruitment and Retention Activities

• NC Kids Adoption and Foster Care Network

• Foster Home Licensing

• Statewide Diligent Recruitment and Retention Quarterly Calls (NEW)

• Fosteringnc.org (NEW)

• Fostering Perspectives

• Online orientation for prospective foster parents

• Treat Them Like Gold

• Latino Family Recruitment and Retention Guide

• Permanency Innovations Initiative

• Post Adoption Support Services

• HIV Supplemental Payments

• Special Children Adoption Incentive Funds

• Foster Care 18 to 21 Program

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QUESTIONS?

COMMENTS?

Contact Information

Jamie Bazemore

Program Manager for Adoption Services

NC Division of Social Services – DHHS

Jamie.Bazemore@dhhs.nc.gov

(919)527-6371

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