A Foster and Adoptive Parent Recruitment Campaign

A little girl, abused by her family, is provided protection by the Children & Family Services Bureau. As time passes, family reunification fails, and the child is placed for adoption. In Contra Costa County, we have seen a decline in the number of licensed foster homes and an increase in the number of children needing permanent families. Additionally, we are seeking families for our Concurrent Planning Program (Foster-Adopt), so that while we are working with the biological family toward reunification, we have in place a back-up plan for permanency. Finding sufficient numbers of homes for foster and adoptive children who have been abused, neglected or abandoned by their natural parents is a common problem for counties across the nation.

The “Kids like Maria…” campaign recruited desperately needed adoptive and foster homes for children in Contra Costa County. An increase in adoptive homes were needed to meet the Governor’s adoption initiatives which provided targets for each California county to meet. Foster families were in short supply, due to retirement and people moving from the area.

Taking a proactive approach, the Employment & Human Services Department designed dramatic bus shelter posters and billboards to reach prospective families countywide. The advertising space was donated by a transit company. The artwork from the campaign was also used to produce 50,000 bookmarks which were distributed at 23 County libraries. This campaign resulted in a 40% increase in adoption placements and a 9% increase in the number of new foster homes in our County. The Department received a positive Grand Jury Report (No. 9709), recognizing our efforts in the placement of children needing permanent homes.

The Program Description

An outdoor advertising company, which contracts with the County, has an agreement to donate bus shelter advertising space to County departments. The Employment & Human Services Department took advantage of this unique opportunity, and our adoptive and foster parent recruitment campaign was launched. The 4’ x 6’ posters feature a Hispanic child with the headline, “Kids like Maria need families”.

In the first month, bus shelter posters were installed at five locations in the County. A local newspaper, attracted by this nontraditional approach to a social service need, wrote a feature story on the campaign. Within the first five days of the campaign, the Department received 74 phone calls from people wanting to know more about foster care and adoption opportunities.

In the second month, the transit company, impressed by the response to the bus shelter campaign, donated five 10’ 5” x 22’ 8” billboards to the “Kids like Maria…” campaign. These boards featured five ethnically diverse children, including Maria, two African Americans, a Caucasian and an Eastern Indian. The headline read: “Kids like these need families like yours.”

In month three, 23 libraries in the County agreed to participate in our recruitment campaign, and we installed the 4’ x 6’ “Kids like Maria…” posters in each facility. Additionally, we created bookmarks featuring the five children from the billboard campaign. Librarians inserted them into books as they were being checked out.

The Cost

Assembly Bill 2129 provides funds to recruit foster and adoptive parents. The printing for posters for bus shelters, billboards and libraries cost $ 1,680. The bus shelter space and billboard space were provided at no charge. All campaign concepts and designs and artwork were done in house.

We printed 50,000 bookmarks at a cost of $1,600. The models were children of Social Service Department staff. We had their pictures on file from a previous project, thus incurring no new photography fees.

Total campaign cost was $3,280.

The Results

Prior to the “Kids like Maria…” campaign, the Employment & Human Services Department averaged between 12 and 15 people coming to initial Foster/Adopt orientations. That number rose during the campaign to 20 to 30 people. We have realized a 40% increase in adoption placements. Applications by potential new foster parents have tripled. For the first time in two years, foster parent licensing has shown an increase, that of 9%.

We continue to get several calls each week resulting from the library bookmarks. These bookmarks are also being used as handouts at the Social Service Department booths at various County festivals and community forums throughout the year.

The local newspaper, noting the above interest, now does feature stories on children freed for adoption including sibling groups, the adoption of disabled children, single parent adoption and foster parenting.

Now, more children who were once in foster care—supported by taxpayer dollars—are being placed into loving adoptive homes. Children who must be removed from their biological homes have safe foster homes in which to live. And the general public benefits from learning how they can become involved in the well being of abused children, as well as knowing that their tax dollars are being well spent.

AWARDS

The “Kids like Maria…” campaign has won:

	The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) Challenge Award
	A CAPIO (California Association of Public Information Officers) Honoring Excellence in Communications, First Place: Special Event or Campaign
	National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Award “for an innovative program which contributes to and enhances county government in the United States.”