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National Resource Center for Diligent Recruitment
AdoptUSKids Respite Program
- Year-Two Respite Grantees
- Year-Three Respite Grantees
- Year-Four Respite Grantees
- Year-Five Respite Grantees
Diligent Recruitment Grantees
- Bridge to the Future
- Partners for Forever Families
- Roots & Wings
- Denver's Village
- A Parent for Every Child
- Extreme Recruitment
- Project MATCH
- Permanent Families Recruitment Project
- Permanent Families & Lasting Connections
- Recruitment and Kin Connection Project
- Diligent Recruitment of Families for Children in Foster Care
- I-CARE 365
- Diligent Recruitment and Retention Grant
- Step Up! Diligent Recruitment Project
- Texas Permanency and Family Resource Development Model
Diligent Recruitment Grantees
Recognizing the need to find families, especially those for older youth, who reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of children needing permanency, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau awarded eight cooperative agreements in 2008 and seven in 2010 through the Adoption Opportunities program. Each of the diligent recruitment projects is funded for a period of five years. The Children’s Bureau has ongoing, direct involvement with each project, both individually and as two (2008 and 2010) clusters, and AdoptUSKids provides support and technical assistance to them.
Child welfare agencies can benefit from these early lessons learned and gain new ideas to:
- Improve Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSR) outcomes
- Enhance and enrich recruitment efforts, including those related to the Multiethnic Placement Act (MEPA)
For more information about the requirements for diligent recruitment projects, read the full 2008 funding opportunity agreement and the 2010 funding opportunity agreement. Additional information about the children in foster care can be found in the most recent adoption and foster care statistics from the Children's Bureau.
Bridge to the Future
The Bridge to the Future (2008) project is administered by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. The project aims to improve outcomes for children by developing innovative, comprehensive strategies for the recruitment and retention of resource families in the State.
Partners for Forever Families
Partners for Forever Families (2008) is administered by Cuyahoga County Department of Children in Ohio. The project promotes permanency for older youth in care, siblings who need to be together, and the support of kinship families who are permanency resources for youth in care.
Roots & Wings
The Roots & Wings (2008) initiative is administered by the County of Santa Cruz in California. The project creates opportunities for children to develop strong roots in families and communities.
Denver's Village
Denver's Village (2008) is administered by the City and County of Denver in Colorado. The project has built a diligent recruitment program to improve the safety, permanency, and well-being of children through community-based recruitment teams.
A Parent for Every Child
A Parent for Every Child (2008) is administered by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. The project is a randomized study on efforts to provide permanency through kinship care, adoption, guardianship, or other committed contracts.
Extreme Recruitment
Extreme Recruitment (2008) is administered by the Missouri Department of Social Services and is an innovative recruitment program aimed at improving permanency outcomes for children in custody in St. Louis, Missouri, and surrounding counties.
Project MATCH
Project MATCH (Making Appropriate and Timely connections for CHildren) (2008) is administered by the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services. The project is aimed at finding permanency for children in Kentucky’s foster care system.
Permanent Families Recruitment Project
The Permanent Families Recruitment Project (2008) is administered by the Ramsey County Community Human Services Department in Minnesota. The project is aimed at increasing permanency for children by increasing the number of foster and adoptive homes in their county.
Permanent Families & Lasting Connections
Permanent Families & Lasting Connections (2010) is administered by the Clark County Department of Family Services in Nevada. The project aims to increase the number of qualified resource families to meet the specific needs of children and youth in care.
Recruitment and Kin Connection Project
The Recruitment and Kin Connection Project (2010) is administered by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. The project aims to improve permanency outcomes for children in the State, facilitate concurrent planning activities, and improve system response.
Diligent Recruitment of Families for Children in Foster Care
Diligent Recruitment of Families for Children in the Foster Care System (2010) is administered by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. The project aims to increase permanency outcomes for African American, Latino, LGBTQ, and probation and deaf youth.]
I-CARE 365
I-CARE 365 (2010) is administered by the Michigan State Department of Human Services. The project aims to promote safety, permanency, and well-being for Michigan’s children and increase positive permanency outcomes for children.
Diligent Recruitment and Retention Grant
The Diligent Recruitment and Retention Grant (2010) is administered by the Mississippi Department of Human Services. The project aims to develop statewide initiatives to increase the number and variety of resource homes available to children in care.
Step Up! Diligent Recruitment Project
Step Up! Diligent Recruitment Project (2010) is administered by the New Mexico state government. The project aims to improve permanency planning options and outcomes for children, expand concurrent planning, and develop a customer service model.
Texas Permanency and Family Resource Development Model
The Texas Permanency and Family Resource Development Model (2010) is administered by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. The project aims to eliminate barriers to permanency for Texas children in foster care through systems change.
Free Recruitment and Retention Resources
Use our free resources to strengthen your outreach for finding foster and adoptive families, facilitating interjurisdictional placements, and enhancing your agency’s overall customer service.
