Foster & Adoptive Family Retention

Keeping in mind that good retention practices often lead to better recruitment outcomes, this section is devoted to practices, services, and supports that increase foster and adoptive family satisfaction, involvement and, ultimately, retention. Two aspects of retention each warrant attention - retention of inquiring families prior to placement and of families post-placement and/or after legalization. Retention is a sustained effort across the foster and adoption process that engages fosterand adoptive parents and empowers them in their participation.

Man and boy sitting on couch. Image from AdoptUsKids/Ad Council PSA.

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Ideas from the Field

Unplanned Transfer Conferences

Sponsor: New Hampshire DCYF

Contact: Gail DeGoosh, 603-271-4711, gdegoosh@dhhs.state.nh.us

Description: In an effort to facilitate open discussion with foster parents, New Hampshire DCYF has a policy on the books for holding "unplanned transfer" conferences. These conferences are called when a placement disruption has occurred in a foster home. They include not only the foster parents, but DCYF staff and team members, to talk about what happened in that situation, what the reasons were behind the move and what could have been done better. Says Gail DeGoosh, New Hampshire's Foster Care Program Manager, of the policy, "Just having the policy has given some peace of mind to foster parents who know they have recourse… When a placement changes, planned or not, sometimes foster parents see it as something they did wrong." These conferences are often a means of retaining foster parents as they feel their voices are heard and they decrease any miscommunication between workers and parents. View a copy of the policy (PDF 15 KB/3 pages).

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