Hard-to-Find Homes

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All young people need the love and unconditional acceptance. Children need to be part of a family. They need loving adults to care for them and guide them through life. They must have a safe place to live and all the necessities life requires.

— Family Builders

Contents

Many agencies experience ongoing challenges in finding homes for older youth, sibling groups, children with behavioral or medical needs, and youth who identify as LGBTQ. The overall approach for recruiting hard-to-find homes may involve:

• Searching for and engaging kin at multiple stages throughout a case
• Input from families that previously have cared for these children and youth
• Case file mining for children needing foster/adoptive homes
• Outreach assistance from older youth who are or have previously been in care
• Recruitment materials that reflect the need for certain types of homes

The majority of your efforts should employ targeted and child-specific recruitment strategies.

Recruiting for older youth

Until recently, certain myths have interfered with recruitment efforts for homes for older youth, such as "people don't want to adopt teens," "teens don't want to be adopted," or "placements of teens are unsuccessful" (Louisell, n.d.). When agency staff are not convinced of the eventual adoptability of a child in their care, this skepticism translates into reduced recruitment efforts on behalf of the child (Avery, 2000).

Such beliefs are being overturned, however, by innovative child welfare practitioners. Now, the approach to finding homes for older youth is "unadoptable is unacceptable." It is also hoped that, as child welfare agencies build their capabilities to find permanent homes for younger children, the pool of older children needing homes will shrink.

A common myth is that teens in foster care have difficult behaviors, yet in reality most youth in foster care simply exhibit typical adolescent behaviors, not any more difficult than other teens. When recruiting homes for teens, it is key to normalize those behaviors for prospective foster parents. And for teens that are struggling, it is important to provide supports to kinship and foster parents to help them navigate challenging behaviors.

(See Appendix 6-1: Thirteen Reasons to Adopt a Teen, from ADoptUSkids 13 reasons to adopt a teen.)

Recruiting homes for teens requires a child-centered approach. Older youth often have much of the information necessary to find a placement, as well as an emerging sense of their own destiny and capabilities. This contributes to achieving a successful placement in a foster or adoptive home, legal guardianship, or with a relative.

Promising practices include:

• Asking youth earlier and more often who matters most in their lives, before those connections dissolve
• Using eco-maps and genograms to identify connections and ways to maintain sibling groups and find older youth placements
• Engaging residential facilities to identify who is visiting the youth, who the youth is contacting, and who the youth is talking about (North Carolina Division of Social Services, 2009)

Explore connections

Teens in foster care usually have emotional attachments to others. They may have created their own "families of choice." These families may consist of friends, parents of friends, current and/or former foster parents, teachers, coaches, cottage parents, maintenance staff, relatives, older siblings or friends who are now adults, neighbors, church members, Attorneys for Children, social workers, employers, counselors, etc. Ask youth to help explore these connections. There are often more than a dozen people currently in the youth's life circle that could be approached about offering a home to the youth.

(See Appendix 6-2:Appendix 6-2: Asking the Right Questions of Youth.)

Recruiting any hard-to-find home involves persistence on the part of the child welfare agency. The need for homes for teens should be communicated throughout the recruitment and certification milestones, for example:

• Including photos that depict older youth and text that spells out the need for foster homes for older youth in both general and targeted recruitment materials (posters, brochures and websites)
• Explaining the need to prospective families during their first inquiry
• Highlighting the need in first mailings to prospective foster/adoptive parents, and during information and orientation sessions
• Continuing to explain the need for homes for older youth during pre-service training and home-study sessions, and once again during placement conversations

In essence, everyone across the agency should see recruitment as their business and should keep older youth in mind.

Re-recruit among current foster/adoptive families

Raise awareness among your current foster/adoptive parents about the need for homes that will accept youth and older children by:

• Offering in-service training topics that will familiarize foster parents with teens and give them a chance to practice the skills needed to parent teens
• Including a panel made of teens currently in care at an upcoming in-service training to help parents overcome the "fear factor" and to begin successfully parenting teens
• Providing opportunities for already-certified families to provide respite care or to mentor teens to ease families into welcoming older youth
• Continuing to spell out the need for homes for teens in every communication with foster/adoptive parents; some parents may have never been directly asked, and yet would be open to accepting older youth (North Carolina Division of Social Services, 2009)

Utilize child-focused recruitment

A child-centered approach to finding homes for teens may include child-focused recruitment methods, such as those used by Wendy's Wonderful Kids (WWK). WWK employs an intensive and exhaustive search for placement resources. An evaluation of WWK found that older children served by the program were three times more likely to be adopted (Malm, 2011). Child-focused recruitment models involve youth in the process of identifying successful placements (see Child-Focused Recruitment).

Engage community groups that work with teens

Targeted recruitment techniques are also well-fitted to recruiting homes for older youth. Focusing recruitment activities with groups that have experience with teens maximizes the chance that efforts will pay off. Such groups might include high school teachers, mental health professionals, or empty nesters. Engaging older youth and/or the families who care for them in recruitment and retention efforts can be a powerful method to find new families welcoming of teens, as well as persuading experienced foster/adoptive parents to explore caring for teens. For example, invite an older youth or his family to present at pre-service or in-service trainings (Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2012).

Once a foster/adoptive family welcomes a teen into the home, agency support is imperative. Staff should provide the family up front with as much information as possible about the teen's strengths and challenges, be available to support the family with practical support when questions or concerns arise, and provide connections with other families caring for older youth. It is also important to provide extra training to families on managing behaviors common with teens.

(See Appendix 6-3: Going Beyond Recruitment for 11 to 17 Year Olds.)

Recruiting for sibling groups

Keeping sibling groups together in foster/adoptive placements is now well-recognized as best practice. Brothers and sisters need each other to thrive. Children's loss and trauma are reduced and they experience better outcomes when they are placed with their siblings. Siblings may well provide the longest-standing relationships people have throughout their lifetimes, and an important source of emotional support for children in foster care (Cohn, 2012). In New York State, siblings may only be separated if placing them together is contrary to the safety, health, or welfare of one or more of the children.

Recently enacted New York State law states that it is presumed to be in a child's best interest to be placed with his/her siblings or half-siblings [Family Court Act 1089 §(d)(2)(viii)(I)]. To separate siblings, agencies must be able to demonstrate to the court that placement or visitation with siblings is not in the child's best interests or impracticable geographically. This supports the principle that, barring a real and relevant reason, siblings should be placed together. This also benefits the larger community because youth who exit foster care with family connections are more likely to grow into adulthood with greater stability. As stated in the memo accompanying the legislation, "it cannot be overemphasized that the maintenance of relationships with their siblings may be a vital lifeline."

Children in foster care have already endured painful loss and trauma from abuse, neglect and separation from their parents. Efforts to prevent them from also losing their brothers and sisters is a crucial priority for child welfare agencies, deserving attention equal to that given to meeting children's other needs, such as opportunities to heal from trauma. The importance of keeping siblings together is also addressed in federal law by the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008.

Pursue kinship placements

Recruitment of homes for sibling groups (or any child entering foster care) means seeking kinship placements first. Research shows that siblings placed with kin are more likely to be placed together, and that even if siblings are placed with separate kin, they are more likely to stay connected (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2013). Adult siblings also may be placement options, provided that they can adequately care for younger siblings, with supports similar to those provided for foster and adoptive parents. See Chapter 3 for more information on developing kinship homes. When relatives are not available to care for sibling groups, or cannot care for them safely, care by non-relatives is the next choice.

Recruiting non-relative homes for sibling groups can be a challenge for many agencies. However, finding homes for sibling groups may be easier than is commonly thought and may require breaking down some myths. Building a pool of families able to care for sibling groups involves these agency-wide principles:

Belief:

infusing the philosophy and advantages of keeping siblings together throughout child welfare agencies.

Mindset:

an attitude of abundance of prospective families.

Persistence:

integrating the need for families for siblings throughout all contacts with prospective families. As foster/adoptive families are recruited, it is important to explore with them their ability to accept sibling groups (National Resource for Diligent Recruitment, n.d.).

(See Appendix 6-4: Recruitment and Retention of Kinship, Foster, and Adoptive Families and Appendix 6-5: 10 Realities of Sibling Adoption.)

Keep sibling groups in the spotlight

Attracting foster/adoptive families for sibling groups starts with implementing customer-friendly practices across the entire agency. An agency's interaction with a prospective family needs to be engaging and welcoming, communicating that families are valuable partners. With this foundation of respect, the agency can encourage prospective foster/adoptive parents to consider sibling groups. All agency staff should be prepared to describe the need for homes for siblings, the size of sibling groups in need of placement, their age ranges, etc. Information shared in orientation and pre-service training should highlight the importance of sibling relationships and the need for homes for sibling groups.

Several milestones in the certification process present opportunities to recruit and equip families to care for sibling groups:

• Mailings that go out to families include profiles of sibling groups awaiting placement.
• Pre-service trainings emphasize the need to keep sibling groups together. If parent panels are used, they include a family that has fostered or adopted a sibling group.
• Agency staff talk about sibling groups in a positive way and remind parents of the need for homes for sibling groups (Kupecky, 2001).

(See Appendix 6-6: Sibling-Friendly Agencies and Practices Keep Children Together.)

Use child-specific recruitment methods

Some recruitment of foster/adoptive homes for siblings, especially larger sibling groups, may come down to specific recruitment for specific situations. One expert notes, "No one wakes up one morning, calls an agency, and says 'Do you have a sibling group of four children that includes three boys, ages 8-14?' " (Kupecky, 2001). In some instances, recruitment of a home may require methods similar to those used in child-specific recruitment, resulting in a specific plan for that situation.

Train and reward foster families for sibling placements

The Neighbor to Family program developed by the Jane Addams Hull House Association in Chicago is a child-centered, family-focused foster care model. It is designed to keep sibling groups, including large sibling groups, together in stable foster care placements while working intensively on reunification or permanency plans that keep the siblings together. The program uses a community-based, team-oriented approach, including foster caregivers and birth parents as part of the treatment team.

Trained and supported foster caregivers are key to the model's success. Neighbor to Family professionalized this key role by placing these trained foster caregivers on the payroll with salaries and benefits. Foster families, birth families, and children receive comprehensive and intensive services including individualized case management, advocacy, and clinical services on a weekly basis. See the Neighbor to Family Sibling Foster Care Model for a more detailed description of the program.

Provide support and resources for families

Successful recruitment and retention of homes for sibling groups requires building support systems for parents, including material and financial resources, and policies and procedures that make it easier for families to care for sibling groups. Some agencies have designated certain foster homes for large sibling groups, and offered incentives to hold them open for placements. Families caring for sibling groups need the "plus" version of the usual supportive services, such as respite. Ask families what they specifically need and respond effectively. These needs may include:

• Logistical support, such as transportation
• Assistance with tasks such as school registration
• Day care
• Additional material resources, such as household items

Community members and businesses can be asked to help support foster/adoptive families by donating or reducing the cost of items such as vans and bunk beds.

Agencies and local districts are instrumental in building support systems for these unique and valued families. Support groups of new and experienced foster parents allow foster/adoptive families to share and learn from each other. Families who have fostered or adopted sibling groups can act as mentors to newer families, as well as recruiters of prospective families (National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections).

(See Appendix 6-7: Engaging, Developing, and Supporting Prospective Families for Sibling Groups.)

Solve issues related to space

Finding housing with enough room for all the siblings to stay can be a concern. However, creative solutions can be found for space issues. For example, New York State amended its regulations to allow flexibility in sleeping arrangements for foster homes with sibling groups, specifying that siblings of the opposite sex over age seven may share bedrooms, and that over three children may share a bedroom if necessary to keep siblings together. Both exceptions must be consistent with the health, safety, and welfare of each sibling (New York State Office of Children and Family Services, 2010b).

Maintaining sibling connections

When it is not possible to place siblings together, there are other ways to keep siblings connected. Persistence and commitment from caseworkers and foster/adoptive parents are critical to sustain these key connections. Specific strategies include: placing siblings in the same neighborhood or school district, arranging regular visits, encouraging other forms of contact (e.g., texts, social media, phone calls), planning joint outings, camp experiences or respite care, and helping children work through the emotional toll of being separated from siblings.

Recruiting for LGBTQ youth

LGBTQ youth are overrepresented in the foster care system, and are more likely than other foster youth to be placed in group homes and other residential care facilities. Many have been the victims of violence and most have been the victims of verbal abuse. Between 25% and 40% of homeless and runaway youth identify as LGBTQ. They are at a higher risk of substance abuse than other youth in foster care (Family Builders, 2014).

In addition, LGBTQ youth are four times more likely, and questioning youth are three times more likely, to attempt suicide than their straight peers (The Trevor Project, n.d.). Children who are identifying as LGBTQ want homes where they feel accepted and safe to be themselves. Recruiting LGBTQ-affirming foster/adoptive homes serves that need. The recruitment effort has a two-pronged approach:

• All youth, including those who have already been placed in foster homes, will explore their sexuality as part of their normal adolescent development. For this reason, all foster/adoptive parents should be prepared to care for and support LGBTQ youth.
• Targeted recruitment efforts should include outreach to LGBTQ communities, which may be more likely to foster LGBTQ youth than other communities.

Prepare all families to foster LGBTQ youth

The need for homes for LGBTQ youth must be clearly articulated from the start of engagement and throughout the process. Reminding all prospective foster/adoptive parents of the critical needs of this population allows them to be actively involved in solving the problem.

Create training and learning workshops for prospective parents to challenge their own biases and to practice affirming language that will help them support all young people through their sexual discovery, no matter the outcome. It also strengthens the parenting skills of the foster/adoptive parent and gives LGBTQ children in care a safer space to grow.

Prospective parents must be emotionally prepared for the many facets of sexual and gender identity exploration that any child may present, and should receive continued support throughout the foster/adoptive parenting process. Agencies can engage current foster/adoptive parents and LGBTQ youth in care to help illuminate what it is like to foster, adopt and to be fostered and/or adopted.

Engage the LGBTQ community

Recruitment of LGBTQ adults should be a natural extension of an agency's existing recruitment practices so that prospective LGBTQ foster/adoptive parents are not isolated or treated as a separate population, but rather are recognized as an additional community that your agency seeks to actively engage. As with any new effort to reach out to a community that has not been previously engaged, it is important to think about how to work in culturally competent, effective, and respectful ways. See Chapter 4 for targeted recruitment strategies for the LGBTQ community.

Although LGBTQ adults have been historically discouraged from fostering or adopting, changes in legislation and policy over the past 10 years in some states reflect a more open attitude towards them as parents. New York State law prohibits discrimination in adoption based on sexual orientation, as do five other states. New York State's recently issued Bill of Rights for Children and Youth in Foster Care includes the statement, "[I have the right] to be treated fairly and with respect and to receive care and services that are free of discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, age, religion, sex, gender identity or gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disability, or the fact that I am in foster care (New York State Office of Children and Family Services, 2014)."

Recruiting for children with special needs

Finding homes for children with special needs (those with exceptional physical, emotional, developmental or health care needs) requires understanding each child holistically: his/her interests, hobbies, connection to siblings, and experiences with trauma, etc. Although a child may have complex medical, developmental, or mental health needs, the goal is the same as for any other child: to reach positive outcomes for the child and family and to achieve a successful, permanent in-home living situation.

Effective recruitment strategies may include:

• Plan a targeted recruitment campaign, including materials that reflect the need for homes for children with special needs, with a realistic vision to recruit foster/adoptive families appropriate to care for these children.
• Contact and engage medical societies, nurses associations, community medical providers, and other organizations for healthcare professionals.
• Pediatricians may be helpful in identifying prospective families: those already caring for a child with special health care needs, foster parents of typically developing children, and parents who work in health care fields (Johnson, 2005).
• Use your website as a vehicle to emphasize recruitment for families to serve children with special needs.

Promote availability of support systems

Like most states, New York provides enhanced board and care rates for foster/adoptive families that are caring for children with special needs.

Foster families may qualify for a Special Rate if they are caring for a child with a pronounced physical condition that requires a high degree of physical care; a child that has been diagnosed as moderately developmentally disabled, emotionally disturbed, or with a behavior disorder requiring a high degree of supervision; or a child that entered foster care directly from inpatient hospital care within the past year.

Foster families may qualify for an Exceptional Rate if a physician certifies that a foster child requires around-the-clock care by a healthcare professional; has severe behavior problems involving violence, severe mental illness, severe developmental disabilities, brain damage, or autism; or has been diagnosed as having AIDS or HIV-related illness. (New York State Office of Children and Family Services, 2010c).

Provide ongoing support for families

Families need assurance that the agency is with them every step of the way, providing available and responsive help around the clock. An involved multidisciplinary team is critically important to reaching positive outcomes. Working alongside foster parents, a team may be made up of caseworkers, social workers, behavior specialists, medical, mental health and recreational staff. Connecting to other foster/adoptive families caring for children with complex needs strengthens foster/adoptive families.

Additional Resources

• Keep Siblings Together: Finding qualified homes for siblings might be easier than you think. Data and resources on keeping siblings together, with links to the AdoptUSKids photolisting. (www.adoptuskids.org/for-professionals/sibling-infographic)
• Sibling Issues in Foster Care and Adoption. Explores research, intervention strategies, and resources to assist professionals in preserving connections among siblings when one or more are adopted or in foster care (Child Welfare Information Gateway). (www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/siblingissues/)
• My Brother, My Sister. Sibling relations in adoption and foster care, a six-hour training consisting of trainer's notes, activities, PowerPoint slides and a video published by the Attachment and Bonding Center of Ohio, 12608 State Road, Suite 1, North Royalton, OH 44133.

Practice Models

• Neighbor to Family Sibling Foster Care Model

Appendices

• Appendix 6-1: Thirteen Reasons to Adopt a Teen
• Appendix 6-2: Asking the Right Questions of Youth
• Appendix 6-3: Going Beyond Recruitment for 11 to 17 Year Olds
• Appendix 6-4: Recruitment and Retention of Kinship, Foster, and Adoptive Families for Siblings
• Appendix 6-5: 10 Realities of Sibling Adoption
• Appendix 6-6: Sibling-Friendly Agencies and Practices Keep Children Together
• Appendix 6-7: Engaging, Developing, and Supporting Prospective Families for Sibling Groups

References

• Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2012). Building Successful Resource Families Practice Guide: A Guide for Public Agencies. Baltimore, MD: Annie E. Casey Foundation.
• Avery, R. (2000). Perceptions and practice: Agency efforts for the hardest-to-place children. Children and Youth Services Review, 22(6), 399-420.
• Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Sibling Issues in Foster Care and Adoption. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.
• Cohn, M. (2012). Sibling Placement: The Importance of Sibling Relationships for Children in Foster Care. New York: National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections, Hunter College School of Social Work.
• Family Builders. (n.d.). Pride and Joy. Retrieved May 28, 2018 from www.familybuilders.org/programs/pride-and-joy.html
• Human Rights Campaign. (n.d.). All Children – All Families: About the Project. Retrieved May 28, 2018, from www.hrc.org/resources/all-children-all-families-about-the-initiative
• Johnson, C. K. (2005, Feb.). Helping families raise children with special health care needs at home. Pediatrics, 115(2), 507-11.
• Kupecky, R. (2001). Sibling-Friendly Agencies and Practices Keep Children Together. Recruiting News.
• Louisell, M. (n.d.). Six Steps to Find a Family: A Practice Guide to Family Search and Engagement. New York: National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning, Hunter College School of Social Work.
• Malm, K., Vandivere, S., Allen, T., DeVooght, K., Ellis, R., McKlindon, A., Smollar, J., Williams, E. and Zinn, A. (2011). Evaluation Report Summary: The Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Initiative. Washington, DC: Child Trends.
• National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections. (n.d.). Working With Siblings in Foster Care: A Web-based NCCWE Toolkit. Retrieved May 30, 2018, from www.nccwe.org/toolkits/siblings/index.html
• National Resource for Diligent Recruitment. (n.d.). Practice Principles for the Recruitment and Retention of Kinship, Foster, and Adoptive Families for Siblings. Washington DC: AdoptUSKids.
• New York State Office of Children and Family Services. (2010a). B2H Bridges to Health Home and Community-Based Services Medicaid Waiver Program. Retrieved May 28, 2018, from Pub. 5095
• New York State Office of Children and Family Services. (2010b). Flexibility in Sleeping Arrangement Requirements for Sibling Foster Care Placements: 10-0CFS-INF-07. Rensselaer, NY: OCFS.
• New York State Office of Children and Family Services. (2010c). Foster Parent Manual. Rensselaer, NY: OCFS.
• New York State Office of Children and Family Services. (2014). Bill of Rights for Children and Youth in Foster Care. Rensselaer, NY: OCFS.
• North Carolina Division of Social Services. (2009). Treat Them Like Gold: Best Practice Guide to Partnering with Resource Families. Raleigh, N.C.: North Carolina DSS.
• Ulster County Department of Social Services. (n.d.) How to Become a Foster Parent. Retrieved May 28, 2018, from ulstercountyny.gov/social-services/how-become-foster-parent
• You Gotta Believe (n.d.) Resources for Professionals. Retrieved May 28, 2018, from http://yougottabelieve.org/our-services/resources-for-professionals-2/