Extreme Recruitment®
Intended Audience
- Child Welfare Workers
- Child Welfare Supervisors
- Social Services Non-child Welfare
Targeted Age Group(s)
- 10-12
- 13-17
QIC-EY Engagement Model Components (i) The engagement model components were identified through the QIC-EY Environmental Scan as critical to the support of youth engagement in the attainment of permanence.
- Engage Specialized Staff
- Prioritize Legal, Relational and Cultural Permanence
Description
Extreme Recruitment® is a program developed by the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition with a goal to find an adoptive home for a child in a fraction of the time it normally would take. The program works exclusively with the hardest-to-place children in foster care (ages 10-18, sibling groups, children of minority status, children with elevated needs, etc.), but it can be successful for any child in foster care. This program is supported by research and is being replicated in more than 20 other agencies around the United States. The goals of the program are to reconnect 85% of the youth served with relatives and to identify a permanency resource for 70% of the youth served.
Extreme Recruitment® requires intensive, weekly meetings between a youth’s professional team members for 12-20 weeks. The program focuses on preparing the youth for adoption, including addressing mental health and educational needs. It exhausts all forms of adoption recruitment and provides continued follow-up until permanency is achieved. A unique component of Extreme Recruitment® is the use of a private investigator, which has increased significantly the ability to locate relatives of children in care. During the weekly meetings, the team develops action plans to address adoption recruitment activities, family finding and preparing the youth for adoption by addressing current and foreseeable needs.
Implementation Considerations
To implement this program, an agency would require the necessary meeting space to accommodate a team of professionals for a child in foster care. Personnel requirements would include at least one extreme recruiter and at least one investigator as well as the appropriate supervisory support. Access to the Internet to conduct online searches for family members is required. Both the investigator and the extreme recruiter would need to be capable of driving to the homes of relatives of children in foster care. General Microsoft Office programs also are necessary. GenoPro software is utilized to compile genograms for each case. Each employee requires a dedicated work space with a computer, a phone and a laptop that can be used in the field.
PREREQUISITE/MINIMUM PROVIDER QUALIFICATIONS
Extreme recruiters should have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in social work or a related field as well as demonstrated experience working with interdisciplinary teams utilizing innovative strategies to overcome obstacles. Direct experience in the child welfare field with a basic knowledge of foster care and adoption is necessary.
Investigators should have completed police academy training or have obtained an Associate’s degree in a related field. They should have law enforcement or related investigative experience and a history of demonstrated experience using a variety of investigative tools and interview techniques to locate and to engage individuals. A basic knowledge of the child welfare system is desirable.
Supervisors are required to have a Master’s degree in social work or a related field. They should have direct experience working in foster care and adoption plus a history of working with interdisciplinary teams.
This model requires high fidelity with an audit conducted by the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition.
