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A call to action…

The route to becoming a foster carer starts with an interaction between a person’s motivation and any opportunity she or he may have to develop this motivation. (Simmonds, 2001). A call to action…. Recruiting foster carers. Wanslea. Belinda Lord Co-ordinator OHC Stephan Lund Manager OHC.

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A call to action…

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  1. The route to becoming a foster carer starts with an interaction between a person’s motivation and any opportunity she or he may have to develop this motivation. (Simmonds, 2001)

  2. A call to action… Recruiting foster carers

  3. Wanslea • Belinda Lord Co-ordinator OHC • Stephan Lund Manager OHC

  4. Wanslea • Medium sized community agency • Perth, Western Australia • Since 1943 • Program areas: • Foster care, leaving care • Family enhancement and preservation • Child care • Community development

  5. Research snapshot • Carers are seeking familial relationships with children (Riggs, Delfabbro, Augoustinos, 2009) • Community awareness raising is critical (Delfabbro, Borgas, Vast, Osborn, 2008) • Recruitment strategies that worked best included: • local campaigns; • consistently high local profile; • using young people; and • building relationships with community groups. (Higgins, 2007) • Broad-based media strategies are excellent for awareness-raising and creating an initial interest in fostering, but are less successful in the conversion of inquiries into actual carers. • One of the best recruitment strategies is the use of current and experienced carers to recruit by word-of-mouth. • Recruitment is an extremely time-consuming activity (Osborn, Panozzo, Richardson, Bromfield, 2007)

  6. Where we started from • Ad hoc approach to recruitment • Methods used prior to this strategy: • Community newspaper ads • Joint recruitment strategy • Word of mouth

  7. What we are doing now • New business plan for recruitment in 2009 • Recruitment sub-committee formed • Looking at innovative, different strategies to increase number of foster carers • Establishing interest in Wanslea • Engaging stakeholders and the public

  8. Other strategies used • Weekly ads in Community Newspapers • Bi-monthly information evenings • Radio interviews • Media releases • Stalls at shopping centres • Posters at community centres, libraries, medical centres, police • Mail out to schools, churches • Find a foster family incentive

  9. Other strategies used • Wanslea website • Foster care micro site • Posters designed and printed for free • Foster care ambassadors and patron • Magazine stories • Letters to politicians (planned) • Volunteer marketing expert • Digital stories of foster carers (planned) • Combination of strategies has worked

  10. Assemble a good recruitment committee. The agencies which have been most successful in recruiting foster carers have employed staff with specific skills in marketing and advertising.

  11. Time for you to share • Any questions? • What else? • What strategies are you using?

  12. Thank you For more information or to stay in touch: • blord@wanslea.asn.au • slund@wanslea.asn.au www.fosternow.com.au

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