CFSP 5 Year Plan - RI Department of Children, Youth & Families

MULTI-ETHNIC PLACEMENT ACT (MEPA)
Foster Parent Recruitment
June 2009 Report
I. A description of the characteristics of waiting children.
Demographic information (as of 6/1/09) indicates that there are 8028 children active with DCYF. Of
these, 61% are White; 20% are African American; 2% are Asian; 1% is American Indian; 9% are of
Unknown race and 7% are Multiracial). 22% of the active children are listed as Hispanic.
Of the 1375 children residing in foster care placements (relative, non-relative, and private agency
specialized foster care) 67% are White; 16% are African American; 2% are Asian; .5% are American
Indian; 10% are multi-racial and 4 % are “unknown”. 23% of the children in foster home placements
are of Hispanic heritage.
II. Specific strategies to reach all parts of the community.
The goal of foster parent recruitment is to ensure that sufficient numbers of qualified foster
families are available to meet the needs of the Department and the children it serves and to allow
for careful matching and planned placements which meet the best interests of every child in need
of foster care. As approximately 80% of all DCYF children who are adopted are adopted by their
foster parents, it is critical that initial foster placements be conducted with consideration to a
child’s long term needs.
This overview focuses upon the recruitment of generic foster homes. Kinship and child specific
placements originate with the child’s primary social worker and are handled through a different
process.
Most tasks have been achieved and are ongoing. The Department continues to contract with the Urban
League of Rhode Island to recruit, conduct home studies, and provide pre-service training for foster
and adoptive families interested in fostering African American and Latino children. The contract
includes the provision of training and home studies in Spanish for Spanish speaking applicants.
During the first eleven months of FY 2009 (July 1, 2008 – June 15, 2009), numerous foster parent
recruitment activities have taken place. The goal of these activities has been twofold, and has
focused on both the long term process of increasing general public awareness of the role of foster
parents and the licensing process and the immediate need for increasing our available pool of
qualified, culturally sensitive foster parents. Towards these goals, the following activities have
occurred:
• Print Advertising
Our print advertising campaign is aimed at reaching both general and targeted populations of
prospective foster parents, throughout the state, through daily, weekly, monthly, and special
interest publications. During this year, we have advertised in the Providence Journal, Woonsocket
Call, Newport Daily News, Pawtucket Times, Kent County Daily Times, South County
Independent, Northeast Independent, Rhode Island Newspaper Group (17 suburban weekly
R.I. Department of Children, Youth and Families
Title IV-B Child and Family Service Plan – 2010 - 2014
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