Extreme Recruitment

1
Extreme Recruitment

• Missouris Collaboration to Provide Permanency

2
Collaboration - Who We Are

• Public and private partnership consisting of the
  Missouri Childrens Division staff, Contracted
  Case Management Agencies and Contracted Providers
  of Foster/Adopt Training and Post Permanency
  Support Services in St. Louis region.
• All with a common goal of achieving permanency
  for Missouri children who wait.

3
Demonstrated Need

1082 children identified in the project area age
10 or over and having been in care for 15 months
or more.
4
Intended Outcomes

• The program will serve 150 youth during the grant
  period
• Ensuring a system of supportive adults for at
  least 90 of those youth
• Achieving permanency through adoption or
  guardianship for at least 70 of those youth

5
Consequences of Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

• 355 Missouri youth aged out of the foster care
  system without familial support 27 or 96 of
  these youth from the St. Louis region (FY2007)
• 20,000 youth aged out of the foster care system
  nationally (FY2007)
• 38 experience mental health issues
• 50 become involved in illegal drug use
• 25 become involved with the criminal justice
  system

6
Extreme Services Pathway
Comparison group to receive traditional services

• Workgroup identifies eligibility criteria for
  children who meet threshold (gt15 months in care,
  gt age 10 years) and the group to which this
  criteria applies

Extreme Recruitment Team identifies potential
placement resource
Group is randomized
Study group to receive enhanced services
Referred to extreme recruitment team
Extreme Recruitment team refers potential
placement resource to Training and Support
Services Supervisor
Training and Support Services Supervisor works
with potential resource families to begin
background checks, provide support and refer for
Extreme Education
Criteria are set regarding incoming resource
families
Potential resource families that meet criteria
are referred to Training and Support Services
Supervisor
7
Project Components
Extreme Recruitment
8

• Relatives
• Team-Decision
• Family Finding
• Discovery
• Engagement
• Planning
• Decision-Making

• Foster Parent
• First Placement Best Placement
• Dual-Licensure
• Team-Decision Making

• Child-Specific
• Mobility Mapping
• Teachers
• Coaches
• Parents of Friends

Preparing for
Best Placement
Educational Needs
CHILD
Mental Health
Adult Relationships

• Targeted
• Missouri Compassion
• Fostering Faithful Families

• Courts
• Fostering Court Improvement
• Voices for Children

Physical Health
Peer Relationships

• General Recruitment
• Missouri Foster Adoption Partnership
• AdoptUsKids
• Heart Gallery
• A Place to Call Home

9
Project Components
Extreme Recruitment
Extreme Education, Training, and Supports
10
Placement Occurs
The addition of support services, on-going
relationship with a consistent worker, and the
availability of services following placement and
finalization increases the stability and security
of placements.
11
Inspiration

• I didnt want to be adopted because I thought I
  was too old
• Now that I visit my aunt, I cant wait to be
  adopted by her!
• Carlos, age 15