Include placement and recruitment teams in regular case planning meetings

About this recommendation

Recruitment teams can do their best work if they understand the current needs and characteristics of youth in care. Without this context, they may recruit families who do not best match the needs of youth in care. Including recruitment and placement workers in all of your routine planning meetings can help ensure that recruiters focus on the most needed families.

How to do this

• Hold monthly meetings to review youth who do not currently have placements or who have non-ideal placements (e.g. placed far away from their family of origin). Include case workers, placement workers, and recruiters. Ideally, include private agency representatives as well.
• Include placement and recruitment team members in your regular planning meetings.
• Provide additional ways for placement workers to communicate with case workers to ask questions and learn more about the current needs of youth in care.

Anticipated costs and benefits

Who's doing this

3 of 54 states and territories have implemented this recommendation.

• In Frederick County, MD, case workers and placement workers sit side by side. This creates an environment of collaboration where all team members can work together to recruit potential families or match children to families that can best meet their needs.
• Hawaii holds monthly calls to review its list of children who need placements. These meetings include case workers, shelter representatives, administrators, and recruiters.
• Washington, D.C. meets every other week with placement and recruitment teams to discuss and plan for emerging needs and trends.