How To Bolster Foster Carer Numbers: From Policy To Marketing

The foster system is essential to protect children and young people alike, but without new, dedicated, and passionate foster parents, the entire system is under collapse. Fostering is not easy, nor is it something that many are naturally prepared to do, which is why to increase the number of foster carers there needs to not only be more emphasis on marketing campaigns, but also new policies and pathways designed to draw people in and give them the tools that they need to become a foster guardian.

Councils, foster centers, and the government itself need to do better for the young people in the system. Those vulnerable children need safe, secure families that understand key concepts surrounding child psychology and also trauma care, for those children to transition successfully and safely. These policies and campaigns must be enacted to achieve this world where fostered children have the space and support they need to thrive in their new environments.

Compassion-Focused Marketing

The foster system needs more adults interested in becoming foster parents so that they have a wider pool to choose from when it comes to selecting which homes offer the best security for at-risk children. This is the goal behind many foster care marketing campaigns. To succeed, the campaign needs to connect with the audience on an emotional level, encourage change, and also provide actionable steps. Interest is number one. From there, policy needs to take a step up.

Short-Term Foster Campaigns

Short-term or emergency foster parents are essential, and take up the bulk of foster situations. If a single parent goes to the hospital, for example, and does not have nearby family or friends who can take the child in, then an emergency foster parent is needed. Emergency foster placements give children a safe place while their parent recovers from a medical emergency, deals with the court system, and so on. Since the nature of this setup is different from long-term foster situations, it requires a unique marketing approach best accomplished by an agency experienced in the charity sector.

Long-Term Foster Campaigns

Long-term foster campaigns are harder to achieve, since it requires an ongoing commitment, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not possible. Rather than trying to get the general public to sign up for long-term foster situations, internal marketing is more effective. This means targeting those who are short-term foster parents already, with the goal of having them transition into longer-term foster programs.

Foster Child Training Programs

Those who are interested in becoming a foster parent should have access to free courses and workshops. These courses should cover everything that they need to become a foster parent. As for the workshops should revolve around issues like fostering a child from a different culture, fostering a child with trauma, fostering young children, fostering teens, and so on. This way the foster parents can add to their skillset and improve their ability to care for children from many different walks of life.

Transition Foster Systems

The final policy that needs to be put in place regarding foster reform is stronger and more established transition programs. These should begin when a foster child is younger than the age of majority, in other words, around fifteen or sixteen. These programs should work to help set a foster child up with everything they need to succeed as an adult, even if they do not go on to further education.