Attachment_3-A_Method_of_Approach.pdf

Request for Proposal Solicitation No.

BPM003221

Description:

Child Specific Recruitment

State of Arizona Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts 3003 N. Central Ave., 20th Fl.

Phoenix, AZ 85012

PART 2 of the Solicitation Documents SECTION 2-D: Offer Forms, Attachment 3-A

Page 28 of 69 2 A v a i l a b l e o n l i n e a t : A P P . A Z . g o v

Attachment 3-A Method of Approach

The offeror is cautioned that it is the offeror's sole responsibility to submit information related to the evaluation categories and that the State of Arizona is under no obligation to solicit such information if it is not included with the offeror's proposal. Failure of the offeror to submit such information may cause an adverse impact on the evaluation of the Offeror's proposal. It is strongly discouraged for you to copy the Scope of Work in lieu of providing unique responses below.

OFFER MAY BE DETERMINED AS NON-RESPONSIVE IF ALL QUESTIONS ARE NOT ANSWERED FULLY.

Question 1: Provide a written narrative response below that describes how you will provide the Specific Requirements as listed in the Scope of Work. The language of the narrative should be straightforward and limited to facts, solutions to problems, and plans of proposed action. The response shall at a minimum describe and provide a response for each of the following bullet points listed below:

Describe your process for accepting referrals.

How do you plan to engage relative, friends, former caregivers, coaches, mentors, behavioral health providers, and/or significant adults found in the child’s records?

How do you plan to engage the child in their Child Specific Recruitment Plan and prepare them for adoption or guardianship?

How do you provide culturally relevant, gender responsive, services?

How will you ensure timeliness of reports, including but not limited to initial reports, subsequent reports, and closure reports?

Offeror Response:

AASK believes every child in Arizona should have a caring family regardless of their unique challenges. AASK’s mission is to ensure that every child has someone who cares and believes that every child waiting to be adopted is adoptable. Providing Child Specific Recruitment services is a critical element of creating a world in which unadoptable is unacceptable. Regardless of the potential challenges and barriers to finding a permanent family for a youth, AASK is willing and able to accept any and all referrals of youth in Maricopa County. AASK Recruiters work successfully with youth of all ages, backgrounds, and needs. In accordance to the guidelines of the Dave Thomas Foundation, no youth has been denied access to a Child Specific Recruiter based on race, color, religion, ethnicity, sex, age, national origin, disability, SOGIE, number of placements, or needs (physical, developmental, behavioral or educational.)

For over 15 years AASK has successfully provided Child Specific Recruitment services for DCS referred children and youth. To date, this program has resulted in 225 adoptions, 8 guardianships and an additional 19 youth currently matched and living with their adoptive family. During this time AASK has used two distinct and powerful methods to locate potential permanent connections and caregivers.

1. Child Specific General Recruitment Activities.

2. Child Focused Recruitment

Child Specific general recruitment activities are designed to enlist interest from the general community. These activities presume that publicizing the child’s story will generate interest from the general community and may lead to a prospective adoptive family who has no connection to the youth. Child Focused recruitment, on the other hand, is focused on finding potential permanent caregivers from people who are or were previously connected to the youth. Child Focused Recruitment continuously and relentlessly mines the child’s existing

State of Arizona Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

Page 29 of 69 2 network (family members and people connected to the child) to identify a permanent caregiver/resource for the child.

AASK has found both child specific general recruitment activities and child focused recruitment to be effective.

AASK believes that executing both methods concurrently is the most effective way to find youth permanent connections and caregivers. The methods are very different; they require distinct task, distinct focus and distinct skills. To be successful, AASK has separate recruiters focused on child specific general recruitment activities and child focused recruitment. The AASK Child Specific Recruiter focuses on general recruitment activities for each child while the AASK Child Focused Recruiters (AASK WWK Recruiters) focus on child focus activities.

The AASK Child Specific Recruiter (CSR) works with the AASK Community Outreach team to develop custom marketing tools (Social media, brochures, flyers, posters, letters, newspaper articles, TV interviews, Wednesday’s Child and radio spots) for each youth.

For 33 years AASK has been recruiting adoptive families. During this time, AASK has learned that the key to recruiting is to cut through the noise and distraction of everyday life. Too often people will say “I have thought about being a foster parent for years but I just never found the time.” To be effective, recruitment of potential permanent caregivers must engage potential families enough that they are motivated to take action.

Engagement requires creating a strong enough emotional connection to the child that the natural tendency towards procrastination will be outweighed by the desire to learn more about the children.

AASK believes that the best way to make that emotional connection is by highlighting the child’s story and making it come to life for a family. AASK’s messaging focuses on the child and his/her need for meaningful relationships. AASK’s goal is to break through the typical stereotypes about “foster children” and instead help the community understand that this is just a child who has been placed in a difficult situation. AASK highlights the transformative power of relationships in children’s lives and tries to help potential families visualize the difference they can make in this child’s life.

The key to creating the necessary collateral for Child Specific general recruitment activities is to invest the time getting to know the child and creating material that reflects his/her personality, strengths and/or interest. The more specific the material is the more effective it is. For example if the child’s dream is to become a fireman creating a video of the child touring a fire truck will not only reflect his/her interest but it will demonstrate his/her personality and passion.

The AASK Community Outreach team is able to generate community interest in children referred to AASK under this contract by taking advantage of AASK’s strong media-based recruiting experience. For example, for over twenty years AASK has been responsible for the “Wednesday’s Child” segments on KPNX TV Channel 12.

These segments feature youth waiting for permanent homes, family success stories, and/or bring to light the plight of youth in care. Additionally, AASK writes “waiting child” columns that run in nine different publications, including The Arizona Republic, Arizona’s most widely circulated newspaper. Recently AASK launched “Finding Forever” a regular segment on Channel 3.

AASK also utilizes social media to generate community interest in children referred to AASK under this contract. AASK features the children on its website (in English and Spanish) and in posts on Facebook and Instagram. Additionally, AASK purchases advertisement on social media (Google, MSN, Facebook etc.) to generate interest. AASK encourages its families and volunteers to utilize word-of-mouth and social media sharing to spread the word. This peer-to-peer network is promoted and encouraged as AASK recognizes the impact and reach a testimonial from a family, that has adopted a child, can have on prospective families. On occasion, billboards, posters in fast food restaurants, and direct mailers have also been part of a campaign.

AASK has created specific campaigns targeted on recruiting families interested in becoming a foster/adoptive family for children who fall within a specific need or demographic. Those needs have ranged from race/ethnicity (African American or Latino), or age (teenagers), to location (zip codes in which the family

State of Arizona Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

Page 30 of 69 2 resides) and siblings. Collateral materials often feature children AASK is recruiting a family for and are designed around the unique needs each target audience/segment. For example collateral intended for families in rural communities maybe different than the collateral designed around urban communities. Collateral designed to attract more teen homes maybe different than materials designed for younger youth. Cultural sensitivity is also vital to the message: the difference in the design of collateral for various cultural or ethnic groups must go far beyond just language it must incorporate terms and concepts that are culturally relevant and appropriate to the community. AASK also tailors its approach to best reach the intended audience (for example getting a news story on Univision, speaking at a primarily Latino Church or speaking to a Maryvale service organization in order to reach a primarily Latino audience.)

AASK has also created specific recruitment campaigns targeted to recruiting families who share an interest with a referred child. Locating families who share an interest with the child not only increases the family’s interest/emotional connection to the child but it also makes the child more open to the family. For example, when a child has a real passion about trains, AASK creates collateral material that focuses on this passion and then looks for opportunities to reach families who share the interest. Recruiters would locate local model train publications, associations (ex. Arizona Model Railroading Society) or venues like the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park to look for opportunities to reach the families who are interested in trains to make them aware of this youth’s story. This general recruitment campaign is developed for a specific child based on their interest in trains that is used in that community. Similarly, AASK recruiters were recently referred a child who was passionate about robotics. The recruiter approached the school’s robotics club to find out more about robotics and designed a recruitment strategy around that child’s interest.

When needed, AASK has also created specific recruitment campaigns around a child’s special needs. For example, a referred child with Cerebral Palsy was not best served by a general community campaign. AASK reached to United Cerebral Palsy of Central Arizona for education and assistance on how to create a campaign that would reach experienced resources who would not be intimidated to care for a child with unique needs.

Upon receipt of referral of each youth, the AASK Child Specific Recruiter works with the AASK Community Outreach team to develop collateral items that will be part of a general recruitment campaign. The AASK Community Outreach team will calendar the youth for taping a video, as well as interview that will allow the team to develop a child specific profile, article, social media posts and other activities to be used the child’s general recruitment. In addition the AASK Child Specific Recruiter will ensure that each child’s profile is shared at Foster Parent College within 6 months of a referral. Families that express interest are provided additional information about the youth. The collateral materials are also shared regularly not only on AASK social media, but in the Arizona Republic Newspaper, AZ Channel 3 Finding Forever, the Arizona Heart Gallery, Adopt US Kids, AASK Meet the Kids Page, A Family for Every Child, Angel Network, other CSR and Foster Adoptive Support Contractors, faith based organizations as well as other placing agencies or specialty groups that may resonate for a specific child. AASK Recruitment Director also ensures that a child has attended ADCS sponsored photo shoot or has professional photos, as well as has a completed child’s profile on the ADCS Children’s Heart Gallery by the end of the quarter following referral. AASK will ensure that the child is transported and prepared for the events. AASK Recruiters may accompany youth to the events or work with others on a youth’s team to ensure that a youth is not attending events without a trusted team member. A minimum of annual updates for the child’s information and photos is managed through an AASK internal tracking system which is monitored by the AASK CSR Recruiter and the AASK Recruiting Director. All activities are recorded in the child’s service record and noted on the subsequent 90 day CSRP.

The child specific general recruitment activities generate inquiries from motivated community families who want to find out more. All inquiries that are generated through general recruitment efforts are received by CSRInquiry@AASK-AZ.org which is monitored by the AASK Director and the AASK CSR Recruiter. Families that are not yet involved with adoption or foster care and do not have a home study are connected to the AASK Family Recruitment Team, to learn about becoming involved. Families, who have an active home study, are

State of Arizona Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

Page 31 of 69 2 engaged by the AASK team. Once families share their current and valid home study, the AASK CSR Recruiter starts a dialogue starting with information about the child. Once a family is vetted and has stated they would like to move forward in the process, the family home study is shared with ADCS Specialist to consider the family as a potential match. All efforts, including date occurred are documented and reported on updated subsequent 90 days CSRPs.

AASK Child Focused Recruitment (CFR) is based on the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption’s Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Child-Focused Recruitment Model. In 2006 AASK was chosen to be the first Arizona Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Recruiter site. Based on AASK initial success in 2008, AASK was awarded a second WWK Recruiter, one of only a handful of organizations in the US and Canada to be awarded a second grant. In 2017, AASK was awarded funding for an unprecedented third Arizona recruiter.

AASK will accept all referrals from the ADCS Central Adoption Recruitment Team. The recruitment referral packet can be received via fax or email 24 hours a day/365 days a year. The Director for the AASK Recruitment team, or designee, accepts the referral within 2 business days of receipt the packet. The referral will be reviewed for any missing information and the information will be entered into the AASK database to start the youth’s AASK Service Record. Within 5 business days the AASK Recruiter will be assigned and the Director will notify the ADCS Central Adoption Recruitment Team and the ADCS Specialist who the child was assigned to via CSR@ADCS.GOV. Once assigned the AASK recruiter will contact the ADCS Specialist to find out about any known pending CFT’s, Court, or Home Visit dates for the child. In addition the AASK recruiter will set up an appointment for the initial file review. The AASK Recruiter knows that going communications with the child’s ADCS Specialist and treatment team are crucial to the successful implementation of a CSRP, therefore establishing contact with a youth’s service team quickly is essential. Ongoing, minimally monthly contact with ADCS Specialist will continue until a youth’s case is closed. All contacts and communication are recorded in the AASK Service Record. Appropriate documentation will be made into the ADCS Child Welfare Case Management System and on the CSRP.

AASK recruiters will request to review the child’s ADCS case file after receiving a referral. If the entire file is not available the AASK Recruiter will ask the ADCS Specialist or the ADCS Central Adoption Recruitment Team to request achieved records so the AASK Recruiter may review a child’s entire file. In the event a referred child has re-entered DCS custody from a disrupted adoption, the AASK recruiter will also request initial files from the first ADCS case.

Diligent searches begin with a thorough review of each volume of the child’s DCS case file. The file review allows the recruiter to begin to learn about the child and people important in their life. The recruiter documents the date and reason the child entered the system, the child’s most recent assessments, chronological placement history, significant services provided (past and present), identification of needed services, next court date and all significant people in the child’s life (past and present). In addition to reviewing past records, home studies, and documents, the review searches for any type of family finding search that may have already been run by ADCS Specialist. The AASK Recruiters review everything in the child’s case record and search for letters, phone messages, scraps of paper, previous home studies etc. that may be found in the record. Even if the information is incomplete or appears to not make sense at the time, the recruiter may later find the information leads to a potential adoptive family. AASK supplements the information collected from the file by conducting one or more electronic searches. Searches can include Seneca Family Finding, Accurint search, Connect Our Kids, and independent internet searches. In addition to identifying contact information for the person searched, the search identifies the name and contact information for known connections. The search can provide up to 30 year address history for a person with listed phone numbers and email addresses, aliases and deceased notices, if any. It provides possible relatives, with address history and listed phone numbers and email addresses and possible family acquaintances, with address history and listed phone numbers and email addresses. Finally it includes neighbors and known associates with listed phone numbers at the subject’s most recently reported address as well as possible email or social media addresses. Often AASK will run family

State of Arizona Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

Page 32 of 69 2 finding on a lost Aunt, Uncle, cousin, or neighbor that the youth remembers but only has partial information

on. AASK knows that running searches with partial information is harder, but often it is the link needed to find that one person.

All of the leads identified in the case files and electronic searches are screened and treated as potential resources for the youth. While often these connections have been previously considered and may have even been determined to be inappropriate, AASK has learned from experience that it is important to approach the case with a fresh set of eyes; to challenge preexisting assumptions and see the possibility where others do not.

Sometimes these individuals may not have known the youth was in care or, although they may have been contacted previously, they are now in a very different life stage and now maybe more willing or able to help.

Even if these contacts are not options to adopt the child, they provide a link for the youth who often desires connection to their biological family/kin even if they will not live with them.

AASK Recruiters understand the importance of creating permanent connections for the youth. Finding and reconnecting youth to these lost supports can help ground a youth, fill in the gaps in their story and create a sense of family belonging. As a result, youth can regain hope and be more successful. AASK recruiters work hard to engage and educate the possible life-long connections with anticipation they will remain part of a youth’s support network and do not again lose contact with a youth. With DCS’s agreement, AASK recruiters have successfully reunited youth with siblings, extended family members and even estranged birth parents.

At a minimum, AASK Recruiters attempt to reach out to all contacts through letters, cold calls, emails, social media messages or text messages. Often AASK recruiters will attempt all of these methods simultaneously.

AASK works the leads continuously and repeatedly. When individuals respond, AASK starts the conversation to enlist the contact in becoming part of the child’s recruitment team with a goal of finding permanency for the youth. Re-establishing contact from located resources is a process. It involves multiple conversations to recruit, learn from and educate perspective youth resources. AASK helps contacts learn that while permanency is the goal, finding and reconnecting youth to lost connections to become lifelong adult resources is also important for the child. The AASK Recruiter will continue to conduct diligent searches and contact stakeholders throughout the youth’s open case. The AASK database tracks how often searches are conducted and minimally ensures new searches along with efforts to contact leads will occur at least every 6 months. All efforts will be included in the child service record and reported on the 90 day CSRP.

Network building is a key component of the Wendy’s Wonder Kids Model and integral to AASK’s service methodology. During the file review and interview with the ADCS Specialist, the AASK Recruiter will gather contact information for members of a child’s service team. Possible members include anyone who is people close to and knowledgeable about the child this can include but is not limited to: current and past foster parent/caregiver, Child Attorney, Guardian Ad Litem, teacher, therapist, mentor, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), Tribal workers, behavior coaches, behavioral health case managers, physicians, faith-based representative, extracurricular activity leader, adoptive family or other caregiver of siblings, best friend's family.

Talking to everyone in a child’s life is important not only to learn about the child, but to determine each team member’s level of interest in the youth. AASK often has found that care providers, group home staff, church members or others that the youth is connected to may never have considered the possibility of becoming the child’s permanent family or may have been fearful or uncertain of the process of how to adopt a child. The AASK Recruiter can take the time to meet all network team members where they are and engage or educate them individually based on their interest level and need.

AASK’s 33 years of experience operating a foster care agency has taught AASK that building strong partnerships with ADCS Specialist, volunteers, youth and system partners takes specials skills. To be effective, Recruiters must strive to meet the highest standards of customer service by offering clear communication, follow-through, respect, flexibility and attention to detail. Since 2006, AASK has required all recruiters (Child Focused and Child Specific) to be degreed, experienced and promoted from within. Only internal candidates are considered;

State of Arizona Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

Page 33 of 69 2 external candidates are not considered. To be considered for this position, candidates must be a current AASK employee, and have demonstrated their ability to successful work in Child Welfare with children, families, DCS and system partners (behavioral health, courts, etc.) and meet all the requirements of the RFP defined in sections 5.1 and 5.2 in the scope of work. They have already demonstrated their ability to interview children and adults and their ability to collaborate with professionals to meet the needs of the child.

Engaging in discussions and interviews with team members often provide historical information, perspective and discovery for other potential team members. Network building helps build connections to the youth past and surround the youth with their lost community. The AASK Recruiter views all team members as partners in the effort to find children their emotional and legal permanency so continuous contact with them will occur while the child’s case remains open. AASK Recruiters maintain this effective collaboration through attending all established meetings about the youth, including but not limited to Child and Family Team meetings, staffing, GAL meetings, and Court throughout the course of the case and by potential hosting recruitment specific meetings. In the event the AASK Recruiter misses a meeting, within in one (1) week of the meeting the AASK Recruiter will follow up with the ADCS Specialist for updates. All contacts are documented in the child’s case service record and the ADCS Child Welfare Case Management System as required.

Meeting and engaging the youth is critical to a successful child focused recruitment effort. Initially, the Recruiter meets with the child to introduce themselves, explain the Recruiter role and the process for finding connections and permanency. Through initial conversations and rapport building the Recruiter is able to identify lost connections and important people directly from the youth. For example, a youth may fondly recall a lost Aunt but not know her full name or location. Or a youth may speak favorably about a school aid while the Recruiter and youth play a game. AASK Recruiters will use any amount of information as a clue to generate leads and aggressively pursue those leads until they have materialized into a team member or become the permanent family for the child. The Recruiter also wants to hear the youth perspective on possible connections that had been identified though file review and other diligent search strategies. In cases where searches or records identify partially known contacts, Recruiters may engage the youth to help recall a detail that the Recruiter can use to deepen the search.

Building a strong relationship with the youth is critical to a Recruiter’s success. Recruiters make significant efforts to build an honest and transparent relationship with the youth. Building a strong relationship with the youth allows the Recruiter to engage the youth’s help in identifying potential family, assessing for adoption readiness, and later in preparing the youth for adoption. Recruiters let the youth know they have a voice and that by sharing their opinion the youth can ensure their voice is included in their recruitment plan, as appropriate and possible. When appropriate, the AASK Recruiter will meet with the caregiver to explain the Recruiter’s role, the recruitment process and engage the caregiver in the recruitment process. If the child’s age or cognitive abilities prohibit input often the caregiver can provide information about child’s need or preferences. Child Focused Recruitment plans are individualized and tailored for each youth based on the Recruiter’s in-depth knowledge of the youth.

Recruiter’s assesses the child before developing the recruitment plan and continues to assess the child throughout their work together. Assessment determines the child’s strengths, challenges, desire, preparedness for adoption and whether the child has needs that should be addressed before moving forward with the adoption process. Assessment of adoption readiness and preparation of the child for adoption are critical, ongoing responsibilities of the Recruiter. For the Recruiter to appropriately prepare the youth for adoption, the Recruiter must assess how the child thinks and feels about adoption. For example, in some cases, children have expressed deep opposition to adoption, and using the word “adoption” may be delayed. Some information to gather for assessment include:

• Child’s strengths, interests, challenges and beliefs about and understanding of adoption

• Birth and medical information

State of Arizona Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

Page 34 of 69 2

• Family background and social history

• Placement history

• Developmental, educational history and status

• Short- and long-term support the child may need (Is the current strategy working?)

• Knowledge, skills and attitude required to parent the child

• The nature of the child’s contact and relationship with relatives and siblings and the level of openness desired

The Recruiter works with the ADCS Specialist to determine whether the child has therapeutic needs that should be addressed before moving forward with the adoption process allowing the child to fully participate in the recruitment process as appropriate. The Recruiter also works with the youth to assess their readiness for adoption. This will inform the types of activities that the AASK Recruiter will employ. In the event the youth is not open or opposes adoption, the AASK Recruiter will meet the child at that point in the process and start to move the youth toward openness to exploring permanency options.

There are many reasons why some children say they do not want to be adopted:

• The child may not understand what adoption means.

• The child may not believe anyone would want to adopt him or her and has a lack of hope for being adopted because of age, history of behavioral issues or sibling group.

• The child may feel there is a chance he or she can return home and saying “yes” would prevent him from being able to contact his birth family.

• The child may feel disloyal to the birth family by considering adoption and calling someone else “mom” or “dad.”

• The child may worry about changing his or her last name.

• The child has fears of:

o Being separated from or losing contact with sibling(s) o Having to change schools and leave friends o This family not being any more permanent than the birth family or previous caregivers o Rejection o Being abused again

• The child may be concerned about leaving everything familiar to him or her by being placed in another town or state.

AASK Recruiters are trained on techniques to help youth overcome their fears or objection to adoption. All AASK Recruiters have completed the National Training Institute Adoption Competency Training. This 25 hour training for workers (30 hours for supervisor) was designed to help workers better understand and address the mental health needs of children, youth and their families moving toward or having achieved permanency through adoption or guardianship. NTI aims to improve the outcomes by infusing enhanced permanency, adoption and mental health competency in the provision of casework and clinical practice. In addition to NTI training, all AASK Child Focused Recruiters have received 45-90 hours of in-person, child focused recruitment training from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Recruiters have been trained to use many resources including but not limited to Darla Henry’s 3-5-7 model, mobility mapping, and openness to permanency scale.

The AASK Recruiter will also work in collaboration with a child’s team to ensure the child receives any needed services before the adoption, such as counseling for grief and loss, filling in holes in the youth’s journey by working on a Lifebook, or learn regulation techniques, etc.

State of Arizona Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

Page 35 of 69 2

Initial File review, Diligent Search, Network building, meeting and engaging the youth and adoption assessment are all conducted shortly after receiving a referral and utilized by the AASK Recruiter as the basis for the individualized child recruitment plan, CSRP DCS-1227A. The plan allows anyone who sees it to have an instant understanding of what is/has happened in the youth’s recruitment process. The plan provides an overview of what actions/steps the Recruiter has undertaken, what has been learned from those action/steps, as well as what future activities are planned. This plan incorporates information found through document reviews and meetings with others and is specific recruitment actions that will incorporate the child’s voice as well as known needs, strengths, interests, culture, SOGIE, and past history. The DCS Child Specific Recruitment Plan (CSRP) incorporates both the AASK Child Focused Recruitment plan and the AASK general recruitment strategy for each youth. This plan is sent to the ADCS Central Office Liaison and ADCS Specialist via the CSR@ADCS.gov email within forty-five (45) days of receipt of the referral for approval. The plan and email noting the submission are documented in the AASK database and retained in the child service record.

Routinely attending team meetings with ADCS Specialist and other stakeholders gives the AASK Recruiter the opportunity to regularly share progress on the CSRP and how the youth is progressing in adoption readiness (openness to adoption) and adoption preparation (what adoption looks like for youth). Meetings also provide AASK Recruiters an opportunity to bring up real or perceived barriers to a youth achieving emotional and legal permanency. AASK Recruiters proactively address issues by bringing up potential concerns as they arise. AASK Recruiters’ strong relationship with the youth and intimate involvement in all aspects of the youth’s permanency case means that often AASK Recruiters are the first to identify concerns that may turn into barriers preventing the youth moving toward permanency. For example a lack of services may prevent a potential family from meeting the needs of a youth might barrier that only the AASK Recruiter would be aware of. When this occurs, AASK will work with the team to attempt to eliminate the barrier and within two (2) business days of alert the Central Office Liaison. Attending regular meetings like CFT’s, Court, AASK Recruiters are in the unique position to be an extension and often enhancement for other stakeholders the youth is involved with.

Having the child help with the initial plan (CSRP) is the first part of building effective relationships with a youth. A core component of the WWK model is the AASK Recruiter’s development of a relationship with the child through regular contact. On-going, face to face contact happens minimally monthly but often Recruiters have several additional contacts with a youth through visits, calls, and texts throughout the month. Whether sharing a meal, shooting baskets or getting a pedicure, Recruiter’s try to interact with the youth in settings that the youth are comfortable and they will enjoy. Regular contact fosters trust and openness and allows the child to feel comfortable sharing information about his or her past, desires, hopes, dreams and fears. The national evaluation of the WWK program found that establishing trusting one-on-one relationships with children is critical to the successful implementation of the WWK Child Focused Recruitment model. Building trust with the youth allows the Recruiter to deliver ongoing education and preparation with the youth about adoption.

Building trusting and enduring relationships with the youth, often means that the AASK Recruiter knows the youth better than anyone else. Knowing a youth’s temperament, desires and needs allows the Recruiter to make better matches and ultimately increases the chances for permanency. The focus is to always find the right family for a child not the other way around. Through minimum monthly face to face meetings with the youth, AASK Recruiters support the child through the permanency journey.

Once a potential match is identified the focus becomes adoption preparation for both the youth and the prospective family. The goal of adoption preparation is to ensure that both the child and the family are ready emotionally and socially to join as a forever family.

Adoption preparation for youth helps to prepare a child to successfully live with a family. The AASK Recruiter will assist the child to get to know the identified family. AASK Recruiters will help prepare the child for transition; they can brainstorm unanswered questions or role play scenarios so a child feels prepared for their initial meeting with a matched family. The Recruiter will work with youth to help visualize what it will be like to live with a family. They may help a child understand what are expected behaviors and norms when living in a

State of Arizona Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

Page 36 of 69 2 home setting and how to live within a family’s “rules”. They may also help the youth identify what issues are critical to them like not changing their last name or maintaining on-going contact with any birth family members. After placement occurs, the Recruiter monitors the placement and continues monthly visits with the youth. The visits allow the Recruiter to find out how the match is progressing and to act as a sounding board for the youth, to monitor the youth’s emotions, to educate the youth, and sometimes to act as the youth’s “representative” with the family (for example to help the youth negotiate critical issues with the family,)

Adoption preparation also occurs with the prospective family. Adoption preparation with the chosen family is to encourage positive family development and a smooth transition for the youth into the home. AASK spends a significant amount of time educating a family about a youth’s needs, dispelling myths, and reminding families about the developmental tasks that are being achieved in adolescents prior to a youth moving in. Often families need to be reminded that youth may be developmentally younger than their chronological age and/or youth who have lived in congregate care for some time, may not achieve at the same level of other neuro-typical youth (who have not experienced trauma) the same age. The Recruiter often helps a family understand a child’s history, the trauma the child may have experienced and that a youth may not know how to live with a family. It is important for the family to learn a child’s needs and try to fit around the child and not expect the child to fit around them. The Recruiter will prepare the family by educating them on topics like the need for ongoing support from their network (family, friends, etc), the importance of preparing children already in their home and the family development cycle. The Recruiter will connect the family with the youth’s current/previous caregiver who can answer questions about the child during the transition. This allows the family an opportunity to ask questions, test ideas, and gain confidence. AASK Recruiters become a trainer, advocate, and resource for families while they transition. AASK requests that families report all concerns including and incidents to the Recruiter. In addition, AASK Recruiters will train and help families understand and document all concerns with the ADCS Significant Incident Reports as required. During transition, emotions run high for everyone involved.

AASK will make sure that the family is aware of any services or medications the youth is receiving and strongly encourage the family to not reduce either during the transition. AASK will support anyone involved in the placement (the youth, current caregiver or the identified family) that may need additional support during this time. The AASK Recruiter will support the family by giving them needed information like current documentation as well as advocate for services as needed to ensure placement stability and prevent disruption.

Once a match is made, AASK Recruiters, in partnership with the ADCS Specialist, the family, the youth, the youth’s current placement and the youth’s CFT, will assist in making a scheduled transition plan. Best practice states that a clear transition plan allows for youth and families to take time to get to know each other, start the attachment process, set expectations and reduces the risk of future disruption. AASK Recruiters will be an active part of the team at each step and often wants to take the lead to assist the children in making a smooth transition. AASK Recruiters will not only set up a transition schedule, they will check in with youth, current caregivers, and matched family throughout the process to ensure that all three have the support and resources they need.

Regardless of who the child is matched with, transition plans ideally should take several weeks. This time is necessary to allow the youth and new pre-adoptive family time to start bonding and attachment. The amount of time the youth and family spend together during a visit should gradually increase over the span of the plan.

AASK educates families to understand that slowly building the relationship will be beneficial. Although different situations (out of town placement, reintroduction of lost connections or unknown family to youth) and family structures (single parent, two parents, parent with other children) will often have different transition plans, typically, AASK would work with the youth, CFT, current placement and/ or ADCS Specialist to set up the initial meeting, a meet and greet. Initial visits can be awkward; often neither the youth nor the family may be sure of how to act or communicate. AASK will offer to attend the meeting and/or coach the family and youth prior to the meeting (if a family already knows the youth this step may be abbreviated or skipped.) Day visits in the community with the parent(s) provided opportunities to have fun while deepening the relationships. These visits will provide engagement opportunities without the pressure of “being a family”.

State of Arizona Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

Page 37 of 69 2

If there are other children in the home, AASK is available to help prepare for a meet and greet with the entire family. Once the family has had a few day visits in the community visits should transition to the family home and soon a single overnight visit at the home. Visits in the home give everyone the opportunity to start experiencing the day to day life that all of them will soon take on full time. Finally, full weekends (or extended visit, during school break) at the home is suggested before an official transition occurs.

It is not simply the speed or structure of the transition that determines the success, but the content and intention of the visits. Prior to and during this series of visits the AASK Recruiter will offer to meet with the family to review how visits went and identify any of the family’s issues, concerns, or observations. Depending on the situation, the role of the AASK Recruiter may range from being a part of some visits to offering the family ideas and strategies. Prior to visits, families are warned about the dangers of being “Disneyland parents” and recommended to use the visit to begin to establish boundaries and routines that help demonstrate their family expectations. In order to avoid overwhelming a youth or creating unrealistic expectations once (s)he moves in, AASK recommends parents set context for the youth and do activities that are not out of budget or out of norm for their family (example, going to the park and having a picnic verses taking youth to Dave and Busters, movies, or Peter Piper Pizza each visit). AASK also coaches families to make sure they are using the focused time with the youth to discuss family rules and norms and to find out what the youth likes and dislikes.

These are crucial steps to getting to know one another and building a foundation for their developing relationship.

Families are often excited at the idea of moving in youth and forget that many of these youth will not share this excitement. Many youth may not be used to living in with a family and families will often notice that a youth may not feel at home or know how to behave. Families need reminders that youth need help understanding spoken and unspoken rules of the house. Families are encouraged to communicate in ways the youth can understand remembering that youth brains are still developing and maturing. Spending time educating and helping families tease out concerns that are “typical” behaviors as well as behaviors that maybe cause by years of abuse and trauma is essential throughout the placement. Youth have been let down so many times in the past, proactively preparing families and helping them predict what they may encounter with a pre-adoptive placement, is AASK’s practice.

AASK’s will offer to meet with all families prior to moving in a new child, regardless of how many times they have transitioned youth in the past or the relationship the youth and family have had in the past. Families sometimes forget the anxiety that may be created for the household when there is a big change like moving in a child; there is work that goes into establishing a new balance in a family. AASK understands family systems theory, believing every time someone new moves in or out of a home the family struggles to create a new “equilibrium” – a new balance for the household. Much like a baby mobile when one piece of the mobile is touched the entire structure moves and takes time to settle and rebalance. Meeting with the family prior to a child moving in allows AASK to review and ensure that families have (re)established house rules (spoken and unspoken), routines, roles, and norms. AASK Recruiters work with families to remind them of the phases of the family development cycle.

Making sure the transition is successful from the youth’s perspective is equally as important. Educating the child about the family that was chosen as well as laying out the plan for the youth can help minimize uncertainty and curb dysregulation which often results in behaviors. AASK Recruiters know that during this time of transition, youth may need additional support beyond the monthly visit. The relationship the AASK Recruiter has built with the youth allows the Recruiter to design a transition that meets the youth’s temperament, emotions, and or preferred coping skills. AASK will also encourage families to welcome all of the youth’s likes, customs, and traditions to provide more belonging and stability initially

The visits with the youth will also focus on stability and helping the child to overcome concerns and adjust to their new home. It is not uncommon during the family development cycle for a child and family to struggle, the AASK Recruiter will help the family and youth anticipate challenges and prepare to overcome concerns that

State of Arizona Department of Child Safety

Office of Procurement & Contracts

Page 38 of 69 2 may derail the adoption process. All efforts are documented in the subsequent 90 day CSRPs until the permanency is achieved for a youth or the team has determined that recruitment efforts are no longer needed as required by the criteria outlines in the DCS-1227D closure report. All plans are shared with ADCS Central Adoption Team, ADCS Specialist and are stored in the child’s service record.

AASK Recruiters become a family advocate; they remain on each youth’s case until permanency is achieved.

They continue to provide input to the team, support to the youth and families, and advocate for needed services to ensure family success. The AASK Recruiter assists the family in understanding policy and procedural tasks including but not limited to subsidy application and the filing process. During check-ins with the family the AASK Recruiter will monitor how the family is attaching and bonding, how the child is fitting in, offer ideas for child specific routines, strategies for parenting, and resources for adoptive families. The visits with the youth will also focus on stability and helping the child to overcome concerns and adjust to their new home. It is not uncommon during the family development cycle for a child and family to struggle, the AASK Recruiter will help the family and youth anticipate challenges and prepare to overcome concerns that may derail the adoption process.

As soon as a closure date is known, and at least 30 days prior to closure, the AASK Recruiter will notify the ADCS Central Adoption Team of the reason and date by emailing the team at CSR@ADCS.gov. The Child Specific Recruitment Closure Form DCS-1227C will also be sent within seven (7) days of the notice of closure, with a final closure report submitted by the 15th day of the month following the closure event.

Even after an adoption occurs, AASK Recruiters continue to serve as a resource to both youth and families.

After achieving emotional or legal permanency, Recruiters ensure that families or permanency recourses have names and contacts for any and all needed providers that have been working with the youth. Recruiters review support options and plans including who are the natural supports the family has, in the event they experience unforeseen crisis. Families that provide any type of permanency to a child with the help of an AASK Recruiter are informed of ongoing AASK support services through AASK Family Support Services. Individuals are invited to AASK post adoption support group and Recruiters remind the families and youth that “once part of an AASK team, always part of the AASK team” and all are invited to call for support and to share life events. AASK Recruiters regularly receive holiday cards and periodic pictures or updates of youth who have found forever families.

AASK supports all families and youth. One of the keys to AASK’s success in providing services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate is that AASK defines culture in its broadest terms. AASK understands that culture encompasses not only race, language and ethnicity but also gender and sexual orientation. AASK is aware that ethnicity and race are not necessarily the primary ways in which people self-identify. AASK embraces the LGBTQ community, and supports working with individuals' and families regardless of their unique SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender, identity, expression) and families parented by heterosexual or same-sex singles and couples.