11.7 Child Specific Recruitment Efforts

Georgia State Seal

Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
Child Welfare Policy Manual

Chapter:

(11) Adoption

Policy Title:

Child Specific Recruitment Efforts

Policy Number:

11.7

Previous Policy Number(s):

102-102.15, 103.23-103.30

Effective Date:

April 2024

Manual Transmittal:

2024-04

Codes/References

Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, Section 475(1)
Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, Section 472(a)(20)(B)
Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, Section 471(a)(12)
Public Law (PL) 104-188 Interethnic Provisions of 1996
PL 105-89 Adoptions and Safe Families Act of 1997
PL 111-320 CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010

Requirements

The Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) will:

  1. Complete the Child Life History Registration with the Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit prior to initiating child specific recruitment efforts (see policy 11.5 Adoption: Child Life History).

  2. Prepare the child for child specific recruitment efforts;

  3. Develop a child specific recruitment plan no later than 30 days following:

    1. Accepting a voluntary surrender of parental rights; or

    2. A legal services request in the child’s interest has been made to the Special Assistant Attorney General (SAAG) to prepare a petition for termination of parental rights.

  4. Conduct child specific recruitment efforts for any legally free child awaiting an adoptive home and for whom no home is readily available.

    Limited child specific recruitment may be conducted for a child with a concurrent plan of adoption or if a termination of parental right (TPR) is under appeal. In situations consult with the Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit and the Regional Adoption Coordinator (RAC) prior to conducting child specific recruitment.

  5. Refrain from:

    1. Using race, color or national origin as the basis for any denial of any adoptive placement, such factors may not be used as a reason to delay any foster or adoptive placement.

    2. Denying or delaying placement of a child for adoption when an approved adoptive family is available outside of the jurisdiction which has responsibility for the case of the child; or

    3. Failing to grant an opportunity for a fair hearing to an individual alleging:

      1. DFCS violated this requirement and denied the adoptive placement based on the family’s location; or

      2. DFCS did not act upon the adoptive placement with reasonable promptness.

  6. Refer the child for photolisting services:

    1. Submit the initial referral for photolisting service online at It’s My Turn Now Georgia at the time of Child Life History registration and no later than 30 days of a child becoming legally free for adoption (see policy 11.5 Adoption: Child Life History);

    2. Annually update the information about the child featured in the photolisting; and

    3. Notify the Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit of any change in status of the child featured in the photolisting within five business days.

  7. Facilitate in-state inquiry matching within 15 business days of receipt of the family evaluation(s):

    1. Make a decision regarding prospective adoption family selection for the child;

    2. Notify the prospective adoptive parent in writing of the decision to:

      1. Select the family as an adoption resource via the Selection Letter; or

      2. Not to select the family as an adoptive resource via the Non-Selection Letter indicating the reason(s) for non-selection.

    If a decision is not made within the 15 business-day time frame, the Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit shall remove the family from consideration so that the family can be considered for other children. The Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit shall notify the County Department when the family is removed from consideration.

  8. Facilitate out-of-state inquiry matching within 15 business days of receipt of the family evaluation(s):

    1. Make a decision regarding prospective adoption family selection for the child;

    2. Notify the prospective adoptive family’s out-of-state agency in writing of the decision to:

      1. Select the family as an adoption resources via the Selection Letter; or

      2. Not to select a family as an adoptive resource via Non-Selection Letter indicating the reason(s) for non-selection.

  9. Update the child specific recruitment plan every six months.

  10. Notify the appropriate Administration for Children and Families Regional Office of the findings within 60 days of the decision, if the fair hearing officer finds DFCS is in violation of interjurisdictional adoption regulations (see policy 17.16 Legal: Fair Hearings).

Procedures

Preparing a Child for Child Specific Recruitment

The Social Services Case Manager (SSCM) will:

  1. Help the child understand that months may pass before the right family is found and the adoption process is completed. The worker should make it clear that not receiving a good match immediately does not mean a home will never be found.

  2. Share examples of previous recruitment efforts to give the child an opportunity to view materials about children of similar age and background. This can help to reduce fears, spark honest questions, and minimize feelings of isolation.

  3. Talk to the child about how he/she would be helping other children by promoting adoption. The child selection for public exposure should be framed as a compliment so that the child can take pride in the fact that he/she is helping others—even if it does not find a family for him/her.

  4. Rehearse potential interview questions and answers with the child if the publicity event includes an interview. Discuss the child’s interests, best qualities, accomplishments and desire for a family.

  5. Work with the caregiver to ensure the child is appropriately groomed, wears comfortable and clean clothes, and is fed and rested.

  6. Schedule the session at a time when medications are most effective, if applicable.

  7. Discuss with older children how they would like to be described.

  8. Keep in mind that other children and adults who already know this child may see the child featured in various child specific recruitment efforts, including photolistings and social media, such as Facebook® and Twitter®. Thoroughly discuss the child’s feelings about recruitment, particularly social media, and help the child prepare to respond to possible questions from others who may see the publicity.

  9. Utilize the child’s therapist, if applicable, as a resource in preparing the child for recruitment.

Recruitment Plan

The SSCM will:

  1. Develop a child specific recruitment plan to include:

    1. A description of how the child has been prepared for the child specific recruitment.

    2. A detailed plan of what strategies will occur in the next six months to locate an approved adoptive home including, but not limited to:

      1. Registering the child in photolisting services;

      2. Featuring the child in available news and television recruitment activities;

        This recruitment activity must be coordinated with the RAC to ensure provisions are made to receive any increased inquiries.

      3. Approaching local churches and civic organizations for assistance in identifying families who may be interested in adopting the specific child in question;

        This must be coordinated with the RAC to ensure provisions are made to receive any increased inquiries.

      4. Networking with private licensed adoption agencies in an effort to locate an adoptive home;

      5. Facilitating the matching process with an out-of-state inquiry (if the child is in the permanent custody of DFCS); and

      6. Facilitating in-state inquiry matching.

  2. Upload the child specific recruitment plan in Georgia SHINES External Documentation.

  3. Notify the Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit and the RAC by email of the completed and uploaded child specific recruitment plan.

  4. Update the child specific recruitment plan every six months until an adoptive resource has been identified.

    The updated recruitment plan should include the results of the previous recruitment activities.

Photolisting Services

Initial Photo Listing Referral

The SSCM will:

  1. Develop a profile using the official It’s My Turn Now Georgia descriptive summary.

  2. Submit an entire packet of professional quality pictures (a minimum of six) of the child to the Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit.

    The background in the pictures should be plain; holiday or decorative backgrounds limit usefulness and detract from the child.
The Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit will receive email notification from It’s My Turn Now Georgia following the submission of the photolisting referral.

The Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit will:

  1. Track the submittal of pictures.

  2. Review and approve the written narrative and pictures prior to the child becoming available on the photolisting site within five business days of the submission of the photolisting referral.

  3. Record the photolisting referral date in the Georgia SHINES Exchange Child Detail Page.

    This will populate the State Recruitment Activities section of the Adoption Information page.

  4. Ensure the child’s photolisting is current at all times.

Photolisting Annual Update

The SSCM will:

  1. Submit an entire packet of new professional pictures (a minimum of six) or email a new picture in JPG Format of the child to the Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit.

  2. Create a new It’s My Turn Now Georgia Descriptive Summary at It’s My Turn Now Georgia website marked update.

The Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit will:

  1. Track the submission of the updated pictures.

  2. Review and approve the written narrative and pictures prior to the update becoming available on the photolisting site within five business days of the submission of the updated photolisting referral.

  3. Record the updated photolisting referral date in the Georgia SHINES Exchange Child Detail Page.

    This will populate the State Recruitment Activities section of the Adoption Information page in Georgia SHINES.

Notification of Change – Following Child Activation on Photolisting

The Legal County SSCM will:

  1. Notify the Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit within five business days when any of the following occur:

    1. The permanency plan changes from adoption to a permanency plan where adoption is no longer a goal.

    2. A child has emotional, behavioral or medical problems, and it is the recommendation of the treatment resource that adoptive placement would place the child at risk.

    3. There have been sufficient family evaluations referred to make an appropriate selection.

    4. A resource has been identified for the child.

    5. A child is currently on hold status for recruitment and future matching in photolisting, and the hold status needs to be removed.

The Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit will:

  1. Notify It’s My Turn Now Georgia of all status changes.

  2. Request that It’s My Turn Now Georgia place the child on hold for a maximum of six months.

  3. Request a status update from the child’s SSCM at the 30, 60 and 90 day intervals before taking a child off hold or withdrawing the child from the photolisting.

Facilitate In-State Inquiry Matching

The Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit will:

  1. Conduct a Georgia SHNES match for available adoptive families.

  2. Send available, approved, and registered family evaluation(s) to the child’s SSCM for review.

  3. If the family is not selected as an adoptive resource for the child, within five business days of the notification from the County Department, send the Non-Selection Letter to the prospective adoptive family indicating the reason(s) for non-selection.

  4. Remove the family from consideration so that the family can be considered for other children, if the County Department does not make a decision within the 15-business day timeframe. Notify the County Department when the family is removed from consideration.

The child’s SSCM will:

  1. Review the family evaluation(s) to match the specific child’s vulnerabilities (age, sibling group, professional diagnoses) with the specific parental capacities needed to parent such child.

  2. Make a note of questions or need for additional information and contact the prospective adoptive family’s Case Worker to discuss these issues.

  3. Discuss with the Social Services Supervisor (SSS) the family who demonstrates the greatest probability of meeting the identified needs of the child.

  4. In coordination with the SSS and the County Director/Designee, determine if any of the families are a match for the child.

  5. If an adoptive resource is selected:

    1. Send the Selection Letter and a de-identified circulation copy of the Child Life History to the County Director/Designee or child placing agency (CPA) of the prospective adoptive family (see policy 11.5 Adoption: Child Life History).

    2. Notify via email the Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit and the RAC of the selection by forwarding a copy of the Selection Letter.

    3. Document the date of the Selection Letter and link the adoptive resource in the Adoption Information section of the child’s Adoption Information page(s) in Georgia SHINES.

    4. Request for the prospective adoptive family’s agency to present the de-identified Child Life History to the family in accordance with policy 11.5 Adoption: Child Life History.

  6. If any family sent for consideration is not selected as an adoptive resource for the child notify the Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit and the RAC via email of any unselected family evaluation(s) indicating the non-selection reason for each family.

Facilitate Out-of-State Family Inquiry Matching

The Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit will:

  1. Review the family evaluation(s) to match the specific child’s vulnerabilities (age, sibling group, professional diagnoses) with the specific parental capacities needed to parent such child.

  2. If the family is considered a possible match, forward the family evaluation to the child’s SSCM for consideration.

  3. If the family is not selected as an adoptive resource for the child, within five business days of the notification from the County Department, send the Non-Selection Letter to the prospective adoptive family’s out-of-state agency indicating the reason(s) for non-selection and their right to a fair hearing (see policy 17.16 Legal: Fair Hearings).

The child’s SSCM will:

  1. Review the family evaluation(s) to match the specific child’s vulnerabilities (age, sibling group, professional diagnoses) with the specific parental capacities needed to parent such child.

  2. Determine if the family is a possible match for the child, in coordination with the SSS and the County Director/Designee.

  3. Contact the prospective adoptive family’s agency within 15 working days of the inquiry and request a copy of the family’s full current family evaluation, if determined to be a possible match for the child,

  4. Read the entire family evaluation and continue to match the specific child’s vulnerabilities (age, sibling group, professional diagnoses) with the specific parental capacities needed to parent such child.

  5. Make a note of questions or need for additional information and contact the prospective adoptive family’s Case Worker to discuss these issues.

  6. In coordination with the SSS and the County Director/Designee, determine if the prospective adoptive family continues to be a match for the child.

  7. If the family is selected for consideration as an adoptive resource for the child:

    1. Notify the prospective adoptive family’s out-of-state agency of the decision to select the prospective adoptive family by sending the Selection Letter.

    2. Notify the Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit within five business days of the selection by forwarding a copy of the Selection Letter.

    3. Follow the procedures in policy 11.18 Adoption: Placement of a Georgia Child Into Another State for the Purpose of Adoption.

  8. Notify the Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit and the RAC via email of any unselected family evaluation(s) indicating the non-selection reason for each family, if any family sent for consideration is not selected as an adoptive resource for the child.

Practice Guidance

It is critical when preparing a child for adoption to discuss the purpose of child specific recruitment efforts. The child should be encouraged to participate in adoption events that allow them to meet and interact with waiting adoptive families. Caution should be exercised when featuring children in their home community to prevent any possible psychological trauma to the child as a result of being featured.

Family evaluations are supplied to the County Department from the Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit. The Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit obtains family evaluations from an in-state matching inquiry process. Family evaluations forwarded to the County Department are vetted to ensure the families reflected in the studies are currently available, approved for adoption and registered. Local County Departments should refrain from seeking or accepting family evaluation directly from agencies to eliminate focusing on inquiries that are not available, approved or registered to adopt. If contacted by a Child Placing Agency (CPA) who indicates that a family is interested in adopting a child, the prospective adoptive family’s name, CPA name and the name of the child of interest should be forwarded to the Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit. If the prospective adoptive family interested in adopting is available, approved and registered to adopt, the Adoption Exchange, State Adoption Unit will forward the family evaluation to the County Department for review.

Photolisting services utilize state, regional and national adoption exchanges, including electronic exchange systems to facilitate orderly and timely in-state and interstate placements. An out-of-state inquiry is usually the result of the photolisting or other child specific recruitment medium initiated by DFCS. Afford the out-of-state family the same consideration as an in-state family.

DFCS allows for a purchase of service payment in the amount of $5,000 per child to out of state licensed private agencies for adoptive placement of a special needs child. Purchase of services can be used when DFCS has no suitable adoptive placement resource for a child or when an out-of-state private agency resource better meets the needs of the child. DFCS resources should be explored but may be considered concurrently with private agency resources. Purchase of services funds may again be requested for a child if the adoptive placement disrupts and another resource has been identified through an out-of-state private agency. Adoptive placements identified through the out-of-state private agency are subject to the ICPC process described in this section (see Field Fiscal Services Costar Manual section 3004: Adoptions Programs: ICPC Foster to Adopt/Adoptive Home Study and Out of State Adoption Home Study UAS 515), for the procedures to request funds and process purchase of service payments). Placement activities should not begin until the funding request has been approved by the County Department.

In the selection process, reasonable efforts should be made to place siblings in the same adoptive home due to the children’s attachment to siblings and the consequences of separation (see policy 10.20 Foster Care: Preserving Sibling Connections for guidance on maintaining sibling connections). Selection of a particular prospective adoptive family indicates the child’s County Department has obtained sufficient information to move forward with a request for the prospective adoptive family’s agency to present the Child Life History to the family. Selection represents a commitment by the child’s County Department to proceed with placement planning with one prospective adoptive family. The Selection Letter and the Child Life History should only be sent to one prospective adoptive family. Staffing should occur with only one prospective adoptive family. If, for any reason, the decision is made that the placement will not proceed and all parties are properly notified, selection of another prospective adoptive family may proceed as outlined in the above policy and procedures.

Fair Hearing

A hearing that is granted in extraordinary situations where the normal judicial process would be inadequate to secure due process because the person would be harmed or denied his/her rights before a judicial remedy became available (as in deportation or loss of welfare benefits).

Family Evaluation

A comprehensive evaluation of a family for the purpose of determining the suitability of the family as a prospective foster or adoptive resource.

Forms and Tools

AdoptUSKids
Child Specific Recruitment Plan
Creating Effective Narratives for Children Waiting to be Adopted
It’s My Turn Now Georgia
Non-Selection Letter
Selection Letter