When a child has been waiting for a family, the right recruitment strategy can make all the difference. Child specific recruitment services are designed to help caseworkers, social workers, and child welfare professionals take a more targeted, individualized approach to finding permanency for children in Wisconsin’s foster care system.
The Coalition for Children, Youth & Families coordinates these services on behalf of children who are legally free for adoption and still waiting for a permanent home. Each service is built to surface the child’s strengths, expand their visibility to prospective families, and give professionals new tools and insights to support the recruitment process.
To refer a child for any of these services, visit the Referral Forms page.
Photo Listing
Photo listing places a waiting child’s photo and strength-based written profile on the Internet, where prospective families can search and learn more about the children waiting to be adopted in Wisconsin.
Coalition staff write every photo listing description. Each one highlights the child’s accomplishments, interests, unique qualities, includes guidance on the type of family that would be a good match and how they can support the child. Listings are written to give prospective parents meaningful insight while protecting the child’s privacy.
Photo listing is often a starting point for broader recruitment efforts and can be combined with other services on this page.
Why a photo list? Check out our Photo Listing FAQ PDF.
Child Profile Videos
We believe that youth in foster care deserve to be equal partners in planning for their future. Child Profile Videos are one way to make that possible.
Children and youth between the ages of 11 and 17 work with a small crew of professional videographers to create a short video that spotlights their likes, dislikes, strengths, and future goals. Once completed, the video accompanies the child’s photo listing profile, giving prospective families a more personal, direct connection to the child.
The Coalition collaborates with The Reel Hope Project (TRHP) to make these videos available to waiting youth in Wisconsin.
Child Specific Webinars
Child-specific webinars give prospective adoptive families the opportunity to hear directly from a child’s team, and give that team a structured, supported way to tell the child’s story to a wider audience.
During the webinar, a Coalition staff member interviews the child’s team, which may include the caseworker, therapist, mentor, and others involved in their care. The format is strengths-based, covering the child’s needs and what a supportive family would look like. Photos and videos of the child may be shared. The child is not present. Prospective families have time at the end to ask the team questions directly. Confidentiality is maintained throughout.
Webinars can be a powerful tool when a child’s profile alone hasn’t generated the right match. To discuss whether a webinar is a good fit for your child you’re working with, reach out to us.
Data Mining
Data mining is an intensive review of a child’s case record, including electronic case information available through eWiSACWIS and corresponding paper files from the County of Origin, State Guardianship, and/or Public Adoptions program.
The process involves case consultation between Coalition staff and the social work team at two key points—at the start, to align on goals and expectations, and at the end, to present findings and explore new ideas for connections and recruitment strategies. The result is two documents: a Data Mining tool and a timeline of events. Both are designed to be easy to read and share, providing a clear picture of the child’s history, identifying significant life events, and surfacing potential connections or resources that could support permanency. These tools also assist with the child’s adoption preparation.
Data mining is particularly useful for children with complex case histories or when previous recruitment efforts haven’t led to a match.
Refer a Child for Recruitment Services
If you’re working with a child who needs more individualized recruitment support, we’re here to help. Use the Referral Forms page to get started, or explore the Waiting Child Gallery to see how children are currently being presented to prospective families.
