Revised 6-1-09

1.   Recruitment plan.  Each county develops, implements, monitors, and refines a plan annually to increase the availability or diversity of Bridge resources to serve children in Oklahoma Department of Human Service (OKDHS) custody and retain current resources.  A copy of the annual recruitment plan is provided to Children and Family Services Division (CFSD) Foster Care Section and to the respective Field Operations Division area office. The recruitment plan:

(1) is developed with input from key stakeholders within the community, including Bridge resource families and Child Welfare (CW) staff;

(2) is based on an assessment and prioritization of need.  Needs assessments consider the:

(A) proximity of available Bridge resources to families;

(B) language skills of Bridge resource families;

(C) racial and ethnic diversity of Bridge resources;

(D) availability of tribal resources to serve Indian children who fall under the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA); and

(E) ability of available Bridge resources to provide care for sibling groups, older children, and children with special needs;

(3) includes two recruitment activities per year;

(4) incorporates strategies to retain current Bridge resources through one retention activity per year;

(5) is implemented under the direction of the county director;

(6) is monitored monthly by the county director.  The results and status of implementation are reported in a prescribed format quarterly to the respective Field Operations Division area office; and

(7) is modified as objectives are achieved or the need for different strategies is identified.