Services delivered: Wendy’s Wonderful Kids adoption recruiters

Component: Child welfare - community and prevention supports

Legislation: Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 (CYFSA)

Service objectives

To find adoptive families for children and youth involved in the child welfare system where adoption has been identified as an appropriate permanency option for the child by entering into grant agreements with children’s aid societies (societies) to hire Wendy’s Wonderful Kids (WWK) adoption recruiters. These adoption recruiters are in addition to DTFA-C funded WWK adoption recruiters.

Service description

The transfer payment recipient will

• Enter into grant agreements with the societies that are approved by the ministry to support ongoing operations of the WWK program
• Provide support to societies to hire WWK adoption recruiters, as necessary, in accordance with the ministry’s direction
• Conduct training for any new WWK adoption recruiters hired by the societies and support them in learning the WWK child-focused recruitment model
• Provide training opportunities throughout the year for WWK adoption recruiters to support ongoing operation and/or successful implementation of the child- focused recruitment model by each WWK adoption recruiter that may include: Online modules, training related to using the DTFA-C online reporting database, webinars and the WWK Annual Summit
• Provide support to WWK adoption recruiters through a DTFA-C grant manager
• The DTFA-C grant manager will assist the adoption recruiters in ongoing operation and/or implementation of the child-focused recruitment model in order to meet the WWK adoption recruiter activities and goals
• At a minimum, the DTFA-C grant manager will provide ongoing intensive grant management support and have monthly contact with the WWK adoption recruiters and conduct periodic site visits
• Work with individual societies to monitor caseloads and create annual goals for number of adoptions and matches each WWK adoption recruiter will achieve and provide ongoing support and technical assistance via the grant manager to the WWK adoption recruiters to assist them in meeting these annual goals
• Provide ongoing technical assistance via the grant manager to assist the adoption recruiters in meeting the WWK adoption recruiter activities and goals
• The WWK adoption recruiters are held accountable to DTFA-C through the monthly submission of data on the children served through the WWK program

Program/service features

The services are directed at children in extended society care under the CYFSA for whom adoption has been identified as an appropriate permanency option, and prospective adoptive families identified for those children.

WWK adoption recruiters will engage in the following service activities and goals, as specified in the grant agreement to be entered into by each society with the DTFA-C

• Use a child-focused recruitment model to help find potential adoptive families for children and youth in extended society care where adoption has been identified as an appropriate permanency option for the child
• Conduct initial referral services and gather initial referral information through contact with the child or youth’s society worker and other relevant staff
• Conduct an in-depth case record review of the child’s file to include
  • Date and reason the child entered the system
  • Child’s most recent profile and assessment Chronological placement history
  • Significant services provided to the child, currently or in the past
  • Identification of programs and services to meet the needs of the child or youth
  • All significant people in the child’s life, past and present, including caseworkers, foster parents, attorneys, teachers, therapists, relatives, mentors, faith-based representatives and extracurricular activity leaders; and next upcoming court date
• Build a relationship with each child or youth on the caseload and to have, at a minimum, monthly in-person meetings with the child or youth
• Find and engage individuals with whom the child has had a positive relationship
• Assess the child’s strengths and needs
• Build on-going relationships with adults in the child’s network in order to explore their potential as a prospective adoptive family, or to learn about other adults in the child or youth’s life to assist in identifying prospective adoptive families
• Provide child-specific family search efforts by implementing the process of identifying, locating, and contacting persons with whom the child already has, or had, a bond or positive relationship with the knowledge and approval of the child and the child’s caseworker
• Develop a comprehensive recruitment plan or enhance the existing recruitment plan

Each WWK adoption recruiter will actively recruit adoptive placements for a minimum of 12 to 15 children and youth, with the remaining children and youth on the caseload to receive less intensive services (i.e., the WWK adoption recruiter will monitor children and youth who are in a less intensive phase of the recruitment process such as children and youth who have been matched with an adoptive family and are in pre-adoptive placement).

WWK adoption recruiters will spend 100 percent of their time implementing a proactive, child-focused recruitment model, working with relevant society staff as necessary.

Program goals

Increase the number of children in extended society care for whom adoption has been identified as an appropriate permanency option being matched with prospective adoptive families using a child-focused recruitment model.

Ministry expectations

The community services provided will be

• Reflective and responsive to the permanency needs of children, youth and families
• Sensitive to the social, linguistic and cultural diversity of children and families, including Indigenous, Black, racialized, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ children and families, involved with child protection services
• Staffed by individuals with the appropriate range of skills and abilities necessary to respond effectively to the permanency needs of children, youth and families

Reporting requirements

The transfer payment recipient is expected to monitor and evaluate program performance and to confirm that program objectives and deliverables are being met.

At each reporting period, provide to the ministry a report on: project outcomes; rationale for any children removed from any data value, including an explanation for variation in a reporting area from expectations; success stories and barriers learned from DTFA-C interactions with the WWK adoption recruiter and societies that employ them; and information about training taken by the WWK adoption recruiter.

On an annual basis, additionally, provide to the ministry an Executive Summary that summarizes the main information and achievements of the program for the year, including observations and the lessons learned from executing the program.

The following service data will be reported on at an Interim and Final stage. Please refer to your final agreement for report back due dates and targets.