Foster parent perspectives on recruitment and retention in Del Norte County

The project gathered the perspectives of current licensed foster parents in Del Norte County in regards to factors effecting recruitment, retention and support of foster parents by both social workers and in the community. Telephonic interviews were conducted with county licensed foster parents to gain a better understanding of their experience with becoming and continuing to be licensed to provide care for children. The information gathered from the interviews was placed in six categories; reasons behind becoming a foster parent, rewards of foster parenting, challenges to being a foster parent, barriers to licensure, relationship with agency staff and training . The survey information serves as a starting point for future work in improving the recruitment and retention efforts for foster parents in rural Del Norte County.