Johnny and Rocky
Greensboro, NC, Sept. 26, 2024 – Through its Child-Focused Recruitment (CFR) program, Children’s Home Society of NC (CHS) connects children waiting in foster care with extended family or an adoptive family uniquely suited for the youth. Its strategic approach to building relationships between children and past connections, and heightened sensitivity to aligning the needs of older youth in care with an adoptive family, leads to significantly more matches.
A rigorous, five-year national evaluation by Child Trends revealed that children served through this model, who are the longest-waiting youth in foster care including those with special needs and sibling groups, are three times more likely to be adopted. Child-Focused Recruitment is based on the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids® model developed by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (Foundation).
“We are so proud of the work of our entire Child-Focused Recruitment team,” said Donna Henderson, CHS Executive Director of Programs. “Because our mission is founded on ensuring a permanent, safe, and loving family for every child, the accomplishments we made with the 656 youth we served last year through CFR, and those we are working with this year, are very rewarding.”
With more than 11,000 children in foster care in the state, and only 5,600 foster families, the need for permanent placements is great. Additionally, nearly 500 youth age out of foster care annually, leading to higher risk of homelessness, incarceration, early pregnancy, substance abuse, and unemployment.
Thanks to CFR, youth like Rocky are blessed with a forever family to help them through life’s challenges. Rocky endured much trauma in his early life, which led to multiple foster families and diminishing hope for a family to call his own. However, through the diligence of Rocky’s CHS Child-Focused Recruiter, Rocky was introduced to Johnny, a man who had a great passion for working with and mentoring teens. At the age of 15, Rocky was adopted by Johnny.
Funding for the Child-Focused Recruitment program comes in part from the Permanency Innovation Initiative (PII), a public/private partnership with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, County Departments of Social Services, and CHS, as well as private funding from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national, nonprofit public charity dedicated to finding permanent families for the more than 140,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Created by Wendy’s® founder Dave Thomas, who was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence-based, results-driven national service programs, foster care adoption awareness campaigns, and innovative grantmaking.
For more information on Children’s Home Society, becoming a foster or adoptive parent, volunteering, or providing financial support, please call 800-632-1400 or visit www.chsnc.org.
Children’s Home Society is dedicated to providing top-quality, evidence-based programs and services to children and families throughout North Carolina. Our education and child welfare staff provided services to more than 23,000 individuals last year, educating and preserving families, supporting children and families through transitions, and creating new families.
