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How Councils Can Build Better Foster Education Campaigns 

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Councils are largely responsible for the foster programs in their jurisdiction, yet every one is lacking. They are either lacking foster parents, or they are lacking in resources. In England alone, for example, it is estimated that there will be a shortage of around 25,000 foster carers by 2026, meaning that the foster carers that do exist will be encouraged to take on too many children, or children will fall through the cracks. 

In every scenario, a lack of carers means children will suffer. Of course, you cannot force anyone to become a foster parent, which means it’s all down to campaigning. Councils need to increase their foster marketing campaign efforts, for a few reasons. 

  1. To increase awareness 
  2. To boost recruitment numbers
  3. To increase donations 
  4. To encourage partnerships 

Foster children, particularly older ones, need more support as they age out of the system. Campaigns that work to encourage businesses and professionals to work with councils to create foster-specific mentorships, internships, and even job opportunities for those who have just aged out of the system are all essential.


All of this can be achieved with an effective foster care marketing agency, ideally led by a charity-focused marketing agency. In order for their efforts to succeed, of course, councils need to understand these key pillars of focus: 

Awareness

The first step to any campaign needs to spread awareness. There is a shortage of carers and resources, and these need to be highlighted to the general populace. However, just because you are running an awareness campaign does not mean that any of these advertisements can miss out on the call to action. With an awareness campaign, choose specific issues to highlight and then use the call to action to direct the public to more in-depth resources. The goal here is to make the public realize there is an issue. 

Recruitment 


The next phase is to then focus on what you need, in this case, more foster carers. It will be very hard to encourage the general public to sign up to become a long-term foster carer right off the bat. That’s why the focus should be on emergency fostering. Compassion campaigns with very simple, clear steps forward from your council’s website will remove barriers hindering the recruitment process. If possible, create a fostering course people can take that will prepare them for the role, so they feel confident in their new role. 

Fundraising

Alongside recruitment campaigns, you can also run fundraising campaigns. Be specific about where this money is going to go. Is it going to go towards foster training? Child support programs? Clothing for children in need? Give clear-cut examples of what you will use the donations for, and keep it to one example per advertisement to clear up the message. You can even use different donation links so you know which causes the generate the most donations, and which to focus your future budget on. 

Partnerships

Creating a partnership program is an internal focus, meaning you won’t be taking out ads on the bus or paying for your campaign to be shown on social media channels. Instead, you will need to create program materials, and reach out to businesses in your area. Partnerships that offer training, mentorships, and other teen-focused programs designed to help those at-risk youths transition into adulthood are all essential. 

What do you think?

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