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Recruitment News
May, 2003
"Helpful Hints" Debuts Here
As an adoption professional, you have many different
hats to wear, and with that distinction comes many different areas in
which you are expected to be an "expert" - or at least possess
a certain amount of working knowledge. One of those areas is knowing your
responsibilities as they relate to MARE. "Helpful Hints," a
new feature in Recruitment News written by MARE staff member Jennifer
Adler, is intended to help adoption workers and supervisors maneuver through
the MARE maze. Jennifer will keep you informed on a variety of topics,
from understanding registration deadlines to knowing when to call the
MARE office for help, which - according to Jennifer - is anytime!
In this first feature, let's take a look at the MARE registration forms
and how to use them correctly (and no, using the forms to host a campfire
for your adoptive parents does not count!)
Salmon, Green, and Blue: Now what do I do?
The various MARE registration forms are used to account for the children
in your care, and are intended to report their progress toward a permanent
placement. As you know every child must be accounted for to MARE by 182
days from the Permanent Custody Date. Using the MARE registration forms
is one of the main ways to account for those children who have a Federal
Goal of adoption, but who have not yet been adopted.
Let's start with the form that is used the most: the salmon-colored
form. Also known as the "Hold Registration Form,"
this form is to be used for registering a child for whom a family has
already been identified. One side of the form has the heading "Hold
Registration Form for Child Being Adopted by Relative, or Current Foster
Parents." The heading is pretty self-explanatory, but
lest there be any confusion, complete this side of the form when registering
a child who is going to be adopted by a relative or their current foster
parents. The heading on the opposite side of the salmon-colored form says
"Hold Registration Form For Recruited Adoptive Family."
This side of the form is to be used when registering a child with a recruited
family, (e.g., a studied and approved family that is not a relative or
current foster family). When using this side of the form only, you must
also attach the recommendation and signature page from the recruited families'
Family Assessment (You do not need to send the recommendation or signature
page when using the Relative or Foster Parent Hold Registration). Whichever
side of the form you use, it is important to fill out the forms completely!
Always include the name and phone number of the adoption worker, and the
last name of the family who is adopting the child. It is also important
to note that you will still need to follow up by sending MARE the OTR
(PCA-320/321) once the child has been placed in the home for adoption.
The next form to look at is the Blue form, also known as the "Child
Entry Form For Child Appearing in the MARE Book," (i.e.,
for recruitment purposes). As the heading on the form states, this form
is to be used to register a child for photolisting in the MARE Book for
recruitment purposes - when there is no identified family. Once again,
it is important to fill out this form completely. It may be helpful to
keep in mind that the information you put on this form is the information
that is used to create the description of the child that appears in the
MARE Book. When workers provide little or no information, it makes it
very difficult to provide a description of the child in the MARE Book.
Similarly, when the only information that is provided by the worker is
negative information (and that happens from time to time,) it once again
makes it difficult - if not impossible - to create a useful description
of the child in the MARE Book. While it is true that these children often
exhibit very challenging behaviors, it is also true that it is quite possible
to find positive attributes, likes, and interests, about any child Writing
on the form that a child "doesn't wet himself nearly as often."
as the child's only positive attribute (which actually did happen recently)
is not helpful in recruiting a family for the child.
In addition to filling out the Blue registration form completely, you
must submit a clear, well-lighted photo of the child. Photocopied and/or
faxed photographs will not work and will not be accepted. Photos may also
be scanned (or downloaded from digital cameras) and sent via email to
Steve York (syork@mare.org). Please
keep in mind that the photos and descriptions in the MARE Book are powerful
recruitment tools to help you recruit the best possible family for the
children in your care. Quality photographs and descriptions of the children
in your care are vital in providing this critical recruitment opportunity
for these children.
The Green Form is probably the most misunderstood of all the MARE forms.
Also known as the "MARE Book Removal/Change Form,"
this form is only used for children who appear in the MARE photolisting
book and is used for the following reasons:
- A family has been identified and the child no longer needs to appear
in the photolisting book. Please fill out the green form completely,
checking all of the boxes that apply. You must include the name and
agency of the adopting family, the type of family (relative, foster
parent, or recruited family), how that family was identified, the racial
and marital status of the adopting family, and whether or not the child
has moved (or will be moving) to another county as a result of the adoption.
Along with the green MARE Book Removal form, you must also submit the
salmon-colored "Hold" registration form since you now have
an identified family for the child.
- The child's Federal Goal has changed (or is changing) to something
other than adoption. Check the appropriate box indicating the reason
for removal and indicate what the new Federal Goal should be Along with
the green removal form, you must also include one of the following:
- the FIA 5-S (indicating what the new goal is)
- a SWSS "screen dump" showing the new goal, or
- the most recent Updated Service Plan (USP) - with the appropriate
FIA signature - indicating what the new goal will be
- . When you want to change any of the information about a child currently
in the MARE photolisting book (e.g., change the impairment levels, the
contact worker's name, any of the text in the story, etc.).
Once again, the green form is only used for children who appear in the
MARE photolisting book, or changing any information about a child currently
listed in the MARE book. You do not need to send the green form when submitting
documentation for other children on your agencies' tracking list.
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