The Nevada Division of Child and Family Services is using new technology to improve adoption outcomes for foster children.
The agency has partnered with the non-profit organization Adoption-Share to implement the app Family-Share, according to a release from DCFS.
The app uses compatibility assessments and focuses on relational fit, helping agencies identify families most likely to provide stable, long-term placements.
Families that want to adopt create a profile and enter their information, including their level of parenting experience and their preferences on age, gender, level of special needs, and more.
A DCFS adoption recruiter then uses the Family-Match program to determine appropriate pairings.
“The current method is time-consuming and cumbersome,” DCFS adoption worker Ashley Hall said. “We are at the mercy of families finding a child’s profile and inquiring, whereas Family-Match gives us a database to search through families in one location.”
DCFS, which is the child welfare agency for Nevada’s 15 rural counties, currently has more than 30 children looking to be adopted.
The app is also designed to help once a child is placed with a family by maintaining the placement and avoiding disruption.
Families interested in fostering or adopting can create a free profile on Family-Match here.
