The need for foster care continues to grow each year. Unfortunately, this growth means the number of children needing care out of home. In just a six month period (1/2019-6/2019), the number of children in foster or kinship care ( also termed “out of home care”) increased from 13, 782 children to 14, 205 children that have been removed from their homes and placed in temporary care. Through abuse hotline reports, police incidents, and investigative measures by the Department of Children and Families (DCS), children that are removed from their home have been assessed as not being able to return home due to unsafe environments. Foster care families are desperately needed in Arizona. According to Arizonans for Children, “Arizona leads the nation in the number of children per capita in group or shelter care.” The need to recruit, train, and support more foster care families for these children are essential. To accomplish this is a challenge due to the negative connotation that comes with the foster care system. Truths and myths include the behavior of the children, communication with the biological family, difficult case workers, and the length of time in foster homes. A way to move toward correct and truthful information in order to accommodate foster children is to open the paths of communication. T.V commercials, pamphlets, and radio ads continue to be useful locally but there is also a need to communicate with a Statewide audience.

Foster care is obviously not a problem limited to Arizona. The need for foster care is a worldwide issue, handled similarly and differently depending on the country. For example, China Focus, a University of California San Diego supported website, considers foster care in China to be similar in need or more in need due to the large amount of female children in orphanages. This is due to China’s former one-child rule. China does have similar placement styles to America such as foster family homes and group homes. A second example is Australia which also has a similar system to the United States but also considers residential homes, independent living options, private or public boarding homes, and community-sector family group homes as suitable arrangements for foster care. Children who were removed from their home in Russia were placed in an orphanages as part of their policies. However this practice has since changed. According to the Eurasia Foundation, “The transformation in Russian institutions has been dramatic.” Rather than abolishing troubled orphanages, they are being reformed into family-friendly institutions that can help foster and protect children.”

Discussing global challenges of children is a reflection of a world wide issue that can be filtered down and found within our local communities. These social issues have deep and complicated challenges that take time to resolve. Tackling these issues could be discussed on a different blog post but my thoughts are to increase foster care families to support the rise of children who are in need of out of home care. A key way to communicate to local and national communities is through social media. Although social media can be considered a global source of communication, the real need is to create dialogue nationally and more importantly locally. No matter where we are located in the United States, we can become involved in caring for children through foster care.

Social Media

Social media continues to be a focal point of the Internet of people from all ages, cultures, and backgrounds. With millions of Americans using the internet, utilizing social media to promote foster care in an excellent mode to reach a national and local audience. Current, popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube are excellent ways to connect with our audiences.

Elise Dopson gives several suggestions for successfully running a nonprofit through social media. She says:

• Post interactive content to encourage engagement
• Include hashtags to increase your reach
• Use visuals to drive website traffic
• Check in daily and respond to questions
• Make it easy for followers to donate

DCS Arizona is a government body that provides statewide information about foster care within social media. How does DCS Arizona utilize social media? Although DCS Arizona recognizes the importance of a presence on social media, they only utilize two platforms: Facebook and Twitter. Their Facebook account posts almost daily promoting adoption profiles, community events, informational videos about safe sleeping for infants, summer camps for fosters children, adoption and foster information nights, and more. Each post has a large, colorful image. They use some hashtag links but mostly provide outside links to websites for additional information. Also on their Facebook page, DCS Arizona has recommendations to other supportive, relative pages, as well as number of videos. On their video page, a viewer can watch a variety of short videos. Celebrity endorsed causes is an excellent way to attract followers. One short video shows an interview with radio hosts John Jay and Rich that follow a Christmas Activity for foster care children to create a fun and memorable experience. A second video shares an interview and story of Martin Hanzal from the Arizona Coyotes and his support of foster care by fishing and mentoring foster care children. I did notice, however, that many of the videos posted are several years old. Ilba Ibrisevic discusses that videos that last for 24 hours or less and then disappear are one of the seven social media trends trending today. Participating in this type of trend can keep your organization content fresh and original attracting and maintaining followers.

DCS Arizona also has a Twitter account that tweets almost every day. Their account mostly retweets from other sources and does not regularly include photos or images.

Interestingly, my local agency, although a large organization in Tucson, does not have a social media presence.

Strategies to communicate with diverse groups

UNESCO is an example of an organization that uses strategies to communicate with diverse groups. From UNESCO’s main website page, visitors can choose between six major languages which will accommodate a vast number of viewers. Also from their main page, users can connect through social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and can link to Apple iTunes to listen to podcasts. Each site has the ability to read or view in several languages. 

Because UNESCO is a global organization, content will reflect on a variety of global projects and initiatives. A reader will find topics such a genocide in Nambia, education about the Holocaust, Vanuatu culture and natural disasters, and more. UNESCO uses large images in nearly every post which attracts and engages more viewers. Their YouTube channel has hundreds of video with varying content and purpose and depicts “stories” from around the world. 

UNESCO is a major global organization that uses social media as a way to connect with audiences worldwide. As challenging as this is, they are successful in producing content that is able to be viewed in many languages, has a variety of international content, uses trending tactics to appeal to today’s readers, and promotes their projects through media. 

How then can UNESCO’s example apply locally? Having the ability to choose between languages is a great option to reach a wider audience and allows readers to be active participants. Also, creating a variety of multicultural videos depicting personas that relate to readers would be advantageous. Taking advantage of popular social media platforms and knowing which sites your audience uses regularly can increase followers. Using hashtags in your content can then be shared to further advertise your sites.

Conclusion

Foster care statistics are not going to change anytime soon and trends have shown that the number is increasing. Therefore, foster care families are in great need. In order to recruit, teach, and train new foster families, effective techniques using social media can help reach that goal. Having a strong presence on popular platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter can increase the number of readers, viewers, and followers. Creating original hashtags is an easy to way to spread your mission and message. In addition, keeping up to date with social media trends and applying new tactic can keep your social media sites fresh and original thus improving traffic, comments, and hopefully donations and support to your foster care organization.

Works Cited

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.”About page.” http://www.aihw.gov.au

Barnardos Australia. “Home page.”www.barnardos.org.au

Casas de los Ninos. “About page.”www.azcourts.gov

Dopson, Elise. “Social Media for Nonprofits: How to Make an Impact with Little Budget.” 

Eurasia Foundation.”In Foster Care Reform, American and Russian Experts Converge.” http://www.eurasia.org

Facebook home.www.facebook.com/arizonadcs/videos/

Ibrisevic, Ilma.”7 Non-Profit Social Media Trends.” 

Martin, Olivia. “A glimpse of China’s Foster Care System.”

So far we have discussed important elements in creating effective writing within the foster care system. Discourse communities are groups of people that share a commonality in a particular interest, hobby, belief, or cause, and have a particular way of communicating within that group. Foster care community discourses may involve foster parents, DCS employees, legal representatives, or members of the community. Acronyms and language specific to the foster care system are important to learn in order to best communicate with your audience. Increasing your subject knowledge of the legal system such as court hearings and protocol, as well as the department’s policies and procedures that take place from the removal of children to reunification is necessary to communicate effectively and appropriately. The choice of genre used in your writing will need to change depending on the type of document, your audience, and purpose. I will discuss in further detail why subject matter and genre choice is important to writing in the foster care system.

Subject knowledge

While I was attending a PPH for a child in my care, I arrived at the court house on time and prepared to take notes involving the case. I looked at the over head t.v screens and found the associated courtroom for my case. I had met previously with the attorney, behavioral health specialist, and my agency worker days before but did not recognize anyone in my area. I had been through this process previously and was in the same area as my last case. The appointed time was approaching without recognizing any other team member, so I decided to ask questions. As I approached the main information desk, I mention I was there for mediation and assigned to courtroom 14. The women corrected me and said “mediation” was not the correct term, but instead I was there for a PHC and my team was actually meeting at the opposite end of where I had been waiting. My narrative is an example of having a lack of subject knowledge about the court room system. I also was not familiar with the acronyms and used incorrect terms to explain my situation. In my defense, experience would have solved some of these issues. In relation to writing, however, my example could be applied to new writers that do no properly understand the subject matter and do not research appropriately with the subject matter expert (SME) before hand. By asking questions to the SME, an inexperienced writer can gain the appropriate information needed to write adequately. For example, learning acronyms such as a Preliminary Protective Hearing (PPH) and a Pre-hearing Conference (PHC) are some basic terms used throughout the foster care system.

Some may not be writing technical documents but instead want to write for a non-profit foster care agency, or to reach out and support foster care parents. Subject matter knowledge is still important to validate your words, answer questions, and be confident in the message you are sharing. Interviewing other foster care non-profits, reading blogs and website “about” pages, and talking with other foster care parents will help to gain well-rounded information from a variety of sources and experiences.

As I mentioned in my first blog, Arizonans for Children is a non-profit organization that supports foster care children in mentoring programs, organizing activities, and providing a fun area to play during visitation times with family. This resource will offer basic information in relation to a different portion of foster care. This facility does not deal with areas in the legal systems or DCS directly. Instead, those involved in this area will deal with volunteers, biological families, foster care children, and community resource partners. The subject knowledge required here would be an understanding of volunteering at the facility, responsibility, the organizing of donations, understand board policies, and other basic information about the facility. I think an additional way to improving subject matter knowledge is to understand what happens “on the ground.” As writers, we may not know be aware of the daily routines and challenges that volunteers and employees encounter. Some examples might be to know how to handle behavioral disruptions that might occur while at the facility, problem solving techniques, needs and wants of foster care children, and statistical information particular to foster care families. Additionally, and perhaps most powerfully, is understanding who might be visiting the blog or website because this knowledge will help organize material for your readers to quickly navigate their needs.

Genres

By having a clear understanding of genre when writing, we can tailor our writing choices of audience, style, tone, and word choice to the appropriate situation. Bazerman reiterates this thought by saying, “As people develop understanding of the communicative world, their literate practices may change to fit their deepened vision of what writing accomplishes and how” (17). Genre is dynamic and does not require a set of specific rules but allows changes within the genre according to the situation (Devitt 576). I will mention two examples of how genre might alter according to situation. The first situation is that a quick glance of the Greenbelt Movement’s website (an environmentalist group in Africa) may conclude another charity that teaches tree planting and promotes future jobs. But further research and an in-depth understanding of Wangari Maathai’s mission reaches far beyond charity. The genre shifts from fund writing to stories of women who have moved beyond the idea of tree planting to investing in their future, a future of greener highlands, healthy drinking water, and more.

The second example of dynamic situations in genre can be found in UNESCO’s initiative to provide literacy to men and women and to boys and girls across the world. Although the goal of literacy for all is shared among many nations, each country developed criteria to reach these goals according to their national cultures and identities. What might work or be acceptable policies for one country may not workfor another. For example, in Australia’s indigenous culture, Aborigines constitute large numbers of adults that cannot read or write. By tackling this issue, Australia will be successful in their mission to eradicate illiteracy. Similarly, but differently, is Turkey’s approach to illiteracy. Their governments will focus on the implementation of “We, Mother and Daughter are at School for Literacy” campaign. This approach is specific to Turkey’s circumstances and needs. Focusing on women and daughters, they hope to reach 3 million literate adults within 4 years.

Genre can also be applied to Arizonans for Children’s website. They use text, videos, and photos to promote core values of their program and mission. The following video highlights the importance of mentoring foster care children:

A way to connect with your readers is to use a multimodality approach to reach a variety of different readers. Gunther Kress stresses this point by saying, “…it is not possible to imagine communication which does not encompass the meanings realized in genre.” Or in other words, the choice of genre creates meaning according to the situation. I included a video from Arizonans for Children to support this section on genre and to break up the flow of text using a multimodal technique. The ability to streamline text, video, and images will enhance your writing to be interesting, engaging, and original.

Conclusion

Writing for the foster care community will be rewarding and instrumental in promoting information, services, and community resources for foster care families in need. Some of your readers may also be inspired to join the foster care community by becoming licensed themselves, donating their time as volunteers, or supporting non-profits through a variety of other ways. By having a clear understanding of subject matter and by considering genre as you write, the organization of your message will enhance the communication and connection with your audience.

When writing for specific groups, or discourse communities, many considerations should be taken into account to make your writing original, interesting, and worth reading.

What is a discourse community?

A “discourse community” is a group of individuals bound by a common interest who communicate through approved channels and whose discourse is regulated (Porter). Several different discourses can exist within a main discourse as well. For example, discussing foster care on general terms can attract many individual who are curious, have heard stories about experiences of children in foster care, connotations of foster care, and a general idea about how the system works. Generalizations are made and minimal terminology is exchanged. A subgroup or perhaps an entirely different discourse community could be foster parents, DCS case workers, other agency employees, community volunteers, legal system personnel, and biological parents and children. Within each of these communities, a particular language exists to that particular group. Each discourse community understands another through this common knowledge and language. For example, a new foster care family may not understand acronyms such as PPH, PCP, CFT, or ICWA. These terms would make sense to members of a different community. A group of foster parents on social media may relate experiences for support but a member of the team without children may not fully comprehend the challenges of coordinating children in foster care with the children of foster families.

By understanding which discourse community you are writing for will help tailor the style, word choice, and tone of your message. Having a clear idea of your audience and their needs will help make your writing successful.

Pamphlets, calendars, and handouts

Just recently I was given a folder of information when I attended the PPH or Preliminary Protective Hearing of the foster child placed in my care. In the folder was a booklet, intended for parents, family members, and foster parents detailing the court system and what to expect. The front page had a short introduction about what information would be found inside and the booklet also included a table of contents for main topics such as visits, judge, behavioral health, mediation, and case plan. Each section had bold headings, bullet points, and simple, clear language.

The calendar for the year was bound and had space to keep track of important dates, scheduled appointments, and a way of documenting progress. When opening the calendar, the page above provides more information about the court process, what to expect, services offered to parents, children, and families. General helpful phone numbers include emergency housing options, clothing assistance, emergency food banks, and other community services were listed.

The writer for these informational handouts knew that their audience needed short, bursts of relative and important information. Bullet points and bold headings and especially important sentences stood out and is easy to scan. Understanding the complexity of the court system and the requirements needed to maneuver that system are complicated and confusing.

While also attending training courses for new foster parents, we received a binder of about 400 pages of material! This guide provided an extensive amount of information detailing the responsibilities, obligations, and expectations of adoptive, kinship, and foster parents. The manual is well organized and formatted, using bullet points and numerals. The language is formal and contains legalese making it hard to read at times. The audience has now changed. Interestingly the purpose of the writing has stayed the same: to inform.

Social languages in discourse communities

Social languages and situated identities are natural styles of communication and allow an individual to connect differently in various social settings. We are then constantly altering our language, even if slightly. Therefore, language is in action. It is important to recognize that our writing will also adjust depending on who we are writing for and what we are writing about.

Ivon Chouinard, owner of the clothing company Patagonia, acknowledges that the success of his company lies in good communication, or appropriate social languages. His approach creates an environment where trust is important and employees feel a sense of ownership of the business. “The best democracy exists when decisions are made through consensus, when everyone comes to an agreement that the decision made is the correct one.” (Chouinard) In order to work effectively toward a common goal, Patagonia’s employees (including management who sees themselves as “one”) come to an agreement, together, on the company’s decisions. The mutual agreement and “ownership” as a combined force remove the hierarchy of authoritarian communication. The social language they use promotes trust. 

The language used in the pamphlets, calendar, and handouts I received, had a comfortable, unbiased tone. With suggestions on how to talk with the judge, stay organized, and information to have maximum results, gives the reader confidence in an environment typically associated with stress and high emotions.

Creating connections

A common successful element in business gurus such as Patagonia, Martha Stewart’s cookbooks, and Starbucks, is the ability to connect with customers. Although the “customers” we write for in foster care will not be buying our brand to leisurely use, persuasion is the product we are trying to “sell.” The principles that Martha Stewart and Joseph Michelli use can be applied to all writing. For example, Martha Stewart suggests asking yourself:

• Do you care?
• Does caring about your customer come naturally to you?
• If making money is more important than your customers’ satisfaction and loyalty, then you may have not yet found the right business to build.

Understanding the reader enough to empathize and know their needs is essential in creating good communication through writing.

The importance of understanding your audience

In order to effectively write to your audience, you must know what they need and how you message will best be received. Families involved in the juvenile court and foster care system, will not be reading for pleasure. Having training or understanding of the processes families go through of removing children from the home, requirements for parents with substance abuse, average length to complete their case plan, and potential changes to their rights as parents are sensitive elements to consider when writing for this discourse community.

Families will be reading strictly for information, and relative information to their circumstances. Your readers need clear, concise, and pertinent instructions on:

• Whom to talk to
• Where to go
• When to arrive
• What to bring
• How to behave/dress

Writers must be empathetic, sensitive, but more importantly clear. Readers must not finish wondering what they just read.

Being willing to accept change and adapt

Starbucks is a great example of accepting change and adapting to different environments. Whether expanding their business in Asia, or a small town in New Mexico, changes must relate to that particular area. Michelli says, “Leadership at Starbucks not only attempts to react to criticism early, but where possible, anticipates potential areas of resistance.” Understanding upcoming changes in policies, the way different judges tend to rule, changes in the local communities that could change families environments and other potential alternatives are all important.

At Patagonia, managers to not sit around waiting for change to happen. “The most important mandate for a manager in a dynamic company is to instigate change. (Chouinard) Do not let manuals and brochures become outdated with the change in times. Be aware of small changes that occur in your community, work place, and within the court and foster system. By anticipating inevitable developments, your writing can stay fresh and relevant.

Putting it all together

Key elements to becoming a successful foster care writer are to know and truly care about your “customers”, your readers. Your purpose will be to effectively guide and prepare them through clear instructions on how to maneuver a complex and complicated system. Be familiar with the language spoken in these discourses and of how closely related discourse communities become intertwined. An awareness of impending changes to policies will help you be prepared to make adjustments in your writing. Applying these skills in communication can increase your chances of writing effectively for foster care families.

Children’s laughter is one of most beautiful sounds in the world. Unfortunately, there are thousands of Arizona children that have lived with neglect, abuse, or abandonment that results in separation from their families. This creates feelings of uncertainty, sadness, fear, and anger. As families work toward reunifying, visits together are organized during the week to foster healthy relationship between parents and children. In many cases, these supervised visits are done in a Department of Child Safety’s (DCS) office and provide little opportunity in ways of toys, space, and a comfortable atmosphere. Arizonans for Children has created a way to promote an environment that relates to children in space, varieties of toys, and atmospheres that are fun and comfortable. Their mission is to support family relationships by providing an environment that can be fun and enjoyable resulting in families that can grow and bond together.

There is a great need for organizations like Arizonans for Children. When children are separated from their parents, siblings, extended family, and the only environment they have ever known and then placed with new foster families, cultures and environments this change is a traumatic experience in itself. By creating a welcoming, bright, fun location to play with parents and siblings on a weekly basis, children can begin to heal and move forward in healthy relationships with their families.

The connotation of foster care

As I began to enter the community of other foster care families and share with my friends and family our decision to care for a child, I was surprised by the amount of negative feedback I received. Nearly everyone had some myth or narrative, which was not from personal experience, that focused on the weaknesses of the foster care system, terrible behavior of the children, and inconsistencies of biological families. Truth is, these stories do exist but the many positive stories of reunification or adoption are rarely heard. Communication about foster care can improve significantly by sharing and focusing on more positive experiences. Also, DCS policies continue to change to better meet the needs of children and their families. When correct information is shared rather than relying on what people perceive, and “the more it can be freed of the human component, that is, of such things as emotional and values, expectations and perceptions, the more valid and reliable does it become.” (Drucker) In no way is the foster care system perfect and the high emotions are inevitable and expected, especially in dealing with young children. Possibly, however, with sharing good narratives and improving communication in communities, more families would consider fostering children.

How can I improve communication to better support my non-profit organization that helps the needs of foster care children and families?

Communicating with your audience

In order to communicate effectively, consider the following questions:

1. Who will be visiting my website?
2. How can I connect to a wide range of cultures and languages?
3. What will my readers expect to read or learn from my website?
4. How can I improve the writing for our organization?

Effective communication begins with knowing your audience and how they might understand your message. “Only then can we know whether communication can utilize his expectations…” (Drucker) As humans, our perception is based on previous experiences and may be difficult to “see” a different point of view. Keep in mind as you consider who your readers are that they are coming to your site for a reason. “If, in other words, communication fits in with aspirations, the values, and the purposes of the recipient, it is powerful.” (Drucker) Connecting with the desires of your audience will provide content for your website.

Arizona is rich in history and has its own set of cultures and customs. As globalization continues to connect people all over the world, the more diverse our communities become. It is not difficult to find members of our communities from Mexico, Central and South America, Turkey, China, and Africa, just to name a few. Foster care is in every country and the specifics vary depending on cultures and customs. Including a variety of these cultures in images and media can help to connect to readers globally, nationally, and locally. Relating to a wide range of audiences will require a way of speaking. “Speaking directly is better than speaking indirectly. Speaking positively is better than criticizing. Negotiating is better than arguing. Sharing your feelings is better than being silent and withdrawn…norms of this sort are applicable across languages, dialects, cultures and contexts.” (Cameron)

Writing help

Consider the following elements to improve writing:

1. Check for grammar mistakes such as spelling and punctuation: Do a quick spell check or read a second time just looking for corrections.
2. Read for style and syntax: Do your sentences make sense? Are you ideas clear? Are your words choppy or provide clarity?
3. Get a second opinion: Have a colleague provide feedback on areas that are weak or make suggestions for improvement.

The only way to do great work is to love what you do. -Steve Jobs

Communication about a subject that is surrounded by negativity can be difficult to portray in a positive way. By sharing uplifting narratives about successful families that have attended your center will be a powerful approach. By also including local supporters that have an interest in foster care shows validity in your cause. Considering the diverse population of individuals and families not only here in Arizona but globally can connect people who are drawn to helping those in need, especially to children that have been abused, neglected, or abandoned. Finally, looking at your writing critically for grammar mistakes, clarity, and for weak spots can improve the quality of message you are trying to share. Ultimately, caring for children is the greatest, the most important work we can do, and reaching out to communities through Arizonans for Children is a wonderful cause in improving the world around us.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.