Washington County spent $25,000 on foster care recruitment commercial; county to use social media and limited broadcast

Washington County social services reported it used $25,000 provided through a regional guardianship and recruitment fund to produce a television commercial aimed at recruiting foster parents. The presenter said the county paid for production and broadcast in major markets for June — recognized as foster care recruitment month — and now owns the commercial for reuse on social media and county platforms.

The department created two versions of the commercial; one promoted a related recruitment event held at the Strand, which staff said had a modest turnout. The presenter described the commercial’s message in the meeting: "Johnny, children are waiting. Waiting for someone to help guide them... Open your home. Open your heart. Become a foster parent and change a child's life forever. Visit us online to find out how you can make the difference." The recording played for supervisors during the meeting.

Staff said the county will continue to post the spot on social media and distribute it to municipal partners; they noted that while the county may not be able to afford repeated paid television buys, the owned video can be reused digitally and shared across local outlets.

The commercial production was presented as an approved use of previously allocated recruitment funds; supervisors were given a copy of the spot during the meeting.