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Camp Maddie: Foster Edition - Foster Forward: Maximizing Placements through Collaboration

  • 1.  Camp Maddie: Foster Edition - Foster Forward: Maximizing Placements through Collaboration

    Posted 01-12-2024 11:52 AM

    Thank you to all of those who were able to join our presentation, Foster Forward: Maximizing Placements through Collaboration, during Camp Maddie: Foster Edition on December 7th. By having our behavior and foster teams collaborate, we've developed innovative ways to market, communicate, and support our dogs in our foster program until they find placement.

    If you weren't able to join us, you can catch recordings for the entire event here: https://university.maddiesfund.org/products/camp-maddie-foster-edition-package and a recording of Abby and my presentation here: https://university.maddiesfund.org/products/camp-maddie-foster-edition-foster-forward-maximizing-placements-through-collaboration?packages%5B%5D=165265&in_package=165265&sort_by=package_order&ref=package&ref_id=165265

    We received a ton of questions that day which we'll finish answering in the comments on this thread. Let's keep the conversation going!!


    #Conferences,WorkshopsandWebcasts
    #EducationandTraining
    #FosterPrograms

    ------------------------------
    Shonyae Johnson - CPDT-KA
    Program + Operations Management
    Behavior Manager
    Operation Kindness
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Camp Maddie: Foster Edition - Foster Forward: Maximizing Placements through Collaboration

    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
    Posted 01-12-2024 11:53 AM
    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

    Unanswered question from the chat:

    "What would you recommend to a one person dept to start a program? Program such as foster first or behavior fosters."


    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Camp Maddie: Foster Edition - Foster Forward: Maximizing Placements through Collaboration

    Posted 01-12-2024 01:44 PM

    Kudos to you for trying to achieve this with your available resources. Does your entire organization have one person, or just the department looking to start the program? I recommend checking these resources out to get started as there are a few toolkits already developed:

    Here's a program from Maddie's University which goes into building a foster program: Maddie's University How to Build a Foster Program
    Here's information from HASS on building a pilot program: HASS - Creating a Pilot Program

    I'd recommend a few things that the person could do, but all steps would need to be individualized towards your specific organization:

    - Prepare yourself with DATA! Find information on shelters that do this and be ready to show your stakeholders what impact it has had
    - Determine what program would benefit you best, based on your current needs. I think foster first is a great, low hanging fruit program to start if you are looking at increasing your placement of pets
    - Develop a plan to outline what that would look like for your organization with departments involved, such as how many days, who would qualify and why, how would you process the adoption at the end of the foster first period, etc. and discuss how the programs would be interconnected with your current departments.
    - Create a pilot program, and trial it with a population of pets. This can be a select handful of pets with longer lengths of stays, or another criteria that you find your organization is needing to highlight
    - If staffing is a challenge, recruit volunteers to assist with roles that they may be able to take on. This can be creating bio's, forwarding online forms, answering general questions, etc!

    I'll let others chime in as well, but I think that's a great place to start. Good luck!



    ------------------------------
    Shonyae Johnson - CPDT-KA
    Program + Operations Management
    Behavior Manager
    Operation Kindness
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Camp Maddie: Foster Edition - Foster Forward: Maximizing Placements through Collaboration

    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
    Posted 01-15-2024 01:15 PM
    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

    I'm curious to how your processes and recommendations change when you need to send animals to foster that you have very little information on (i.e same day send outs after transports, disaster response, hoarding situations)?


    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Camp Maddie: Foster Edition - Foster Forward: Maximizing Placements through Collaboration

    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
    Posted 01-12-2024 11:54 AM
    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

    Unanswered question from the chat:

    "How do you place behavioral fosters successfully? We can post them on our plea week after week and no one steps up"


    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Camp Maddie: Foster Edition - Foster Forward: Maximizing Placements through Collaboration

    Posted 01-12-2024 02:50 PM

    Thanks for this question! The first thing is to make sure that the pet we are placing has enough information about its behavior in the shelter. This ensures that we can create an effective management and training plan to share with fosters. It also means that we can communicate the behaviors the pet is working on to potential fosters. When reaching out about a pet that has a behavior we are working to improve, we make sure to maintain a few things:

    • Honesty: We highlight what they are working on and let potential fosters know the behaviors that we are observing.
    • Support: We include the ways that we are going to support them in the home (i.e., a training plan we've made, a free online course through website such as Instinct Dog Training, a goodpup scholarship, a training class, etc) and reassure them that they can reach out to our team for guidance.
    • Highlight: We make sure to highlight what makes them GREAT! This can include things like favorite activities, their obsession with tennis balls, their love for hiking, how successful they were at play groups, etc. Often, this helps pair them with someone who may be interested in a dog with those qualities.
    • Shared space: Fosters can post in our foster page to talk with other fosters about their experience. Having the group support is helpful allowing fosters to share their stories, their photos, and their wins!

    Here's a few resources you can check out:



    ------------------------------
    Shonyae Johnson - CPDT-KA
    Program + Operations Management
    Behavior Manager
    Operation Kindness
    www.operationkindness.org
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Camp Maddie: Foster Edition - Foster Forward: Maximizing Placements through Collaboration

    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
    Posted 01-12-2024 11:55 AM
    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

    If we don't have a behaviorist or behavior team, how do we develop a behavior team if all we have is some "go-to" fosters for behavior cases?


    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Camp Maddie: Foster Edition - Foster Forward: Maximizing Placements through Collaboration

    Posted 01-12-2024 03:03 PM

    Thanks for this question. While our team has employees with training certifications, we do not have a behaviorist on site. I'd recommend speaking with your organization to see if resources or staffing can be pivoted to accommodate a person that can focus on supporting this type of program. Ensuring that the person coordinating this program has the resources and support they need, will help make it successful.

    Alternatively, having a select group of fosters is a great start. You can offer this group supportive training to better grow their skills. It's important to not overuse or burn out the folks that are assisting with these harder cases, so training and support is really needed here as well.

    Another option would be to reach out to local trainers in your area to see if they would be willing to work with your organization at a discounted rate to provide support to help establish a program/ training for those interested.



    ------------------------------
    Shonyae Johnson - CPDT-KA
    Program + Operations Management
    Behavior Manager
    Operation Kindness
    www.operationkindness.org
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Camp Maddie: Foster Edition - Foster Forward: Maximizing Placements through Collaboration

    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
    Posted 01-12-2024 11:56 AM
    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

    What is your opinion of code red lists for animals with deteriorating quality of life or behavior?


    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Camp Maddie: Foster Edition - Foster Forward: Maximizing Placements through Collaboration

    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
    Posted 01-12-2024 11:56 AM
    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

    How do you get your shelter (higher ups) on board with seeking fosters prior to dogs having behavior issues from being at the shelter for so long? Dog fosters are a newer part of the foster program for our county wide open intake facility.


    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Camp Maddie: Foster Edition - Foster Forward: Maximizing Placements through Collaboration

    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
    Posted 01-12-2024 11:58 AM
    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

    Do you require (or strongly advise) an initial quarantine period for adult dogs sent out to foster? (for health reasons when they have other dogs at home, to minimize the spread of potential illness) And if yes, how do you suggest they do this? Many of our fosters who take adult dogs say they would have difficulty keeping an adult foster dog separate from their own dogs for any prolonged initial period.


    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Camp Maddie: Foster Edition - Foster Forward: Maximizing Placements through Collaboration

    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
    Posted 01-15-2024 01:17 PM
    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous

    How do you manage liability considering many fosters have kids and dogs. When do you make the decision to drop a foster? How do you deal with a foster that wants to return within hours or the first day?


    Original Message


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