“Social media” are powerful communication tools that use the Internet to establish interactive dialogue and to share materials with others. Social media technologies such as podcasts, RSS feeds, social networking sites, text messaging, and blogs allow anyone to create, modify, and share content easily and inexpensively.
Social media can help child welfare programs conduct activities ranging from advertising to staff recruitment, collaboration, networking, fundraising, and finding and supporting foster parents. Social media can help reach potential or current foster/adoptive parents, at-risk parents, past or current foster youth, mandated reporters (such as teachers and doctors), a specific neighborhood, or staff of partner or champion organizations. Social media can potentially boost the effectiveness of a wide range of programs, such as adoption, child protective services, foster care, and youth development.
In this resource guide, you will find information on the following:
- The Importance of Social Media
- Getting Started with Social Media
- Building an Effective Social Media Strategy
- Current Social Media Tools
- Caseworker Response to Social Media
- Examples of Social Media Use in Child Welfare
- Social Media Policy, Safety, and Security
- Social Media and Human Resources Policies
- Additional Social Media Resources
This resource guide was created by the NRC-CWDT to assist your agency’s implementation of social media. If you are aware of additional resources or have any questions, please contact the NRC-CWDT by email at nrccwdt@cwla.org or by phone (703)263-2024.
