Specific recruitment/and or conversion of for concurrent planning families is a critical component to successful concurrent planning. These resource families need initial as well as ongoing training and support. The importance of facilitating the relationship between the birth family and the foster family is essential. This relationship can enhance placement stability as well as expedite permanency.

North Carolina Division of Social Services. (2009).  Treat Them Like Gold: A Best Practice Guide for Partnering with Resource Families.  http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/dss//publications/docs/
Partnering_with_Resource_Families.pdf

I dentifies and strategies for partnering with resource families based on best practice and research. 
Additional resources from North Carolina explore general issues of recruitment and retention of resource families.

Finding Families for Children in Foster Care
This issue of Children's Services Practice Notes discusses recruitment and retention of resource families as the job of everyone in child welfare. (July 2008)

Core Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining Resource Families
This issue of Training Matters describes three key strategies for resource family recruitment and retention. (July 2008)

Lutheran Community Services Northwest.  Preparing Permanency Planning Foster Parents:
A Foster Parent Training Manual
Gives social workers the tools they need to guide prospective foster parents through the permanency planning process. This guidebook includes:

1. A rationale for training permanency foster parents
2. Explanation of necessary elements in this unique training
3. Step by step training guidelines
4. Participant handouts

Available for order ($20.00) at: http://www.lcsnw.org/concurrentplanning/index.html

California

The Center for Social Services Research, University of California Berkeley developed a series of brief publications, Promising Practices in Concurrent Planning, providing descriptions of selected practices identified through preliminary analysis of data from the study: Child Welfare Permanency Reforms. This particular brief examines specific recruitment, screening, training and support for concurrent placements. It also contains a concurrent planning and flexible family agreement form.

Minnesota:

Handbook for Training Concurrent Permanency Planning Resource Parents in Minnesota
This publication from the North American Council on Adoptable Children contains exercises that help program managers and social workers prepare concurrent permanency planning resource parents to facilitate two contrasting permanency planning outcomes. By Mary Ford, M.S.W.

Practice Guide for Concurrent Permanency Planning. Minnesota Department of Human Services
This guide promotes best practice in permanency planning by describing a step-by-step approach to working with families in the child welfare system.

Wyoming:

Wyoming Concurrent Planning Handbook
This handbook, prepared with the assistance of the NRCPFC, describes the model of concurrent permanency planning adopted statewide, and provides guidance to caseworkers throughout the process as well as information on recruitment and retention of resource families.

Adoption, Foster Care and Concurrent Planning: A Study of Awareness, Attitudes, Motivations, Barriers and Implications for Communication Bay Area Homes for Kids (2001)
Five counties in the San Francisco Bay Area conducted a multiphase research project designed to strengthen communication strategies directed at recruiting and retaining potential families for foster care, adoption, and concurrent planning.

A Family to Family Model Concurrent Kinship and Foster to Adopt Family Plan for Special Needs Children (Two Ways Home): Final Report
Two Ways Home (2004) View Abstract
Discusses the activities and outcomes of a community-based program designed to increase and expedite permanency for children with special needs.