In April 2021, Utah First Lady Abby Cox launched the Show Up initiative, which mobilizes Utahns to serve in their communities through several focus areas, including Foster Care. Under this pillar, the Care Communities program aims “to create a positive connection between the community and foster families to increase recruitment and retention.” A Care Community is a team of individuals who work together to build relationships that support the needs of foster families. This support helps reduce stress and the risk of burnout among foster parents, better enabling them to spend valuable time with the children in their care. 

Sorenson Impact Institute partnered with Utah Foster Care to design and implement an impact measurement and management framework for the Care Communities pilot program. The engagement involved a mixed-methods approach consisting of quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews. SII produced a legislative flyer, which contributed to the program receiving additional funding to scale the program, an impact evaluation summary report, an IMM plan for UFC to continue tracking impact performance of the program, and a public-facing impact report.