Furthermore, the linear program provided a theoretically optimal allocation that resulted in an increase in 72 successes (4.72%) for a new total of 1,526 permanency outcomes (25.40%). This confirms that there is an existing opportunity gap in the current system; perhaps the system should consider not only the recruitment of families but also the retention of successful foster families. 

5 Our Final Thoughts

We approached the problem with the intention of decreasing the need for the recruitment of families by increasing the retention of foster families, and instead, found that the characteristics that make a foster family most successful are easily identifiable before the family has already been recruited. 
This makes us hopeful that the adequate matching of children to foster families is feasible through both recruitment and retention.

6 Appendix

The link to our code on GitHub can be found here