How to Create a Kin First Culture: Seven Steps to Improved Kinship Practice

Kin First National Convening Held October 27-28, 2016 in Washington, DC Representatives from: Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Minnesota, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin National Kinship Organizations Developed wikiHow steps, shared resources and tools Created state specific action plans © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 1: Kin First Leadership Leaders with a kin first philosophy can: promote belief that children belong with family ensure resources, tools and training are aligned with kin first culture hold all levels of the agency accountable Train staff on the value of kin and their unique needs develop benchmarks and review data © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 1: Kin First Leadership Pennsylvania Kinship Laws include A requirement that kin be searched for and given first option as placement resource Emergency placement with kin policy Family finding laws State assistance and training for counties to encourage a kin first culture © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 1: Kin First Leadership Assess your agency’s beliefs and attitudes toward kin Examine your agency’s readiness for change Identify the culture of your agency and community Engage professional partners to support your efforts toward building a kin first culture Leadership, resources, training and success stories that support a kin culture © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 1. Kin First Leadership Clearly define your vision, mission and plan Identify champions within your agency and your community partners Incremental changes to policy, procedure and practice that support kin Promote leadership that embraces strength based, family engagement practices Create high expectations and shared accountability to cultivate a Kin Culture © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Kin First Leadership Creates Results Represents a 252% increase in kinship care and a decrease of 48.94% in traditional foster care Visualize that even with strong leadership, transitioning from traditional foster care to kinship care is a incremental process Over the same time period we have been able to reduce the children in care by 2%, while investigating 30% more cases and expanding our IL services to allow children to remain in care past 18. © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 2: Policies and Protocols Develop written policies that reflect equity for children with kin and recognize unique needs Share draft policies and solicit feedback from stakeholders, policies should include: emergency placement notice and engagement partnerships with American Indian/Alaskan Native tribes defined roles and expectations for all stakeholders full disclosure to kin and parents on all permanency options and support tailored training, services and supports for kin © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 2: Policies and Protocols PA Kinship Policy provides a very broad definition of kin Kinship placements receive same training and pay rate as non-relative foster families Concurrent Planning Policy Family search and engagement Family group decision making © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 2: Policies and Protocols Empower those that support a kin-first culture Review, revise, and create new policy (kinship policy, EC policy) Ongoing discussion and education Evaluating placement decisions (kinship placement review) Ongoing data analysis of agency strengths and weaknesses © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 3: Identify and Engage Kin Identify and engage kin at every step Prioritize family search and engagement Focus on role of kin to preserve connections Use casework and technology to identify kin Identify and engage fathers & paternal relatives Use family team meetings to identify, engage, and educate kin Engage tribes early © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 3: Identify and Engage Kin Legal Services Initiative Diligent Search Packet Accurint Family Finding Tool Family Group Decision Making Collaboration with the Courts/CASA © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 3: Identify and Engage Kin Implementation of: Act 55 of 2013 Family Finding Fostering Connections Act Developed a flow chart that illustrates identification and engagement as an ongoing process throughout the life of a case © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Family Finding Flow Chart © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 4: Place with Kin First Create a sense of urgency for making the first placement a kin placement Invest necessary resources and align policies, practices and staff Create a firewall that requires approval for all non-kin placements Provide staff with tools they need to place with kin immediately, including: Training and clear procedures Well articulated roles and responsibilities © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 4: Place with Kin First Pennsylvania state laws and policies requires kin be searched for and given first option as placement resource Collaboration with the courts to ensure kin placements © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 4: Place with Kin First Create a culture that expects all first placements to be with kin Shared accountability with all entities involved supporting kin Provide ongoing training and regularly measure kin outcomes Pair caseworkers with social workers to assist with emergency caregiver placement with kin © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Out of Home Placement Comparison Increase of Kinship placements over 9 years. Currently 40.08% of placements are kin compared to 9.14% in 2007. Kinship has become our most utilized placement resource as traditional foster care is utilized 34.73% compared to 75.43% in 2007 Residential increase is due to status offenses © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 5: Prioritize Licensing Kin Make licensing kin a priority Remove all licensing barriers for safe and appropriate kin Adopt the National Model Family Foster Home Licensing Standards or model tribal foster care standards Implement a clear process for waivers and variances Provide kin with assistance and information Develop kinship specific training © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 5: Prioritize Licensing Kin State law and policy makes licensing kin a priority Emergency caregiver policies allow for immediate placement while pursuing licensure PA has a process for waivers and variances © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 5. Prioritize Licensing Kin Modified county operated foster care agency to enhance kinship licensing Provide support and concrete items to kin to assist with their licensure Routinely request waivers to approve kin Do whatever it takes to license and approve kin Created two social worker positions to conduct all kinship licensing, support and oversight In order to accommodate our agency’s consistent growth in kin, we no longer recruit for non-relative foster care (other than for teens only), in order to concentrate on supporting our kin Unlike non-relative care, that had the opportunity to plan, prepare and choose to foster, kin are often called upon in emergency situations and do not have the resource or support to quickly accommodate children in their home, we provide assistance with concrete items, bedding, cribs etc or any other household item needed to be safely approved through licensing. Our agency culture upholds a whatever it takes attitude toward approving kin We have developed a new in-home service with one of our trauma trained clinicians, to be present with the caseworker during removal (whenever possible) and see the child within their new setting, assessing their needs and bridging the gap between the child, parents and kin caregivers. Providing counseling and support to all to preserve the placement and alleviate and address trauma. © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 6: Support Permanent Families Support permanent families for children whether with parents and if not with kin Offer and explain all options for legal permanence Understand and honor family dynamics and relationships Use family-centered team meetings to help families make permanency decisions Provide the same level of supports and services to parents and kin caregivers © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 6: Support Permanent Families SWAN Post-permanency Services Adoption Guardianship PA State Resource Family Association © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 6. Support Permanent Families Bridging the Gap Full disclosure and options for permanency Provide specific training and support (trauma informed) Foster parent association, supports mentoring and coaching © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 7: Community Network Create a strong community network to support kin families Engage other public systems, such as schools, economic security, and aging Involve legal stakeholders in supporting kinship placements and connections Provide opportunities for kinship families to network with each other Develop strong relationships and referral processes with community-based organizations © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Step 7: Community Network SWAN Post-permanency Support Groups Foster Parent Association Aging Grandparenting Program Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Collaborative Community-based programs © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Correlated Outcomes Related to a Kin First Philosophy The usage of Residential Care reduces over time © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Correlated Outcomes Related to a Kin First Philosophy Placement disruptions decrease Placement disruption – 3+ moves by the 23rd month in care © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Correlated Outcomes Related to a Kin First Philosophy Timely Reunification increases Timely Reunification – Cren entering foster care that are reunified within 12 months. © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Correlated Effects of a Kin First Philosophy on Permanency Goals Increase in the goal of reunification, while reducing less permanent options © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Kinship Resources www.grandfamilies.org Generations United - www.gu.org ChildFocus – childfocuspartners.com The Annie E. Casey Foundation – www.aecf.org Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network Post-permanency Services 800-585-7926/www.swan-diakon.org © 2017 grandfamilies.org

Contact Us Heidi Redlich Epstein, JD, MSW, Director of Kinship Policy ABA Center on Children and the Law heidi.epstein@americanbar.org Ana Beltran, JD, Special Advisor Generations United abeltran@gu.org Lorrie Deck, Director, Division of Programs Department of Human Services, Office of Children, Youth & Families lodeck@pa.gov Shara Saveikis, MSW, Executive Director Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau SSAVEIKI@co.westmoreland.pa.us © 2017 grandfamilies.org