Children & Families Learning Series

When children are removed from their parents, finding ways for them to safely live with and remain connected to kin and other trusted adults offers a sense of stability and belonging, maintains family connections, and preserves cultural identity. Yet kin placements don’t always happen at the time of removal, even if there is a willing caregiver. Tight timelines, background check requirements, unanswered telephone calls, or a potential caregiver’s need for support may prevent children from being placed with kin right away. 

How can we build systems that ensure family connections are not lost and kin search continues as long as children remain in out-of-home care?

The GPL led a discussion with three child welfare leaders committed to building a kin-first culture in Michigan and Florida. Learn how their agency leadership and case management staff are implementing daily practices to build systems that never stop looking for kin.

Panelists:

•          Ivana Maplanka - Regional Deputy Director for BSC5, Michigan Department of Health & Human Services

•          Jennifer Ulmer, MSW - Program Section Manager in Wayne County, Michigan Department of Health & Human Services 

•          Sheryl Williams, MSW - Program Officer of Case Management & Adoptions at ChildNet, Broward County, FL

•          Moderator: Emma Cregg - Project Leader, Government Performance Lab

WATCH THE RECORDING       READ THE RECAP

Related Resources:

Family Findings Connections Log (Word doc)

Kin Placement Case Review Meeting Slide Deck Template (PowerPoint)

A Guide to Finding and Engaging Relative and Non-Relative Caregivers (PDF)

Family members — grandparents, aunts and uncles, godparents — have long stepped in to care for children when parents are having a tough time. Most children who live with kin are not in the foster care system and therefore less likely to receive government support, yet the needs of these “informal” or “independent” kin caregivers look very similar to those caring for children in the foster care system.  

In March 2023, the Government Performance Lab led a discussion with three leaders from across the country committed to serving kin caregivers within and outside the foster care system. They shared their approaches for reaching and supporting kin in their communities and how government engagement plays an important role in better meeting caregiver needs. Featured speakers were:

• Dr. Ali Caliendo, Founder and Executive Director, Foster Kinship
• Kim Clifton, MSW, Executive Director, HALOS
• Beth Lindley, LMSW, Director, Michigan State University’s Kinship Care Resource Center 
• Emma Cregg (Moderator), Project Leader, Government Performance Lab

WATCH THE RECORDING       READ THE RECAP

On June 9, 2022, the Government Performance Lab led a discussion with child welfare leadership in Connecticut and New Hampshire on why and how they made investments in voluntary, community-based care management. Featured speakers were:

• Joseph Ribsam, Director, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Division for Children, Youth and Families
• Michael Williams, Deputy Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Children and Families
• Sean Alexander (Moderator), Project Leader, Government Performance Lab

WATCH THE RECORDING             READ THE RECAP

On Friday, May 27, 2022, the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab (GPL) led a discussion with government leaders and frontline staff from New Hampshire and Washington about strategies to increase take-up rates by families at risk of future child welfare involvement in voluntary services.

Featured speakers were:

• Michael Donati, Bureau Chief – Community, Family and Program Support, New Hampshire Division for Children, Youth and Families
• Tina Holmes, Family Engagement Liaison, The Family Resource Center of Northern New Hampshire
• Erin Mountin, Child Welfare Early Learning Navigator, Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families
• Vickie Ybarra, Director, Office of Innovation, Alignment, and Accountability, Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families
• Emma Kornetsky (Moderator), Project Leader, Government Performance Lab

WATCH THE RECORDING

“Prior to starting intentional prioritization, we were offering services to whoever came through our door. From an equity perspective, using data to find families who may not know how to walk through that door is important." - Amy Malen, Allegheny County Department of Human Services

 On Friday, May 20, 2022, the Government Performance Lab (GPL) led a discussion with practitioners from three jurisdictions that have expanded access to home visiting programs or similar supports about how they prioritize their outreach efforts to ensure these services reach the families who need them most.

Featured speakers included:

• Shalyn Bravens, Director of Family Connects and MIECHV, United Way for Greater Austin
• Kristine Campagna, Associate Director of Community, Health and Equity, Rhode Island Department of Health
• Amy Malen, Assistant Deputy Director, Office of Community Services, Allegheny County Department of Human Services
• Grace Palmer (Moderator), Project Leader, Government Performance Lab

WATCH THE RECORDING     READ THE RECAP

RELATED RESOURCES

Allegheny County, PA:

• Website: Hello Baby
• Program analytics: Hello Baby Prevention Model and Program Supports Parents of New Babies

Rhode Island:

• Project Feature: Enhancing Maternal and Child Health in Rhode Island by Connecting Families to Home Visiting Services
• Website: First Connections

Travis County, TX

• Website: Family Connects

“By regularly looking at the data, at what we see, what we don't see, and together coming up with a plan of action, we've seen a huge difference in improvement over time." - Octavia Shaw, Families First DC Program Manager, District of Columbia Child and Family Service Agency

Communities are reimagining how to better support families before crises emerge and without the coercive child protection response that many caregivers and children fear. Agencies are newly establishing or expanding investments in community-based, prevention-oriented supports such as Family Resource Centers, to strengthen family resiliency and promote healthy child development without child welfare system involvement. On Thursday, December 9, 2021, the GPL led a discussion with practitioners exploring how real-time, data-driven, collaborative relationships with providers can improve outcomes at these family-focused community resource hubs.

Speakers included:

• Theresa Zighera, Interim Executive Director, First 5 San Francisco
• Shelli Rawlings-Fein, Family Support Program Officer, First 5 San Francisco
• Octavia Shaw, Families First DC Program Manager, District of Columbia Child and Family Service Agency
• Megan Toohey (Moderator), Director of Children and Families, Government Performance Lab

WATCH THE RECORDING     READ THE RECAP

RELATED RESOURCES

• Innovator Interview: Empowering families through placed-based resource centers in Washington, D.C.
• Policy Brief: Using Active Contract Management to enable family resource centers to respond to family and community needs in Washington, D.C.
• Website: The National Family Support Network
• Logic Model Example: San Francisco Family Resource Center Logic Model
• Funding Application Example: San Francisco Family Resource Center Notice of Funding Availability