Learning How to Better Support Informal Kin Caregivers in Washington D.C.

Project Context:

• Many grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, neighbors, and friends are raising children outside of the child welfare system. Despite providing food and clothes, driving children to school or doctor’s appointments, and meeting medical and physical needs, informal kin caregivers often do not receive the financial supports offered to caregiver families within the child welfare system.
• The Washington DC Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) is one of the few agencies across the country that administers monthly subsidies to eligible relative caregivers, separate from funding provided through the child welfare system.
• The district wanted to design and implement a survey that captured insights on caregivers’ experience applying for and receiving the subsidy, subsidy use and additional unmet needs, and opportunities to strengthen community outreach and caregiver engagement.

How the GPL Supported:

• Helped CFSA design and implement a survey for relative caregivers outside the child welfare system who were receiving subsidies.
  • The team incorporated staff and caregiver feedback on the survey instrument to make it as user friendly as possible.
• Employed a variety of strategies to support the collection of survey responses, including publishing the survey on the department’s kinship navigator website, mass text messages and emails, and personalized phone calls.

Results:

• All survey participants reported the subsidy was making a difference, but nearly half said they needed more help and support.
  • CFSA staff followed up with caregivers individually to assess needs and offer connections to additional supports.
• Survey respondents were mostly older, Black grandmothers in certain DC neighborhoods who learned about the program through word of mouth.
  • This finding prompted discussion for future outreach efforts to broaden and diversify the subsidy recipient population.