Supporting kinship care in Los Angeles

Project Context:

• In 2021, 11% of children in out-of-home care in Los Angeles were placed with kin caregivers. Today, that number has jumped to 45%, exceeding national averages. This increase is due, in part, to Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) implementing more upfront family finding approaches at the beginning of child welfare cases.
• As the share of kin placements continues to grow, DCFS wanted to build more proactive approaches to building trust and offering supports for new kin caregivers so that more children could be cared for in stable, supportive settings with kin until reaching permanency.
• Kin caregivers rarely have the benefit of significant planning or preparation time before placement. They also may face unique needs and challenges that, without the right supports in place, can make it harder to navigate the expectations of the child welfare system, contribute to caregivers feeling overwhelmed, or even lead to placements breaking down over time.

How the GPL is supporting:

• Collaborating with two regional teams, Brand and Santa Fe Springs, to design and test new strategies to further support kin caregivers, sooner.
• Helping leaders and case managers work through a case review process to target new solutions around challenges that can lead placements with kin to disrupt.
• Co-designing and implementing solutions that may strengthen stability of kin placements, which may include, for example:
  • New kin caregiver check-in calls within the first two weeks
    • Staff shared that because most case management practices center on the child’s needs, there is little space or time up front dedicated to lining up supports for the kin caregiver. GPL is collaborating with regional teams to design a new process where staff can proactively reach out to kin caregivers about their support needs sooner, build trust, and create a respite network before caregivers become overwhelmed.
  • “Getting Started as a New Kin Caregiver” tool
    • Los Angeles has a large and complex system that can leave many new caregivers confused and overwhelmed about where to start or what to do next. Developing a new, concise resource guide may help orient new caregivers to DCFS processes, access core supports more quickly, and foster greater consistency and trust between staff and caregivers.
  • Kin-first trainings for managers and frontline staff
    • The GPL is supporting DCFS as they pair these new kin-supportive tools with trainings to help reinforce a kin-first culture across DCFS, prepare managers and supervisors to support their frontline staff, and encourage staff to use the new tools (check-in calls and conversation tools) during existing touch points.