Open navigation menu. Close navigation menu.
Request Assistance

Exemplary Kinship/Grandfamilies Practices Application

This page allows you to preview the application. Please complete and submit the online version of this application for your kinship/grandfamilies practice to be considered for designation as “Exemplary.” We encourage you to keep your answers concise and save a copy of the application. The final deadline to submit applications is April 22, 2025, but consider submitting as early as possible. If you need assistance with the application or have any questions, please contact Shalah Bottoms, Technical Assistance Specialist, Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network, at sbottoms@gu.org.

  1. Contact information
  • Name of agency/organization/tribe and state or territory
  • Name of contact person and title/position, along with email address and phone number
  • Agency/organization website
  • Select the system that best represents your agency or organization
    • Aging/Elders/Seniors
    • Child Welfare
    • Community-based/faith-based organization
    • Disability
    • Education
    • Housing
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Nutrition
    • TANF
    • Other

2. Overview of kinship/grandfamilies practice

  • What is the name of the kinship/grandfamilies practice?
  • Provide a general overview of the practice, including: need the practice is designed to address, how it is implemented, and how long it has been in place/practice, approximate number of kin/children/families served through this practice, and demographic information, such as age, race, socioeconomic status.
  • What is utilized/necessary for effective implementation of the practice? Indicate what tools, resources, partnerships, staffing, and/or funding amounts/sources are needed.
  • Explain how the unique needs and cultures of your caregivers are incorporated in the development and implementation of the practice. 
  • Is there a written agency or organizational policy that formalizes or requires this practice?
  • If this practice is reflected in law, regulation, or policy, please share a webpage link or email an attachment to sbottoms@gu.org using the subject line “Exemplary Practices Application Materials”.
  • If information about this practice is publicly available to families and service providers, please share a webpage link or email an attachment to sbottoms@gu.org using the subject line “Exemplary Practices Application Materials”.

3. Service Population Focus

  • Who is the practice designed to benefit (e.g., families being served inside and/or outside the child welfare system, older kin caregivers, children being raised by kin, etc.)?
  • How were kinship families involved in the development and/or implementation of the practice? If not involved, how did they inform it?
  • Explain how kinship/grandfamilies, staff, and collaborative partners are included in assessing the effectiveness of the practice.

4. Partnerships

  • If applicable, list other agencies or organizations that helped develop and/or helped implement the kinship/grandfamilies practice, and describe how they helped/help.
  • If applicable, describe any efforts to engage multiple systems and promote cross-system collaboration when developing and implementing the practice (especially efforts involving one or more of the Network’s priority systems: aging, child welfare, disability, education, housing, Medicaid/Medicare, nutrition, and TANF).

5. Evidence and Continuous Quality Improvement

  • Describe the empirical and anecdotal evidence that shows the effectiveness of this practice, including relevant data, if applicable.
  • What tools, methods, or strategies are used to measure the effectiveness of the practice?
  • Describe the continuous quality improvement processes utilized to modify the practice as needed.

6. Sustainability

  • Explain the strategies employed by the agency or organization to sustain the kinship/grandfamilies practice, including ongoing funding, in-kind or volunteer support, partnerships with community service providers, and/or staffing (including efforts related to staff retention and training).
  • Discuss any potential barriers to maintaining this practice over the long term (for example, funding, staffing, change in law, etc.) and the plans in place to overcome them.

7. Optional Information

If there is additional information you would like to have considered with your application, please describe or email an attachment to sbottoms@gu.org using the subject line “Exemplary Practices Application Materials”.

The Network is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $9,950,000 with 95 percentage funded by ACL/HHS and $523,684 and 5 percentage funded by non-government sources. The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS or the U.S. Government.

The Network is a project of Generations United.