Children in care do better when they’re placed with family members or other adults they know and trust. But identifying and connecting with extended family members can be a challenge for foster care programs.
Children can’t have too many adults who care about them. A strong support system of adults supports young people’s resiliency and long-term health and well-being. Yet, most youth enter foster care with more connections than they leave with.
This Kin-Finding Toolkit features promising practices that have been helping child welfare agencies across the country increase their kin placement rates. Every practice comes with the necessary real-world tools, such as sample policy language and forms. Take away new strategies and resources to adapt for your own system or organization. The 20+ practices include:
- Using an expansive definition of kin
- Using heart maps
- Making plans to keep youth connected to all their supportive adults
- Asking kin you find for more kin
- Requiring higher-level approval for non-kin placements
- Learn more about opportunities to receive implementation support, and to share your own kin-finding innovations.
The ideas and materials in this toolkit were compiled from over 35 child welfare agencies across the country.
