Kinship Navigator - Missions and Goals

missions

Missions

• Facilitated Kinship Focus Groups across the state to ascertain needs and gather information from relative caregivers
• Meetings/Planning with current Kinship support Groups
• Developed and Distributed Kinship Caregiver brochures to relative caregivers, Family Resource Centers, and Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
• Revised and distributed relative Foster Caregiver brochures to relative caregivers, Family Resource Centers, and Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
• Developed and Distributed Kinship legal guides to Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, relative/kinship caregivers, legal stakeholders, DCFS staff and resource providers.
• Developed on line Kinship legal information training
• Developed Kinship resource guide to be finalized and distributed in 2020
• Purchase of portable Fingerprint Machines for all regions to expedite background checks for relatives considering or with placement of relative children in their homes
• Collaborated with faith based community partner in development and implementation of a Kinship Home study and Support Program with LA Methodist Children’s Home to expedite certification and support of relative caregivers
• Expansion of Kinship Navigator Program on DCFS website to provide more information to families
• Provided KINCARE Today Magazine to 1200 kinship families and DCFS staff and FRC’s assisting those families
• Purchase of printers for portable fingerprint machines to expedite relative fingerprint clearances and foster home certification process
• Identified community resources within every region of the state willing to serve relative/kinship caregivers and compiling information into resource guide to assist and support LA 211
• Collaboration with Grandparents Raising Grandchildren to solicit information on needs of relative caregivers.
• Contracted with LAUW 211 for 24/7, toll free hotline for resource and referral service information and ability to gather data on # of callers and needs identified. Satisfaction survey of sample of callers included

goals

Goals

• Continued partnership with faith based community partners thru expedited relative certification process with LA Methodist Children’s Home
• Development of Kinship Caregiver Guide/Resource Manual
• Expanding Public Awareness of LA KNP
• Improve the odds that children can achieve safety, permanency, and well-being when placed with a kin caregiver
• Increase support to kin caregivers statewide by improving access to information, services, and resources across the state
• Increase placement stability
• Increase kin caregiver satisfaction and well-being
• Increase the number of kin caregivers equipped to practice quality and trauma informed parenting
• Launch of Family Resource Center pilot program to better and more comprehensively meet the needs of informal kinship caregivers to support and maintain relative families reducing/eliminating entry into the child welfare system and formal foster care placement
• Monitoring of data thru LAUW 211 and identified needs of relative caregivers