Transformational Service Delivery in Kinship Foster Care: Influence of Casey

1
Transformational Service Delivery in Kinship
Foster Care Influence of Caseys Breakthrough
Series

• Priscilla A. Gibson, PhD, LICSW
• Michaela Rinkel, LICSW
• Juliana Keen, BS

2
RESULTS

• Five major changes in the kin search process
• Earlier kin searches are better,
• Widening the definition of kin,
• Promotion of kinship care as important to
  families,
• Biological fathers from invisible to a resource,
• Hindrances to the search process.

3
Results

• The following will explain results along with
  direct quotes that provide more detailed context.

4
1. Earlier searches are most effective.

• There was recognition that the timing of the
  search process was important. A manger confirmed
  this by saying
• I believe that we already had identified kinship
  searches as a weak area. We were doing them too
  late.

5
1. Earlier searches are most effective.

• The earlier is better was also discussed by a
  worker
• I was asked to do kinship searches for kids
  currently in foster care I would get them in all
  stages, sometimes after they had gone to the
  adoption unit. But, as the Collaborative actually
  began, it was more about finding right away when
  a child went into emergency foster care and
  finding family as quickly as possible.

6
2. Widening the definition of kin

• The definition of kin, a blood relative or close
  family friend was expanded to include others who
  had any type of close relationship with the
  biological parents, which may not have been a
  close relationship

7
2. Widening the definition of kin

• A worker shared an example about the children of
  the same father who was incarcerated but had
  different mothers
• I called and said were you involved with
  so-and-so and did you have a child by him. And
  well he has another child by another woman and we
  were trying to find kin and she was more than
  willing to take this child because she knew the
  impact of this womans death on her own daughter,
  worried about what was going to happen to her
  half-brother. So this was really expanding the
  idea of kin. The mother of another child of this
  man, who would take this child in foster care.

8
3. Promotion of kinship care placements

• Being placed with kin was supported. A manager
  provided an example of how the situation might
  occur
• But they (relatives) know theres something
  going on and they call (CPS) and they say, you
  know, Im Johnny Joness grandma and I just
  wonder whats happening (with the case). And, see
  in the past I think we used to just say Im
  sorry we cant say anything about (the case).
  The same manager explained the change in practice
  that was friendlier to kin Now they take the
  information, put it into our data entry system
  and probably also give the information to the
  worker that grandma has called and heres
  grandmas phone number.

9
3. Promotion of kinship care placements

• Explaining how some workers promoted kin
  searches a supervisor used the phrase took it a
  step further
• I think social workers always ask families about
  relatives or kin, thats always been a part of
  their practice. However, I think once so many of
  us were involved in the kinship search, it
  emphasized even more so the importance of
  relatives. I think social workers took it a step
  further, rather than if relatives said, I dont,
  theres nobody and workers would just kinda take
  that at face value at that point. But now I think
  they probe more and ask for names, phone numbers,
  real specifics so that they could be contacted.

10
3. Promotion of kinship care placements

• A worker provided excellent examples of how these
  workers assisted in the search process
• Well Im only speaking from my perspective. A
  lot of the social workers went from Yes this is
  nice to This is imperative. We need to find
  family sooner rather than later. I think there
  were early adapters and some who were a little
  more reticent to adapt. But I think there was an
  attitude change where, this is a wonderful
  family member because when I first started
  (conducting kin searches), and Im quoting here,
  there was a lot of attitude where the apple
  doesnt fall far from the tree. I mean I used
  to hear that a lot. I mean just because one of
  the branches had a disease doesnt mean there
  arent suitable family caregivers. I mean there
  was a definite attitude shift during that time of
  the Collaborative (project).

11
4. Biological fathers from invisible to resources

• Involving biological fathers in the search
  process was seen by a supervisor as the biggest
  change in service delivery during the project
• I think that one of the biggest things that came
  out of the breakthrough series of kin was fathers
  that were so often somewhat, not considered as a
  resource and neglected if they were not initially
  part of that childs life.

12
4. Biological fathers from invisible to resources

• An administrator said
• I think that during the kinship care (project),
  one of the things we identified is that we
  werent really seeking out fathers, non-custodial
  fathers and using them as a resource, and we
  really dealt with that issue and we deal with
  fathers entirely differently today than we did
  three years ago.

13
5. Hindering the search process Worker factor

• Worker factors described their status, attitudes
  and relationship with the biological parents that
  acted as barriers during the search process.
• In discussing the many positive changes that
  occurred regarding the search, a manager stated
  That was a big challenge (workers attitude about
  kinship care placements). Im sure we didnt
  begin to get even halfway toward, changing this
  attitude thing toward relatives.

14
5. Hindering the search process Relative factor.

• Certain past and present circumstances in the
  lives of relatives were seen as not conducive to
  being good caregivers
• A worker described a situation in which family
  members had criminal records
• The grandparent wasnt able to the fathers
  side of the family all had criminal records and
  werent able to care for the child and the same
  for the maternal family who all had a lot of
  issues.

15
5. Hindering the search process Custodial parent
factor

• A supervisor connected the refusal to provide
  information on the father with there being an
  adversarial relationship
• If the mothers of the children said, oh, hes
  no good, or hes not around or he doesnt
  have a relationship that would just be taken at
  face value and there were a lot of fathers that
  were very much around, very involved, wanted to
  have more involvement with their children but,
  because of the adversarial relationship between
  them and the childrens mother, they were kept
  out, and so they were sometimes just not even
  pursued as possible placement resource. I think
  that changed dramatically with the kinship
  series.