Placing youth with relatives should be the first choice considered for children in custody, but we know that does not mean it is the easiest choice. Kinship providers are asked to take youth with very little notice, and they do not have the same amount of time to prepare as foster parents. Chatham County Department of Social Services has found that engaging relatives with a little different approach from traditional foster parents has been successful.
One approach that has significantly increased the number of kinship families attending training over the last three years is relatively simple but had impressive outcomes! Instead of only having the child’s social worker speak with the family about becoming licensed provider, when the foster home licensing social workers started having conversations with these families too, they saw a drastic improvement. Last year, the number of kinship families completing trainings such as MAPP, Deciding Together, Caring for our Own, was almost the same as the number of non-kin foster parents.
Kinship providers seeking licensure are required to complete training and meet state licensing requirements in midst of the additional home responsibilities of caretaking. Chatham County DSS found that having the option to conduct virtual training was really helpful. Families did not have to figure out all of the logistics required to show up to training each week. Providing training virtually also increased the capacity for contracting with additional trainers and increased the frequency of class availability.
One of the largest barriers we hear about regarding relatives taking youth into their home is the financial burden on the family. As an incentive for pursuing licensure, Chatham County DSS pays half the board rate to kinship providers while they are in the licensure process. The monies provided to the relative during this time period is one way to alleviate some of the added stress of caretaking.
Chatham County DSS included these recruitment strategies for kinship placement and licensure in their Diligent Recruitment and Retention Plan. Their intentional efforts have been effective as evidenced by a twofold relative and court placement rate compared to the state average. Congratulations to the leadership and staff at Chatham County DSS for increasing kinship placements and doing what is best for children and families.
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