Kinship Pilot
Program Evaluation

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About
Kinship Care

“Kinship care is the care of children by relatives or, in some jurisdictions, close family friends (often referred to as fictive kin)."

Research has found that children in kinship care experience better outcomes than those in non-kinship placements; specifically, the children show “improved placement stability…decreased behavior problems” and fewer examples of reentry into foster care after successful reunification.

THE NEED FOR KINSHIP CARE

The need is for a specific kinship practice model that will lead to consistent strategies for frontline and administrative decision-making that is trauma-informed, advocates for licensing, and promotes reunification and timely permanency.

Trauma Can be Minimized for Children and Families in Foster Care When Placed with Kin

Under Michigan law, within 30 days of removal of a child from his/her parental home, the foster care agency is required to identify and consult with kin to determine whether they would be an appropriate placement for the child.3

In many instances, the State waits until after the child is removed before engaging the kin, which can lead to unnecessary family separations and additional trauma to the child. When the child must be placed in the foster care system, initial placement of a child with a kinship caregiver significantly reduces the trauma to the child.

KINSHIP CONNECTIONS PROGRAM

The New Foster Care worked with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to bring an adaptation of the A Second Chance, Inc. (ASCI) practice model to Michigan. ASCI has been recognized nationally as an innovative family-led, strengths-based, culturally responsive model for kinship care.

THE GOAL OF THE PILOT PROGRAM IS TO:

1) increase the kinship licensure rate

2) reduce the average length of stay for children in foster care

The pilot achieves this by providing supplemental support to the current child protection staff, adding two additional roles, a Family Engagement Specialist and a Kinship Parent Support, who identify potential kin caregivers and provide licensing and placement stabilization services.

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At The New Foster Care, we proudly share the transformative outcomes of The Kinship Pilot Program. Collaborating with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), A Second Chance, Inc. (ASCI), and Orchard's Children's Services, we're shaping kinship care, one success story at a time.