Getting connected. Staying connected Grant: #90CO5013

1. Cook County Illinois Recruitment and Kin Connection Project Getting connected. Staying connectedGrant: #90CO5013

2. RKCP overview • Strategies for recruiting relatives and fictive kin • Concurrent Planning • RKCP Evaluation Overview Presentation outline

3. We are an intensive family finding and engagement model for families with children ages 6 through 13 who are new to care: • Empowers birth parents at the time temporary custody is granted; • Locates a support network for each family consisting of relatives, fictive kin, and significant others with the help of the birth parents; • Encourages permanency planning at case opening: and • Engages with the assigned Child Welfare Specialist to become part of the team that works diligently to increase placement stability. Recruitment And Kin Connection Project

4. The purpose of family finding is to build a life-long supportive network for children and their families. It is our belief that family finding can reducethe time children are in care when executed with passion and a sense of urgency. Maintain family connections

5. From the heart of a child

6. We interview birth families at the time temporary custody has been granted and have them identify their current or potential supports • We gather information and conduct outreach visits the next day • We search for, assess, and engage identified birth family members, fictive kin, and significant others who can act as resources • We re-assess identified family members throughout the case to assist with service planning • We document all family finding efforts directly onto SACWIS and provide hard copies for court personnel and child welfare specialists “Support is giving strength to another”

7. Kin Connection Specialists: • Recognize that family involvement is powerful and effective. • Help families design change by identifying their own positive supports. • Find relatives and friends with the help of the birth parents who can be a positive support to the parents and to the children while they are in substitute care. • Respect and value the birth parent’s suggestions of relatives who can help. • Locate relatives who can help the birth parents with meeting the tasks of their service plan. Partner with birth parents

8. The Kin Connection Specialist will: • Gather names, addresses, and phone numbers of family members identified by the birth family; • Reach out to the identified family members the day after temporary custody is granted; • Conduct file mining of the current information available on SACWIS that may lead to identifying more family members; • Schedule face-to-face meetings that will assess the current level of support for the family and create a plan that will assist with potential family support. The search for current and potential connections

9. We document a child’s history and relationships as soon as temporary custody is granted: • The birth parent’s account of supportive family members • A baseline and subsequent genogram • A child-centered eco-map • A Family Finding Information sheet complete with addresses and phone numbers of family members • A comprehensive Family Search and Engagement Summary Report Preserve family history and relationships

10. The Kin Connection Specialist has been assigned a role on SACWIS and is able to document all family finding history in the family’s permanent SACWIS record under the Diligent Search section. • The Kin Connection Specialist has been assigned a specific role on the Diligent Search Service Center in order to complete diligent searches for family members Family finding information placed in Sacwis

11. Public Defender: • Introduces KCS to family at TC hearing and encourages the birth parents to take advantage of family finding services; • Receives a copy of the family finding information for future reference for their clients. Partner with court personnel

12. Public Guardian: • Serves as a consultant for the KCS regarding the child’s needs; • Acts as a member of the child’s team regarding family finding efforts. Partner with court personnel

13. The Kin Connection Specialist teaches the family search and engagement model to the assigned Child Welfare Specialist by: • Helping families design change by identifying supports and use this information in service and concurrent planning; • Teaching the importance of preserving the family relationships; • Recognizing that when a family tells their story in their own words, it can lead to better searches, and better outcomes. Transfer of learning model

14. File mining: SACWIS and paper files • Birth parent interviews, mother and father • Interviewing family members • Interviewing the children • Interviewing community members • Internet and data system searches • Identify challenges and barriers and navigate around them Discovery in family finding

15. Most crucial component in family finding • Demonstrate respect/empathy • Develop an understanding of the family’s past experience and current situation • Identify family strengths and needs together • Be consistent, reliable, and honest • Allow family members to “vent, validate, and venture” Engagement in family finding

16. Engage and empower both parents as much as possible – listen to and respect their story • Do not assume that the family member knows how important he/she is to the child – ENLIGHTEN THEM • Discuss the positive impact their continued involvement can have on the child’s well-being • Identify AT LEAST 4 key figures that are committed to maintaining family connections and assess past, current, and potential relationships with the family and children Family engagment tips

17. The Kin Connection Specialist will meet with identified family members and fictive kin and determine what level of support they can provide to the family and to the child(ren) in care. • Formal Supports – Level 4 • Natural Supports – Level 3 • Community Supports – Level 2 • Informal Supports – Level 1 Assess four levels of support

18. Current placement • Potential future placement if needed • Extended respite care Formal supports

19. Planned short term respite care • Emergency respite care • Child mentor • Parenting coach for birth parents • Provide transportation to school, doctor, therapist • Provide transportation to community activities • Supervision of safety plan • Child care Natural supports

20. Therapist • Attorney • School personnel • Church members • Youth groups • Youth counselors • Scout leaders, dance teachers, or friends Community supports

21. The identified family member or fictive kin can: • Send cards, letters of support • Be present at important events in a child’s life • Make phone calls • Plan outings, movie nights, sporting events • Provide family photographs • Offer emotional support by staying connected Informal supports

22. Family Gem: Current or potential placement • Family Leader: The family looks to this person for support and guidance; has the ability to motivate others in the family to act; holds the “power” in the family • Family Informant: Shares structure of family dynamics and can identify the family’s strengths, needs, and current barriers • Key Player: Has the resources/skill sets to be an important figure in the child’s life in areas such as weekend visits, tutoring, mentoring, and outings. Locate supportive kin/fictive kin

23. Family Gem • current placement • potential future placement (crucial) • short-term respite provider • long-term respite provider Central Family figures

24. Family Informant • Willing to talk to the KCS about family structure and dynamics • Identifies family members on maternal and paternal side • Willing to share contact information for additional family members Central family figures

25. Family Leader • Family members look to this person for support and guidance • Holds “power” in the family • Has the strongest ability to motivate others in the family to stay involved Central Family figures

26. Key Player • Resources and skill sets to be an important figure in the child’s life • Not the current placement and may not serve that role in the future • Mentor, confidant, includes child in family activities Central Family figures

27. Family Finding Information Sheet • SACWIS case note under Diligent Search Section • Baseline/Subsequent genograms • Child Centered Eco maps • Family Search and Engagement Summary Report Our findings become part of the family’s permanent record

28. Two fold process: *build a life-long supportive network *develop an alternate plan if reunification is not possible • Concurrent planning requires: *open, honest, complete communication between the birth parents, foster parents, and case manager *respectful use of disclosure How to develop a concurrent plan

29. There are two primary data sources to the evaluation: 1. SACWIS File Reviews Goal: To collect traditional child welfare outcome data. 2. Home Visits Goal: To collect child well-being and psycho-social outcome data. Measures: • Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) • Harter Self-Perception Scale (Self Esteem) • Positive and Negative Emotions (PANAS) • Optimism and Pessimism (Y-LOT) • Network of Relationships Inventory (NRI) The rkcp evaluation process

30. Children in the intervention group will: • Achieve permanency more quickly. • Return home or achieve kinship guardianship at higher rates. • Have fewer placement disruptions. • Have better psycho-social and well-being outcomes. Key evaluation hypotheses

31. Children between the ages of 6 and 13 are served. • Cases are randomly assigned to courtrooms at Cook County Juvenile Court on Concourse and Ground Levels. • In Year 1 of implementation, the intervention group included all children on the Concourse Level and the Control Group included children on the Ground Level. The groups have switched floors in Year 2. Evaluation design

32. The home visit team contacts each child’s foster parent or residential placement to attempt to schedule a home visit approximately six weeks after the temporary custody hearing. Up to seven calls are made over the course of three weeks. • Shelters are contacted to obtain permission for visits with children placed at these facilities. • Caseworkers are contacted to assist in scheduling visits with children in inpatient placements. • Each child’s caseworker is notified once a home visit has been scheduled. • Subsequent home visits are conducted at 6 and 12 months after temporary custody. Placement and caseworker contact information are updated as needed at these times. Scheduling home visits

33. Four Phases: Phase I Using SACWIS File Review Document, RKCP evaluation team collects data from SACWIS involving demographics, basic case information and relative involvement. Phase II Evaluator emails Child Welfare Specialist or Kin Connection Specialist to set up a 20-30 minute phone call to discuss Phase I results. Phase III At six-eight months, Child Welfare Specialists are sent cases with lists of kin/fictive kin identified in Phase I. Phase IV Case closure. Evaluator completes section of file review pertaining to case disposition and all placements and placement dates while in care. SACWIS file review

34. First Kin/Fictive Kin Name:______________________ Age:_____ Relationship to youth: Maternal Aunt________________ SACWIS file review: kin/fictive kin identification

35. Intervention versus control group:mean Number of relatives identified Mean # of Relatives More Relatives Identified in the Intervention versus Control Group .

36. Intervention versus control group:Mean Number of “attachments” identified Mean # of Relatives More “Attached” Relatives Identified in the Intervention versus Control Group .

37. “Would you consider any of the kin or fictive kin we have discussed as alternative placements for the child if the current placement were not to work out for some reason?” • If yes, Name of person:_________________________ • “Have you discussed this possibility with this person?” YES _____ NO _____ Permanency planning

38. Kin Connection Specialist versus Child Welfare Specialist capacity to Identify Alternative Placements Kin Connection Specialists (Intervention) were able to identify alternative placements more often.

39. Intervention versus control group:time 1 harter self-concept differences Intervention group had higher self-concept scores, controlling for demographic and intake differences.

40. Intervention versus control group:time 1 Network of relationship inventory differences (disclosure) Intervention group was more likely to disclose to relatives, controlling for demographic and intake differences.

41. Proportion of relative to total Placements: Intervention versus Control As the number of placements children experience increases, the proportion of placements that are with relatives is stable for the intervention but decreases for the control group.

42. Navigate • Impact • Connect • Empower/Engage Family finding is nice!

43. Illinois Department of Children and Family Services 100 West Randolph, Suite 6-100 Meryl Paniak, MSW, JD IDCFS Project Administrator – Office of Legislative Affairs 312.814.2409 Meryl.Paniak@illinois.gov Mary Dreiser, MSW Statewide Federal Grants Manager 312.814.6934 Mary.Dreiser@illinois.gov Contact information

44. Adoptions Unlimited, Inc. 120 W. Madison, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60602 Phone: 312.346.1516 Fax: 312.346.0004 Marilyn Panichi Executive Director----- 312.462.7225 mrp@adoptinfo-il.org Deborah J. Saucedo RKCP Director – 773.682.1667 Cook County Juvenile Court – 8th Floor,2245 West Ogden Avenue, Chicago, IL 60612 ds@adoptinfo-il.org or Deborah.Saucedo@illinois.gov Kristin Miller RKCP Associate Director – 773.682.2114 IDCFS Joliet Office – 1619 W. Jefferson Street, Joliet, IL, 60435-6724 kmiller@adoptinfo-il.org or Kristin.Miller2@illinois.gov Dr. Scott Leon, PhD., Associate Professor, Loyola University RKCP Evaluator 773.508.8713 sleon@luc.edu Contact information