Brenda McLaren February 2015 1 2 Principles 3 Outcomes for Children and Youth Supporting vulnerable children to live successfully in the Community Children in temporary care will be reunited quickly with their family ID: 596494
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Slide1
Kinship Initiatives
Brenda McLaren
February2015
1Slide2
2
PrinciplesSlide3
3
Outcomes
for Children and Youth
Supporting
vulnerable children to live successfully in the Community
Children in temporary care will be reunited quickly with their family
Children in permanent care will be placed in permanent homes as quickly as possible
Youth will be transitioned to adulthood successfully
Aboriginal children will live in culturally appropriate placementsSlide4
4
Practice Strategies
Aboriginal
collaboration and
connection
Multi-cultural
services and supports
Collaborative decision making
Kinship engagement and supports
Family and relative search
Signs of Safety Approach
Outcome
Based Service
Delivery
FASD assessment and service supportsSlide5
What is Kinship?
Differences
between kinship and foster care: Kinship provides care for a specific child(ren) only
Kinship caregivers typically have an existing relationship with the birth parents, which can change family dynamics Kinship care is not licensed and caregivers are not required to meet the training expectations of the 31 core courses that foster families are required to complete
5Slide6
Continuum of Placements
Agreed upon family arrangement
Parent allows alternate person to come into their home to support their parentingParent allows child to be cared for by an alternate caregiver in that persons home
Emergency Caregiver DelegationCYFEA Sec7 (1)(2)(3)(4)
Child comes into care
CAwG
Apprehension
Look for kinship first
When a child comes into care, kinship
placement
must be pursued as the first
placement
6Slide7
What is Kinship? continued
Kinship caregivers are compensated differently than foster parents: basic maintenance (no skill fee or special rates)
Motivation for Kinship care is different: there is vested interest in the specific child(ren); they are stepping up in a difficult circumstance, and children can be placed on an immediate basis Existing
relationships in the family will change in kinship care Community relationships can also change with kinship care
7Slide8
Why Kinship?
Research and Data tells us that children do better when placed with family.Children are more likely to reach their outcomes when placed with Kin.
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Research Outcomes
There are a number of positive outcomes for children
who have been placed into kinship care homes: Children had more frequent
and natural contact with their parentsExperienced fewer placement disruptionsExperienced fewer placement moves
Experienced less trauma
Maintained connections to family values, culture and traditions
Children developed positive self image and sense of belonging
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Outcomes for Kinship
Meeting Outcomes
Children who come into care and experience only one placement, if that placement is kinship, have much higher rates of meeting the identified 5 outcomes:
Supporting vulnerable children to live successfully in the CommunityChildren
in temporary care will be reunited quickly with their family
Children
in permanent care will be placed in permanent homes as
quickly
as possible
Youth will be transitioned to adulthood successfully
Aboriginal children will live in culturally appropriate
placements
For Aboriginal children there is a significant increase in reaching outcomes when placed with kinship over foster care.
10Slide11
Outcomes for
Kinship
Placement Stability A number of quantitative studies using high-level analysis determined that placement stability is much higher
Kin placements more likely to “persist, but also more likely to end in successful discharge to the birthparents” (Perry et al) Fewer
subsequent placements
11Slide12
Outcomes for Kinship
Permanency Outcomes
Permanency looks different (less likely to be adopted) Reunification
with birth parents more likely Stigma Experience less trauma at apprehension
Often
have lived sporadically with caregiver
Less
stigma living with family than in a formal placement
12Slide13
Outcomes for
KinshipMore
closely connected to family and community Positively impacts identity formation
Have more contact with birth parents “If I would have gone into foster care, I would have never seen my cousins or nobody”
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Kinship Home Assessment
If Children have better outcomes in kinship placements, and we are required to look first to kinship, it is important that we have good processes in place to ensure that:
Children are safeAll their needs are metCaregivers have appropriate support
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Immediate vs Planned Placements
Kinship
care providers enter the system in one of two ways:Immediate
placement This is a situation where a child is taken into care and a kinship provider is identified by the family or the child very quickly. The child can be placed with the kinship family as long as Intervention Record Checks are completed and a statement of Criminal Record Checks is signed. This provides opportunity for the child to live with a familiar person immediately.
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Requirements for Immediate Kinship Placement
Immediate
Placement Checklist Upon Placement Intervention Record Check
Kinship Care Applicant Declaration (regarding Criminal Records) Environmental Safety Assessment for Caregivers
Kinship
Guide
Within 72 Hours
Application
for Criminal Record Checks
Application
to become a Kinship Care Provider
Kinship
Care Agreement
16Slide17
Requirements for Immediate Kinship Placement continued
Within
60 Working Days Medical Reference
Kinship Orientation & Guide / Kinship Handbook Follow-up with references Home
study report
All of
these requirements
apply to all residents of the home age 18 and
older
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Immediate vs Planned Placements
Planned placement This situation is where a kinship provider is identified after a child has been placed in a foster care/group care or other placement resource. This provides the opportunity for all requirements to be completed prior to the child being placed.
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Requirements for Planned
Kinship Placement Kinship
Orientation Training / Kinship Guide Intervention Record Check Environmental
Safety Check Application to become a Kinship Care Provider Home Study Report Three
references (two relatives, one non-relative)
Medical
Reference
Kinship
Care Agreement
All of
these requirements
apply to all residents of the home age 18 and older.
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Support and Monitoring
All kinship homes are supported and monitored by a Kinship Care Caseworker
This Caseworker regularly visits the home and meets with the caregiversAll care concerns are assessed using the same formal process used for foster homes
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Services and Supports for Kinship Providers
A Kinship Support Plan is required.
Even if the family doesn’t want anything at the time,
the plan should be on the family’s file stating that fact and the rationale as to why. While a kinship home doesn’t need to be licensed, they do need to pass an Environmental Safety Assessment. -
i.e. Smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors
,
baby
gates, etc.
21Slide22
Services and Supports for Kinship Providers continued
A
Kinship Support Plan can be used to purchase items needed to complete the Environmental Safety checklist.
The Kinship Support Plan can also be used to cover things like daycare, after-school care, tutors or any other assistance the family may need to care for the child (after negotiating with the caseworker).
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Services and Supports for Kinship Providers
continued
Kinship care providers receive both the vacation and recreation allowance at the same rate as foster parents.
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Services and Supports for Kinship Providers continued
Kinship
Orientation Training (KOT) is requiredThis training is available in a variety of formats across the province.
The preferred method is the classroom method. If this is not possible, it may done by completing the
Kinship Care Guide (Guide)
with the Kinship Care Worker.
A
copy of the Guide must be given to all kinship care providers at all immediate placements.
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Services and Supports for Kinship Providers continued
All
the training that is available to foster care parents is also available to kinship care providers. Kinship care providers are encouraged
to take any training that would help make their experience easier. Kinship care providers are also welcome to attend the annual AFPA conference, as well as any other conferences or seminars available to foster parents.
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Services and Supports for Kinship Providers continued
Kinship
Information Number (KIN) KIN Line Established
August 2014 Available to provide basic information on kinship Redirect calls from kinship families requiring support
Available
during normal business hours
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How Community Partners can support Kinship
Kinship Providers may require additional support in the form of teaching, mentoring etc to provide care for high-needs children
Kinship Providers may need assistance to work through grief and loss and renegotiate other relationships within their extended family. Kinship Providers may need support to understand and work with systems
Helpers may need to separate their concerns and attitudes about the biological family from kinship caregivers
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Questions?
28Slide29
Fasd Caring For Our ChildrenWe are in this together
Darci KotkasSlide30
DEFINITION
Debolt
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is a term used to support individuals who have been diagnosed with a “spectrum” of effects related to prenatal alcohol exposure. It includes (but is not limited to) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Alcohol Related Neurobehavioral Disorder, Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Static Encephalopathy.Slide31
KEY POINTS TO BE MADE:Children, adolescents and adults with FASD have complex medical, psychological and social needs.
They are difficult to provide stability for and existing resources are not often user friendly for these families.
DeboltSlide32
Intention…..
The critical message emerging from this work is the need to establish sound FASD Informed Practice to support the often complex needs of children and families. FASD Informed Practice implies that casework is carried out in a way that appreciates the specific challenges associated with FASD as a disabling condition and recognizes the need for adjustments and accommodations in the child welfare response.
A key element of the success of the Community of Practice initiative was the recognition that child welfare practice in response to FASD requires a specialized approach and leadership on practice needs to originate and develop within the workforce.Slide33
WHY US?
Child Protective Services identify more high-risk children than any other public system. The challenge is to recognize the need to do more than protect. Protecting without educating, healing and enriching children is an opportunity lost. The cost in human and
financial resources is overwhelming. Children born with FASD are among the fastest growing group of children entering the child welfare system…..Slide34
Prevalence in Child Protection
What we KnowFASD is often overrepresented in children, adolescents and adults requiring services from child protection agencies – 50% of caseloadsThe Enhancement Act’s philosophy of “least intrusive and time limited” is not congruent with what we know helps with these children and families.
Many contracted agencies that serve individual Child and Family Service Authorities are often unprepared to serve this high needs group. Children and families experiencing the complexities of this poorly understood disability are often at the center of highly public child protection failures. Slide35
Why do we do this? It is important to understand that
early diagnosis and intervention are positively correlated with better long term outcomes for the children and their families. Appropriate diagnosis results in the children receiving relevant and targeted interventions, significantly improves their functioning, adaptability, self-awareness and self-esteem not to mention significantly improves parent-child interactions (
Streissguth et al 2004).Slide36
80% of individuals with FASD are raised by other people:
Biological families are unaware of what has happened developmentally for their childRearing families are unaware of the etiology of the problems
Multiple placements distort the information and the functioning
DeboltSlide37
TRIFECTA – FASD and……
School FailureMental Health Disorders
Addictions Streissgueth’s Secondary Disability Study90% had mental health problems
30% had drug and alcohol use/misuse Slide38
Understanding the Presence of FASD in our “Systems of Support”
If we get it:We will have effective and cost efficient interventions
We will have enhanced collaborationWe will have improved developmental outcomesWe will reduce the intergenerational effects of FASD
If we don’t:We will have ineffective and costly interventionsThere will be systemic frustration and blameThere will be multiple diagnosis (and explanations) over time.There will be an escalation of symptoms despite “huge” effort.Slide39
Intervention is….
Identification of high risk individuals is intervention.Gathering relevant information to support a diagnosis of FASD is intervention.
Referring for formal diagnosis/assessment is intervention.Diagnosis is intervention.Diagnosis kick starts a multi-system organization of care. That is intervention.
DeboltSlide40
#1 Value: Placement Stability
Training, training, & more trainingCoaching and supportRespite and Relief CareGrief and Loss support – The ability to give up what we wish this was to take on what it isSlide41
Recognition of intergenerational FASD.There is a significant gap in our system of service for persons with disabilities.
(Support for people with disabilities to be parents).Many of these circumstances then lead to child protection involvementRecognition of Non-compliance as non-competence shifts the traditional approaches and expectations of the child welfare system.Slide42Slide43
Development of Child Welfare Practice Standards
Creating improved outcomes for children with FASDEarly identificationAppropriate service planning
Specialized training to agency staff, families and caregiversIncreased placement stabilityReduction in incidence an severity of secondary disabilitiesEffective transition to adult services
DeboltSlide44
FASD:Community of practice
Training for staffSupport application and integration into case practice.Ensuring disability first lensAssist workers in being strong advocates in leading collaborative partnerships to serve clients and families with this disability effectively.Slide45
Training opportunity in medicine hat
FASDtraining.comMay 1, 2015