Casey Family Programs

Children thrive when they are surrounded by love, stability and belonging. That is why child welfare systems must prioritize family-based placements — first with kin, then with other trusted families — instead of relying on group or institutional care. This new brief outlines the most common types of family-based settings for children in foster care, highlights the differences between resource caregiver roles and lifts up insights from people with lived experience in the child welfare system. Read more: https://bit.ly/46Zb0q5 #ChildWelfare

Want to better connect your agency’s services to the needs of your community? The Community Opportunity Map gives child welfare leaders, nonprofits, policy makers, and community members localized data to help you truly connect to the communities you serve, giving hope to children and families. With these helpful insights you can find: -> 30 well-being indicators (health, education, economy, housing, access) using public data -> Disaggregated by race and ethnicity for about two-thirds of the measures, so you can see where inequities lie -> Geographical boundaries that you choose: zip code, city, county, or even custom shapes you draw This tool can help you inform strategy and make decisions grounded in where your community really is. Explore your area https://bit.ly/4o3NRIZ

Every child deserves to grow up in a safe, permanent family where they are loved and know they belong. When children must be removed from their parents and kinship care is not possible, it is vital that they are placed with stable, nurturing families in their home communities. This new brief highlights strategies and tools that child welfare agencies across the country are using to strengthen how they recruit and retain resource families — ensuring children have the families they need to thrive. https://bit.ly/42iNLET #ChildWelfare

Child protection agencies that practice a kin-first approach seek to make every child’s first — and hopefully only — placement with kin. When communities provide kinship caregivers the right supports, kin step up more often and the placement is more successful. Sharing some of these best practices is part of the purpose of the new kinship resources hub recently launched by Casey Family Programs: https://bit.ly/4826gRz #ChildWelfare

Why should we prioritize kinship care? When Theo was born, he was taken into foster care almost immediately. Thanks to the efforts of Cleveland-based nonprofit Kinnect, he was eventually moved to be with kin, where he’s now thriving. Theo’s story is just one small part of the new kinship resources hub recently launched by Casey Family Programs: https://bit.ly/4gQhECz #ChildWelfare

We are proud to announce a new kinship care hub on our website, launched as we wrap up National Kinship Care Month: https://lnkd.in/gmKRCkXa Here you’ll find a collection research and data, features of innovative policies, caring community organizations and of stories that feature real families. Start by learning about Sara, reunited with her children after they stayed with relatives when she was in crisis.

There is much we can learn from the voices of those involved in kinship care. This research report summary looks at Think of Us’ 2024 study, “Kin, first and foremost: challenges, opportunities, and the path forward for kinship care.” The report highlights the voices of youth, parents and kin who have first-hand experiences with the child welfare system. It also shares the perspectives of frontline agency staff, service providers and legal professionals who work in the field. https://bit.ly/45QUDvn #KinshipCareMonth

It’s Hispanic Heritage Month, and we’re proud to honor Spanish-speaking families and child welfare professionals by offering many resources in Spanish. Follow this link to see which resources are available in both English and Spanish; on each resource page, you’ll find the option to download the Spanish version from the left margin. https://bit.ly/45M6UyE

All children deserve lifelong family connections and a permanent place to call home. When a child must be removed from their home, the agency can make sure the child maintains relationships with their extended relatives and chosen family (fictive kin). This brief highlights practices that promote this approach and describes several promising tools to help swiftly identify relatives and fictive kin https://bit.ly/4dKQ2MA #KinshipCareMonth

As we begin National Kinship Care Month, we’re excited to feature the conversation between two of California’s leading child welfare officials: California HHS Secretary Kim Johnson and Child & Family Service Deputy Director Angie Schwartz. In this insightful discussion, Sec. Johnson and Ms. Schwartz share their approach to strengthening kinship care practices across the state. They dive into the critical role that kinship care plays in ensuring children remain safe, supported and connected to their families. https://lnkd.in/gKbxPFSq