Creating Family
Connections
Pursuing Permanence
Don Koenig, Family Preservation Director
Vancouver, Clark County, WA
Family Search and Engagement
Training and Technical Assistance
Catholic Community Services of
Western Washington
There but for the grace of God…
Valuing the Family
What is “Family Search
and Engagement”?
• Finding family is tip of the iceberg.
• The art of creating life long connections
• Major shift from looking at family for
placements to creating connections.
• Exploring multiple ways to engage
relatives to increase safety, stability and
improve permanency outcomes.
• Real Family Centered Practice.
CCSWW – Who are we?
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Serves all Western WA counties & NW Or
Largest not-for-profit multi-service organization-WA
COA accredited
Licensed in Mental Health
Licensed Child Placing Agency
LTC, AHA, FP, FC’s
Annual budget, $85 M
Number of employees, 3000+
Family Preservation - HX
• 1974 Homebuilders –CPS referrals, preventing
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FC placement by strengthening families
1978 expansion to Mental Health and DDD to
prevent hospitalization and residential care
1989 Wraparound Implemented
2000 FAST and Crisis Stabilization Services
2003 Initial Training and Technical Assistance
Ongoing provision of T/TA throughout the USA
National Resource Center for Family Centered
Practice and Permanency Planning, NY, NY
Important lessons learned
• Homebuilders–home based services can
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strengthen families, reduce risks and increase
safety through family connections (CPS)
Wraparound-recognize family strengths,
empower and partner with families in solution
focused team based process (MH-multi-system)
FAST & Crisis Stabilization Services-treat
psychiatric hospitalization like other medical
hospitalization. Involve family in emergencies
If FSE can work under extreme circumstances why
not with youth in ordinary child welfare services?
FAST Results
(7/06 – 6/07)
• 510 completed (90 day) services in the fiscal
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year
154 at imminent risk of hospitalization at referral
354 at high risk of placement disruption
6 had a brief hospitalization (of the 510)
8 ended services in detention or homeless (of
the 510)
26% of children were not enrolled in school at
referral. At exit, 91% were enrolled in school.
84% were living with a parent or extended
family member at close of 90-day FAST
The Washington Institute for Mental Health Research & Training (WIMHRT)
Why We Do This
Family Centered Practice
• Children need their families and families
need their children.
• What would you want for your own
child?
Why We Do This
Cultural Relevance
Family resources are
the most culturally
appropriate and
available resources
providing access to
ethnic, racial and
cultural traditions
Why We Do This
Emotional Security
Behavioral stabilization, a sense of
identity and belonging
Why We Do This
Global practices: In times of crises and natural
disasters family resources provide stabilization.
International Social Service—USA Branch, Inc.
200 E. Lexington Street, 17Th Floor, Suite 1700,
Baltimore, MD 21202 (443) 451-1200
www.iss-usa.org
International Red Crescent-Family Tracing
Aging Out of Foster Care
• Foster care is supposed to be a temporary
haven for children living in unsafe conditions.
But about one-quarter of the 500,000 children in
foster care in the U.S. end up in the system until
they become adults.
• Two-thirds are unable to function successfully
on their own… Mark Courtney, University of
Chicago
• According to the Child Welfare League of
America, 25% become homeless, 56% are
unemployed, 27% of male children end up in
jail. Less than 5% finish college.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/agingout/index-hi.html
http://kidsarewaiting.org/reports/files/AgingOut.pdf
Chapin Hall Placement Stability
Evaluation of 201,573 children served from 1990
to 2002 and web-survey of 1,191 DCFS and
private agency case workers…
• Majority of (76%) of prior foster care
placements ended because foster parents were
“unable or unwilling to continue fostering”.
• Statistical analyses found that placement with
relatives “almost halved the likelihood that a
child will experience a placement change”.
Is Kinship Care Good for Kids?
• More than 2.5 million children are being
raised by grandparents and other relatives
because their parents are unable—for a
variety of reasons—to care for them.
• children in foster care are more likely to live
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with their siblings if they are placed with kin
Fewer children in kinship care report having
changed schools than do children in nonrelative foster care or those in group care
Is Kinship Care Good for Kids?
• Children who reunify with their birth parent(s)
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after kinship care are less likely to re-enter
foster care than those who had been in nonrelative foster placements or in group care
facilities.
Both teachers and caregivers tend to rate
children in kinship care as having fewer
behavioral problems than do their peers in other
out-of-home placement settings.
Children in kinship care Less likely to report
having tried to leave or run away
Myths and Mindsets
TX should be completed or the child should
be stabilized before we search for or
involve family in planning or visits
Some kids would
NEVER see their
family again if we
waited for emotional
or behavioral
challenges to
completely stabilize.
Myths and Mindsets
If the current placement is working we should
not disrupt it by involving family members.
Myths and Mindsets
Placements are easier to access and are
more stable than relatives
Myths and Mindsets
• “Teenagers don’t want or need family”
• “This child is not adoptable”
Myths and Mindsets
“We tried this before and it didn’t work.”
“We already do this!”
What did we learn from
initial family
reunification attempts?
How can we support the
relative better?
How do we create rest
and relief, back-up and
crisis plans to support
the youth and family?
Myths and Mindsets
Belief that behavior is too challenging
for a family
Myths and Mindsets
• Middle class bias
• Size of the family
• Appearance of the home
• Awareness and application of social graces
Myths and Mindsets
“This child has no family”
Rule them IN before
you rule them out.
People change,
circumstances change
and children grow up.
What was once a
concern may not be
one now.
If family is available,
why have they not
come forward?
• Fear system involvement
• Feel powerless to advocate
for their children.
• Just don’t know their child is in need
• Believe they have been adopted.
• Afraid of damaging family
relationships.
• Cannot find their lost children.
CCS-EMQ Collaboration
• EMQ Children & Family Services and Sacramento
County Department of Health and Human Services.
• In a six month period, Jan to June 2003, thirty
children moved out of high level group care to
kinship and foster family situations.
• By June 30, 19 went home to parents or relatives,
11 went to foster families that continued to
support family search and engagement.
Published in 2003, Model Programs for Youth Permanency.
California Permanency for Youth Project
Orange County Youth had average of
.58 family connections at Intake
In six months youth had an average of
6.8 established family connections
Orange County 3 Month Follow-up
Of the youth for which connections were made:
• % of new family connections that have been
sustained since the project ended: 88%
• % of youth for which there is a positive
difference in the youth’s functioning (as defined
by the SSW): 63%
• % of youth that have transitioned (or are being
considered for a transition) to a lower level of
care or family resource as a result of the CFC
project: 63%
• % of social workers who participated in the CFC
project that think it is valuable and should be
continued: 100%
Safety, Stability and Connections
• Differences between working with
younger and older children
• Considerations with children with
serious MH/behavioral challenges
• Advantages of Cultural strengths
and kinship resources
Download free copy of Family
Search and Engagement
Guide
www.ccsww.org/fse
Also
National Resource Center for Family
Centered Practice and Permanency
Planning
SETTING THE STAGE
• Gather professionals, supports. Orient Team
• Prepare youth for participation
• Identify youth’s need for family connections
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(include fictive kin)
Negotiate Team mission & desired
outcomes
Identify known family network (other siblings in
care) Withhold judgment!
Discuss permissions and safety considerations
Discuss expectations. Responsibilities and time
frames are agreed upon
DISCOVERY
• Due diligence, permissions and safety
• Consider ALL of the resources to find
information about the family
– Explore of files and records (list ALL)
– Talk to the family that we already know
– Don’t screen out possible sources of
information
– Use all available search and discovery tools
• Documentation of contacts and quality of
relationships
Internet Search Tools
• Free Search Sites
• Helpful Internet Search Hints
• Boolean Search Tips
• Obituaries Ancestry.com Familysearch.org
• Public Records: Virtualgumshoe.com
• Other Helpful Search Sites and Resources
• Prisoner Locator Services
• International Search Sites
REVIEW OF DISCOVERED
INFORMATION
• Review discovered information with the key
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players. Question/verify all “historical” info
Discuss and approve newly found family
(participation-visits)
Discuss safety considerations and strategies
Due diligence (court and other permissions,
HIPPA compliance)
Complete background checks (child welfare
assistance)
Identify invite and support newly found family
members to participate
ENGAGEMENT: CREATING
CONNECTIONS
Team plans the engagement of new family members
• Supports family connections, visits and activities
(transportation, etc)
• Extends invitations based upon…
– The youth’s strengths: interests, talents, hobbies
– The youth’s needs: education, employment,
medical, emotional, spiritual and cultural
– The need for connectedness and belonging
– The youth’s need for a place to live and a future
CREATING FAMILY CONNECTIONS
“Permanency Pact” www.fosterclub.org
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45 ways to support a child in care
Identify opportunities how relatives can contribute
Team with families to create sustainable plans
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Uncle’s landscaping business to provide part time work
Cousin to provide tutoring in Spanish class
Grandma to teach piano lessons
Grandpa to provide weekend respite
Aunt to teach driver’s education
Cousins to take youth to church youth group
PREPARATION FOR
SUCESSFUL VISITS &
MEETINGS
Safety planning and
structuring meetings
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• Prepare professionals for meetings (contingency
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planning)
Prepare foster parents or residential staff for normal
reactive behavior pre and post visit.
Prepare youth and family members regarding
expectations (reality vs. fantasy)
Initial visits…..
– are brief, supported and occur in natural settings
(pizza parlor, the park, try to have fun)
– are opportunities to create memories (bring a
camera, share photo album, etc.)
After visit: discussion, planning, and debriefing.
INCREASING FAMILY VOICE
AND DECISION MAKING
• Support and develop family connections
• Encourage greater family discussion of placement
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options and/or long term planning for youth
Family helps develop multiple placement options
– recruits family resources to support each other
– develops circle of support (breaks and crisis respite,
etc)
– is allowed time and opportunities to put plans into
practice
– considers necessary professional and community
resources
STAYING TOGETHER
• Legal status is explored including reunification,
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adoption, guardianship, kinship foster care
possibilities
Financial assistance and all available resources
are utilized
The family members and other resources are
organized to support one another with
contingency plans
Formal resources are in place to support the
youth and family
Follow up with the family as needed
Cautions: Lessons Learned
• “Love is all you need” (truth in lending)
• Ambivalence (assess & address concerns)
• Honeymooners (anticipate & practice)
• All eggs in one basket (plan A, B, C, D, etc)
• Incomplete planning (Wanna get away?)
• Insufficient support (professional services)
• Isolation (it takes a village)
One of the greatest diseases
is to be nobody to anybody.
Mother Teresa
Contact Information:
Catholic Community Services
of Western Washington
www.ccsww.org/fse
donk@ccsww.org
360-567-2211