FCCS Searches for Kin Far and Wide

FCCS Searches for Kin Far and Wide

When family unity is threatened, even temporarily, Franklin County Children Services is often mandated to step in to find suitable housing for the children while their parents work out their issues.

Social workers in the FCCS Kinship Program use the latest tools, genograms, and investigative work to find family members or close family friends who can provide a loving, stable home. 

Finding potential kinship caregivers is specialized work. “The model is not only technology-based but rooted in the values of family research and engagement,” said Amy Wood, director of the agency’s Placement and Provider Services department. 

Specialists in her department use online search engines, paid databases, and family interviews to map out a family tree and then start making contacts.

Franklin County Children Services makes it a priority to place children with kin when possible. More than one third of children who must leave home are initially placed with kin. 

While most local kinship relatives can be identified by an interview with the parties, a Kinnect to Family specialist tackles the tougher cases using an intense genetic family tree, created by a special program. 

“I’m usually assigned two cases at a time and while our staff can find two to eight family members, I have to find a minimum of 80 family members,” Kinnect to Family Specialist Sarah Laboiteau said about her state grant. She uses a GenoPro database, Facebook messenger, and outreach efforts to map out the family history of each youth. Her searches may involve newspaper obituaries, state records, and online people finders.

Last year, FCCS served more than 3,000 young people in agency custody and more than 1,316 were placed with relatives or other kin.

Offering Support for Kinship Families

Taking on the responsibility of caring for someone else’s children can be daunting, even if the child is close to you. Luckily, there is a lot of help for kinship families. 

The Children Services kinship program offers families with open cases services including:

  • Financial support
  • An orientation program
  • Home visits to provide support and guidance
  • Linkage to community resources
  • Workshops and support groups
  • Possible material assistance, such as bedding, car seats, or a clothing stipend for the children
  • Medical care (typically provided by government programs)

There are other ways to find help in our community. According to FCCS Kinship Caseworker Natasha Lawhorn, “There are many resources available to families based on income or need. A good place to start is OhioKAN.” 

The Ohio Kinship and Adoption Navigator (OhioKAN) is a free service that links kinship and adoptive families with resources concerning health, social support, childcare, education, finances, caregiver support, and more. 

Kinship families may also qualify to receive KGAP (Guardianship) or KPI (Permanency) stipends to help with monthly expenses, state food vouchers and benefit cards, and school and childcare assistance. Visit our Kinship webpage for more information.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Safer Together: First FCCS Director of Safety and Security Selected

Image
Adding another layer to the strategies designed to keep Franklin County Children Services staff and visitors to FCCS buildings protected and safe - and championing a new “Safer Together” approach to security - the agency has welcomed its first official Director of Safety and Security. Robert Collins joined the FCCS Team in mid-November with more than 30 years of private and public safety, security, and emergency management experience. And he’s already been busy. “It will take all of us to keep the agency safe and each other safe,” Mr. Collins shared. “This position will be the lead on enhancing, implementing, and overseeing our comprehensive safety and security efforts,” according to FCCS Executive Director Chip Spinning. “We want Robert to be the point-person in security-related discussions, for emergency and crisis planning, and as a liaison between FCCS and local first responders.” Mr. Collins will also chair the agency’s Safety Committee and is in the process of meeting FCCS staff
Read more

FCCS Visitation Keeps Families Connected

Image
When young people can no longer stay with a parent, it’s still critically important to help kids maintain connections to their loved ones. And over the past year, Franklin County Children Services has coordinated thousands of safe visits to connect children and separated parents - and used the time that families are together to connect them with additional support.  Regularly-scheduled family visitation is an opportunity for children who are in out-of-home care and their parents to spend quality time together, with the ultimate goal of family reunification.  In 2023, FCCS has coordinated more than 6,000 of these family visits over the course of the year. LaTisha Sterling is one of 34 FCCS social service aides (SSA) who helped facilitate these meaningful family gatherings. “My passion is helping people… being an advocate for the people we serve,” says Sterling, who works primarily out of FCCS’s West Region office on Frank Road.  With both a bachelor’s and a master’s degrees in social wo
Read more

FCCS Volunteers Comfort, Care for Children during Crisis

Image
As a volunteer in Franklin County Children Services’ Crisis Center, Michalle DiGiovine fondly recalls dining on “pretend food” and playing “restaurant” with a promising culinary staff of five young children as they tried out recipes prepared on a plastic range.  “It felt good that they could come to me - a stranger - to pretend and laugh a little,” she said, remembering how she connected with the youngsters, all the under the age of 10, who had just endured an extremely traumatic experience at home. As January is National Mentoring Month, it’s a great time to recognize the Crisis Center volunteers who help protect children by allowing them to escape from tumultuous situations for a time and feel safe and cared for.  Mentors and volunteers play an important role at FCCS in surrounding children who come into the agency’s care with kindness and support, letting children know they are not alone. It’s part of the agency’s strategy to protect the “whole” child - mind, body, and heart.  A pla
Read more