News
The situation A 14-year-old boy spent over 7 years in foster care, moving between residential treatment centers, group homes, and foster placements. During this period, he lost contact with his biological family, who believed he had been adopted, leaving him without essential familial support and stability. The facilitation Our Kinnect to Family (KTF) Specialist intervened…
We are thrilled to announce that Kinnect has been highlighted in the prestigious Casey Family Programs 2024 Signature Report! This recognition underscores the impactful work our team is doing to redefine kinship and support children and families within the child welfare system. The report highlights Kinnect’s core values of belonging, connection, bonds, identity, and love—principles…
The situation Our Kinnect to Family (KTF) Specialist recently received a referral involving seven children. The Public Child Welfare Agency aimed to place these siblings with relatives to maintain their familial bonds. The facilitation With urgency and care, our KTF Specialist worked to identify and contact multiple family members. Through home assessments and dedicated efforts,…
Success story The situation Trudy, our Kinnect to Family Specialist, recently stepped in to assist a family with a 6-month old baby facing serious medical issues. Through her efforts, she discovered the baby’s father had passed away. Trudy devoted herself to finding a relative who could provide the love and support the baby desperately needed.…
We are very excited to share our strategic plan for the next three years. Click on the link below to view the slides for more information and expect more details to come as the year progresses. 24-27 Strategic Plan Slides
Success story The situation A school-age child came to Ohio from Georgia with his mom for what was to be a short trip. A crisis arose and due to system barriers, the child was brought into foster care. The young person was scared and worried about his mom and wanted to see his family back…
National SOGIE Center – Chosen Affirming Family Finding
The National Center for Youth with Diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Expression (The National SOGIE Center), has officially launched an eLearning module that the Kinnect team supported to develop. LGBTQ+ Adapted Family Finding & Engagement is now available online to the world! This would not have been possible without the input and support of…
Child Welfare League of America – Innovating to Build a KinFirst Ohio
Kinnect Article Recently Published in Children’s Voice Magazine The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) Children’s Voice magazine recently put the spotlight on an article, “Innovating to Build a KinFirst Ohio”, that was written by Kinnect team members, Shannon Deinhart, Stephanie Beleal, and Cass Freeland. The article shines a light on the program values that…
Success story The situation A Kinnect to Family Specialist was working to ensure that a 3 month old baby boy remained within his family as his parents were being supported with care, resources, and services to mitigate the struggles they were experiencing as a result of poverty. The facilitation The Kinnect to Family specialist found…
Members of our own Kinnect team, Stephanie Beleal, Alyse Almadani, and Cait Proctor-Frazier, along with our partners at Kaye Implementation & Evaluation, Emily Smith Goering, Sarah Kaye, Lucia Reyes, and Elisa Rosman, recently collaborated to write an article titled, “Increasing the likelihood of kinship placements: Testing the effectiveness of an intensive family search and engagement…