Tennessee is the first state to replicate OhioKAN

Another exciting milestone for Kinnect. Tennessee’s Social Work Office of Research and Public Service (UT SWORPS) and the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) announced Tennessee Kinship Connect. This new statewide initiative, funded by a three-year federal grant from the Administration for Children and Families, will adapt OhioKAN for Tennessee kinship families.

A model we built in Ohio. Shaped by caregivers, navigators, and partners, Kinnect's model has been chosen by another state as a model worth replicating to support its families.

"That doesn’t happen by accident," said Shannon Deinhart, CEO and Co-Founder of Kinnect. "It reflects years of listening to families, refining the work, and building the evidence that earned OhioKAN its “Supported” rating from the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse."

For more than 20 years, we’ve learned that when caregivers can quickly find the right help, children and young people are more likely to stay connected and stable.

That’s what OhioKAN was built to do. Now Tennessee families will have that kind of support too.

Read the full announcement on the University of Tennessee College of Social Work’s website.