	Kinship Care Services

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

KC 1: Access to Services and Screening

The organization conducts outreach activities and screens applicants promptly and responsively to identify need efficiently and direct individuals to appropriate services.

KC 1.01

Families are screened and informed about:

how well the family’s request matches the organization's services; and
what services will be available, and when.

NA Another organization is responsible for screening.

KC 1.02

Prompt, responsive screening practices:

ensure equitable treatment;
give priority to urgent needs and emergency situations;
support timely initiation of services or immediate contact with the referral source when the child and family cannot be served; and
examine the child’s ability to participate in family and community life without danger to themselves or others.

Interpretation: Each child is screened to determine if he or she poses a risk to other children in the home or community. When risks are identified, the organization uses the information to inform screening decisions and to develop a safety plan with the kinship caregiver.

KC 1.03

Families who cannot be served, or cannot be served promptly, are referred or connected to appropriate resources.

NA The organization: (1) accepts all clients, or (2) only receives clients by referral, and is required by contract to accept all referrals.

KC 1.04

The organization identifies Indian children and collaborates with the tribe or Indian organization to:

determine the applicability of, and ensure compliance with, the Indian Child Welfare Act;
determine jurisdiction;
assess the child's needs;
provide the family with information regarding their rights under the Indian Child Welfare Act;
determine the most appropriate plan for the child; and
maintain connections between the child and his or her tribe.

Interpretation: If the tribe is unknown, the organization should document efforts to identify the tribe and notify the regional office of the Bureau of Indian affairs.

Interpretation: The organization should have established procedures for identifying Indian children that do not depend on the child's physical appearance.

Note: Evidence of tribal participation should be documented in the case record.

Research Note: The Indian Child Welfare Act authorizes states and federally recognized tribes to enter into agreements governing the care and custody of Indian children and jurisdiction over child custody proceedings. Organizations should refer to tribal-state agreements and the Indian Child Welfare Act to determine what role each party should play in cases involving Indian children, and to ensure compliance with relevant legal requirements.

NA The organization only provides informal kinship care services.

KC 1.05

The organization provides outreach to families in the community to make them aware of the services provided by the organization.

Interpretation: Outreach can be provided through the organization's website, promotional materials, and events and through other methods.

QUICK JUMP TO


	PURPOSE: Kinship Care Services maintain the family system as the primary source of care and preserve the continuity of care, culture, relationships, and environment essential for child safety and well-being.

RELATED FILES


	SERVICE One or more organization-operated programs or activities that have a common general objective and deploy the organization's material and human resources in a planned and systematic manner. An organization that publicly promotes or identifies itself in writing as offering a service, is licensed to deliver a service, assigns personnel and/or space to a service, or allocates financial resources to a service is considered to offer that service.


	FAMILY Two or more people who consider themselves family and who assume obligations, functions, and responsibilities generally essential to healthy family life. Child care and child socialization, income support, long-term care, and other caregiving are among the functions of family life. The definition of "family" will rest with an individual's indication of who plays a family member role, including current or former foster family, adoptive family, extended family members, fictive kin, or significant others. Organizations that believe family is the central constellation in a child's life, and that family attachments are of primary importance for human development, will strive to work with professional staff to develop a common understanding of "family."


	CULTURE The customs, habits, values, skills, technology, beliefs, and religious, social, and political behaviors of a group of people in a specific period of time.


	OUTREACH Contact initiated by a provider to identify persons in need of services, to provide information to them about services and benefits, and to encourage the use of appropriate services.


	SCREEN A preliminary test administered to a client to determine whether he/she meets eligibility criteria for the services offered by an organization.


	PRACTICE Established actions or ways of proceeding in the regular performance of organizational duties. Policies and procedures often guide practice.


	COMMUNITY A specific group of people living in the same locality and who may share a common culture, values, and norms. Communities can also be defined by race, religion, ethnicity, age, occupation, political status, tribal affiliation, interest in particular problems or outcomes, or other common bonds. The term "community" encompasses worksites, schools, tribes, residential neighborhoods, business districts, recreational areas, and health and human service sites.


	CAREGIVER The provider of physical, emotional, and social needs to another person, often dependent and unable to provide for his or her own needs. Caregiver is the generic term used for the direct service providers in Community Care and Support Services (CCS).


	CONNECTED The means by which individuals access services that may or may not be provided by the organization itself. These terms are used interchangeably when individuals are connected to services either directly or by referral. See also LINKED.


	CONTRACT A formal written agreement between two or more parties that specifies the services, space, or products to be provided in exchange for some form of compensation. Also known as "purchase of service arrangement."


	CLIENT See service recipient.


	REFERRALS Resource suggestions provided to consumers to address problems or needs that are beyond the scope of the organization's mission.


	INDIAN ORGANIZATION As defined in ICWA, "Any group, association, partnership, cooperation, or other legal entity owned or controlled by Indians, or a majority of whose members are Indians."


	CASE RECORD A written compilation that describes the client and the services delivered. Records can be in hard copy and/or electronic format. The case record can be used as a source of information for quality improvement or other evaluation activities, for research purposes, or to demonstrate accountability to funding bodies.


	INDIAN CHILD As defined in the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), "Any unmarried person who is under age eighteen and is either (a) a member of an Indian tribe or (b) eligible for membership in an Indian tribe and is the biological child of a member of an Indian tribe." For purposes of compliance with ICWA, the definition provided in the Act shall apply. For purposes of access to services and resources, other more inclusive definitions may apply (e.g. Indian Education Act, tribal definitions, etc.).


	CUSTODY The care, control, and maintenance of a child. The court legally can award custody to an agency in abuse and neglect cases or to parents in divorce, separation, or adoption proceedings. Child welfare departments retain legal custody and control of major decisions for a child in foster care; foster parents do not have legal custody of the children for which they provide care.


	CASE A general term used to designate clients (including individuals, families, and groups) served by an organization for purposes of monitoring the provision of services. A foster care case is generally based on the placement of an individual child, although casework for the child may include services to the child's family. A child protective services case is based on an entire family household if a family assessment model is used; otherwise a case is defined as a child.