9 minute read
Kinship Caregiving
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Anna Yelick, Ph.D., MSW
Florida Institute for Child Welfare
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PROJECT TEAM:
Kasey Longley, Ph.D., Florida Institute for
Child Welfare
Kristine Posada, MSW, Florida Institute for
Child Welfare
Colleen McBride, MS, Florida Institute for
Child Welfare
OVERVIEW
The emphasis of kinship care is to keep the child or children connected to their extended family, and, if possible, out of the child welfare system. Kinship navigator programs (KNPs) were initiated to provide information regarding benefits, services, supports, and programs available to kinship care families to provide a safety net for kinship caregivers who may be unfamiliar with or unable to access the appropriate services to maintain a strong placement. Since 2018, the DCF received funding through the Administration for Children and Families to support ongoing Kinship efforts throughout the state, including evaluation of services in collaboration with the Institute.
The Children’s Home Network (CHN) and Kids Central, Inc. (KCI) provide several services for kinship care families. These services include kinship caregiverspecific services, such as peer support, mental health services, childcare support, support groups, and peerto-peer navigation, as well as several programmatic support services, such as family-finding, collaborating with community agencies, dedicated kinship navigator, legal services, information about services, and intake and needs assessments. Based on the findings of the Institute’s 2019 Kinship Inventory study, these two programs were recommended to be evaluated further to enhance their chances of receiving a Promising rating by the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse.
Subsequently, during Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 20212022, the DCF contracted the Institute to carry out three objectives: 1) review Children’s Home Network’s 2012-2015 evaluation and subsequent manuscripts; 2) continue the process and outcome evaluation of Kids Central, Inc.’s Kinship Navigator Program; and 3) conduct secondary data analyses examining kinship care placement and child-level outcomes.
CURRENT STATUS AND PRELIMINARY FINDINGS
An overview of the current status of each objective, including preliminary findings, is provided in the following sections.
Children’s Home Network Materials Review
The researchers reviewed CHN’s final evaluative report and all published manuscripts related to the kinship program submitted to academic journals since 2015 as well as the submission reports from the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse and the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse. The Evaluation Report indicated a large sample size (N = 1551), a well-developed logic model, and a comprehensive preliminary report on the effectiveness of the kinship model. Though initially designed to be a randomized controlled trial, this evaluation would more appropriately be considered a quasi-experimental design. Specifically, the randomization process lacked clarity in how participants were assigned to groups. Caregivers were randomly assigned to a condition based on their county of residence (Pinellas or Hillsborough) and their kinship caregiver type (formal or informal); the kinship service model varied by location. Thus, not every kinship caregiver had an equal chance at being assigned to each type of service
group. Further, the unequal sample sizes between groups nullifies the randomization. The Institute recommends Children’s Home Network divest themselves from referring to the study as a randomized controlled trial and instead consider this a quasi-experimental design, which does not require random assignment. Still, CHN must include a treatment and comparison condition and measure baseline equivalency by controlling for variables out of balance at baseline—i.e., with unequal allocation between the groups.
The Institute began the KCI evaluation in 2020. During the current contract period, the Institute continued recruitment and data collection toward completion of both the process and outcome evaluation of the kinship program. Specifically, the researchers renewed the IRB application; completed follow-up interviews with KCI staff; recruited an additional 50 kinship caregivers to participate in the evaluation; and collected 20 additional baseline data files and 14 follow-up data files. Preliminary findings related to the Kinship programs processes were informed by initial (n = 8) and followup (n = 5) interviews with staff, particularly as their perceptions relate to the program’s logic model.
Preliminary findings:
❖ Time at Kids Central. Most of the staff have been with Kids Central, Inc. for more than three years, with some indicating having been with Kids
Central, Inc. for 10 years and beyond. One staff member left the agency in the 2022-2023 fiscal year. In addition, the leadership indicated they are trying to add more staff to their team. ❖ Experience with Kinship Caregivers. Many of the staff noted that they have worked with kinship care families through the KNP at for multiple years, with many staff having multiple years of experience working with kinship caregivers. ❖ Benefits of the KNP. Staff perceive numerous benefits of the KNP, including ACCESS Florida benefits, legal services, and support groups.
During the follow-up interviews, KCI staff noted that the interest in the support groups declined and maintaining interest and engagement in the support groups was one of the biggest challenges during the past year. These staffers suggested that the needs of the incoming kinship caregivers have shifted, as the caregivers are younger and often still working full-time. In addition, the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have also changed the dynamics of the support groups. ❖ Needs of Families. Staff perceive that families’ needs are centered on the ACCESS Florida benefits program and noted the difficulties they as staff experience in providing this service to kinship caregivers. During the follow up interviews, the focus was on the changing composition of the kinship care families utilizing the program. ❖ Connecting with Families. Staff noted connecting with families is an important component of the KNP, yet with the high caseloads and the lengthy assessments, this can be difficult. Staff noted that, on average, case managers have around 20-30 active cases assigned based on the county. During the followup interviews, several of staff noted that turnover influenced the caregivers and the program, with one suggesting that recruitment into the program might have been impacted due to staffing changes.
❖ Staffing Needs. Staffers noted during the initial interview that the program seemed to be functioning well, specifically related to the staffing needs. Still, several indicated there may need to be more case managers or specific personnel for the ACCESS Florida benefits to assist the team with addressing all the needs of the families.
During the follow-up interviews, staffing needs were also discussed at length.
Preliminary findings related to the kinship programs’ outcomes are derived from quantitative measures collected by KCI at the start and closure of a case. As of this writing, there are 79 caregivers enrolled in the evaluation; 34 completed baseline measures, and 15 completed case closure data. Most participants identify as female (85%), White (56%), and between 41 and 60 years of age (53%). Nearly 50 percent report having a high school diploma or GED. Over 50 percent own their home, while 41 percent rent. Forty percent report being unemployed and receiving some form of assistance.
Almost all the kinship caregivers felt generally unsure of what services to use, suggesting the need for increased guidance from case managers or kinship care navigators. Most kinship caregivers were concerned for their well-being in the last year, with about half feeling frustrated because they did not know how to navigate various systems (i.e., medical care, insurance, assistance with utility bills). Though frustrated, kinship caregivers reported having a good relationship with their relative child. The majority felt that it was rewarding to raise their relative child and they were able to cope with the stress and responsibilities of their role as kinship caregiver. Most kinship caregivers reported feeling they were doing a good job of raising their relative child. Each of the kinship caregivers reported feeling they were doing what is in the best interest of their relative child and that they looked forward to spending time with their relative child.
PRELIMINARY EVALUATION FINDINGS:
Secondary Analysis of Kinship Placement and Child Outcomes
The principal investigator conducted a secondary data analysis of administrative data provided to the Institute, specifically analyzing child-level outcomes (i.e., safety, permanency, well-being) across the state based on kinship services available. Notably, given the recent updated kinship guidance within Senate Bill 96, as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the researchers decided to look at pre-2020 data. The researchers held several collaborative meetings in fall 2021 and spring 2022 with the DCF to ascertain the availability of kinship-related variables and narrow the analytic scope accordingly. Following the completion of the DCF’s required data security training and execution of a data sharing agreement, the DCF provided the data to the principal investigator on May 6, 2022.
Approximately half of the sample of youth identified as female, with an average age of 5.41 years. Most of the sample identified as White (63%), while 28% identified as Black, and 17% as Hispanic. Approximately half of the youth were initially placed in formal kinship care, with a majority of these youth (88%) having a high or very high-risk assessment score.
Initial analyses indicate significant relationships exist between initial placement type (i.e., non-kinship foster care, kinship care) re-entry into care within 12 months (ꭙ2 = 11.083, p < .001); placement moves (t = 35.552, p < .001); length of stay in days (t = 11.787, p < .001); and permanency outcomes (ꭙ2 = 465.17, p < .001) with children initially placed in kinship care having significantly better outcomes on each of these measures compared to children initially placed in foster care. While there were significant differences on each of these measures based on CBC lead agency, the level of services available within each agency was not a predictive factor. This indicates that agency-level factors need further exploration to determine what influence these have on child-level outcomes.
PRELIMINARY SECONDARY ANALYSIS FINDINGS:
NEXT STEPS
This report was submitted to the DCF September 30, 2022 and included:
1. A complete summary of the CHN materials review, including recommendations for CHN to consider based on the assessment for additional manuscripts. 2. A preliminary report on the KCI evaluation, including both process and outcome findings. 3. A manuscript draft of the child outcomes analysis.
Importantly, the Institute plans to fund the remaining work to be completed on the KCI analysis, with cooperation from the DCF and KCI. The principal investigator recommends ongoing recruitment through June 2023 to ensure a sample size of 100 participants, 50 per treatment condition (Enhanced Services and Treatment as Usual). Allowing time for case closure and follow-up measures, a final outcomes report is anticipated in spring 2024. During that time period, the researchers will also complete the process evaluation, which includes document and data reviews of administrative data; ongoing semi-structured interviews with staff and focus groups with kinship caregivers; and client surveys soliciting information on program objectives, services provided, length of time of services, client characteristics, and client satisfaction.
