What We Do
What does the KinConnector program provide?
KinConnector offers information, referral, and follow-up services to grandparents and other relatives raising children so they can understand and effectively use the benefits and services that they or the children need. KinConnector also helps agencies and providers tune into the needs of families headed by relatives, and provide education to the community about the kinship caregivers and the systems they must navigate.
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Our KinConnectors assist kinship caregivers in finding and using programs and services to meet the needs of the children they’re raising, in addition to their own needs as caregivers. They also promote effective partnerships among public and private agencies to ensure kinship caregiver families are served.
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In order to receive federal funding under the Family First Prevention Act of 2018, our program must:
Be coordinated...
with other state or local agencies that promote service coordination or provide information and referral services, including entities that provide 2–1–1 information systems where available.
Be planned...
and operated in consultation with kinship caregivers and organizations representing them, youth raised by kinship caregivers, relevant government agencies, and relevant community-based or faith-based organizations.
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Provide outreach...
to kinship care families, including the establishment, distribution, and updating of the kinship care website, or other relevant guides or outreach materials.
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Promote partnerships...
between public and private agencies, including schools, community-based or faith-based organizations, and relevant government agencies, to increase their knowledge of the needs of kinship care families to promote better services for those families.
Establish information...
and referral systems that link (via toll-free access) kinship caregivers, kinship support group facilitators, and kinship service providers to:
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Each other
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Eligibility and enrollment information for federal, state, and local benefits
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Relevant training to assist kinship caregivers in caregiving and in obtaining benefits and services
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Relevant legal assistance and help in obtaining legal services