The following resources address ways to locate and manage funding for kinship care services, including State and local examples.
Children's Bureau Grantee Synthesis: Kinship Navigator Programs
Improving Child Welfare Outcomes: Balancing Investments in Prevention and Treatment
Ringel, Schultz, Mendelsohn, Brooks Holliday, Sieck, Edochie, & Davis (2017)
Presents the results of a study that found investing more in prevention programs and placing more children in kinship care with relatives rather than foster families could drive down child maltreatment, meaning less money spent on investigations and out-of-home placements and better outcomes for children. To achieve these results, the study concluded they would require an upfront increase in spending on new services, which would result in a reduction in total costs for the children and families involved.
Kinship Navigator Funding
FamilyFirstAct.org (2020)
Presents resources related to Children's Bureau program instruction on applying for funding through the Family First Prevention Services Act to support the development, enhancement, or evaluation of kinship navigator programs.
Leveraging the Family First Prevention Services Act to Improve Use of Title IV-E GAP (PDF - 1,720 KB)
Grandfamilies.org, American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, Casey Family Programs,
Children’s Defense Fund, & Generations United (2019)
Highlights provisions of the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 that are related to kinship families and Federal Title IV-E GAP. The brief reviews how States and Tribes can take advantage of these provisions to promote assisted guardianship for children in kinship care.
New Opportunities for Kinship Families: Action Steps to Implement the Family First Prevention Services Act in Your Community (PDF - 440 KB)
FamilyFirstAct.org (2019)
Highlights provisions of the Family First Prevention Services Act that help kinship families along with steps child welfare leaders can take to implement Family First.
Using New Federal Funding Opportunities to Develop Effective Kinship Navigator Programs
FamilyFirstAct.org (2018)
Links to regional webinars on how States can access Federal funding through the Family First Prevention Services Act to develop evidence-based programs, including kinship navigator programs.
State and local examples
How Did Allegheny County Advance a Kin-First Approach?
Casey Family Programs (2019)
Presents a question and answer session with Marc Cherna, director of the Allegheny Department of Human Services in Pennsylvania. The interview details how one agency, A Second Chance, handles kin licensing, training, and case management to ensure kin have specialized services and support from experts.
How Have Some States Developed and Funded Kinship Navigator Programs?
Casey Family Programs (2018)
Provides information on a kinship navigator project in the State of Washington and discusses how is it funded. The website also describes a program in Tampa, FL, and how new sources of Federal funds will benefit kinship programs.
Oklahoma Kinship Navigation Services – Family KINnections (PDF - 256 KB)
Oklahoma Family Kinnections Program (2017)
Offers an overview of a kinship program in Oklahoma including the program's primary goals, the services provided, and costs of the program.