Ask youth about their kin

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About this recommendation

Youth are often placed in general foster care or in group homes when they have placement options with adults they already know and trust. Ask youth, both at initial removal and at regular intervals afterwards, about the supportive adults in their lives. Even young children may be able to tell you about the important people in their lives.

How to do this

  • Require workers to talk to youth about their connections, no matter how young. Supervisors can encourage this practice by regularly asking, “What did the youth say?”
  • Use heart maps with youth to learn more about their supportive adults.
  • Ask youth about their supportive connections at every placement change, and at regular intervals — at monthly check-ins, for example.
  • Designate an official place for keeping a youth's list of kin in your IT system.
  • Phrase inquiries carefully so that young people don’t feel like they have to supply a placement option or they will be homeless. Helpful prompts include: “Who came to your last family gathering?” and “Who would you call if you needed a ride home from school?”
  • Help youth stay connected to supportive adults, even when they’re not a placement option. Create opportunities for regular phone calls, visits, or other contact.

Anticipated costs and benefits

Costs

Benefits

  • Training for staff to ask youth in effective, trauma-informed ways
  • Find more kin who can take placement and/or serve as lifelong support for vulnerable youth
  • Find some kin faster than if agency workers have to search for them independently
  • Avoid placing children in general foster care who have kinship placement options

Who's doing this

What they're doing

  • Wisconsin has suggested questions for talking to youth.
  • Indiana is piloting a practice of asking child welfare workers for a youth’s input whenever they call the placement desk.
  • New Mexico increased initial kinship placements significantly in one year by shifting to youth-focused practices that include asking youth about their supportive connections.
  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rhode Island set up a Zoom meeting with each group home facility, and met with each youth one on one to discuss their placement options. They were able to move many youth from group homes into kinship placements as a result.
  • Fairfax County, Virginia conducts family finding for youth annually, and at every placement change.