When kin caregiver assessments are positioned instead as “suitability” checks, they can make caregivers defensive and less likely to openly discuss their needs or ask for support.

Set up caregivers for success by having your assessments be clear discussions that are culturally sensitive and collaborative. Your conversations with kin should help you understand how they can best meet the physical, emotional, medical, and educational needs of the youth, while also ensuring the physical safety of their home environment.

How to do this

Consider access needs. Make sure staff conducting kin assessments are fluent in the same language as the caregiver, or have a human translator available. Think about cultural and privacy preferences when planning your visit. When possible, send staff of the same race, ethnicity, or culture as the caregiver, or make sure agency staff understand the racial and ethnic needs of caregivers and youth in care.

Prepare kin for your visit. Call them before your visit so kin know what to expect, can prepare their home, and tell you what support they need. Share resources or assessment forms ahead of time to help them get ready for your discussion. Emphasize the conversational part of your visit. Kin will be sharing how they prefer to communicate and their thoughts and needs about caring for the youth.

Remove unnecessary questions from your assessment. Don’t ask about things that aren’t required by law and may create barriers, such as personal references, food handling, or how caregivers manage stress.

Allow time to answer. Be patient and give kin space to answer questions, some of which will be personal and sensitive. Don’t use vague or technical terms, and give examples and explanations to clarify questions whenever needed.

Look for concrete ways to help. Ask what would help kin care for the youth, such as help with health insurance, transportation to appointments, and school registration. Be clear about what support your agency can offer or help find, and when the caregiver will need to find support themselves.

This strategy in action

Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe allows caregivers to request an outside person to conduct their assessments to preserve privacy, since they are a small community.

All jurisdictions can use and adapt the kin caregiver assessment templates found in the kin licensing forms, which combine previous “caregiver suitability” and “safety and needs" assessments. These forms also include:

• A “bank” of questions to pull from as your agency adapts its assessments
• A list of questions they removed, with reasons why

Resources