Personal preferences, technology literacy, and mobility all impact which communication channels kin can use. If you are only using 1 method to reach kin, such as mailing physical letters, you are not reaching everyone you need to find. Plus, people may think letters from unknown government agencies are fraudulent, so having multiple ways to contact and verify your identity helps build trust.

How to do this

Learn what works for kin. Conduct user research with kin to learn about their contact preferences. Record contact preferences for each kin member in your child welfare information system.

Give staff multiple communication options. This includes email, text messaging, social media messaging, telephone calls, and even in-person visits. While employees may need to send physical mail occasionally, it shouldn't be your most common method of communication. Provide clear ways for kin to verify your identity and legitimacy when you make initial contact, especially with previously unknown relatives.

Set up supporting systems. Develop policies and practices for document retention, records discovery, privacy, data sharing, and other concerns for new communication methods. Create message templates adapted for each medium. An email will be different from a text message, which will be different from a voicemail.

This strategy in action

Some agencies use customer service tools to communicate with kin via email, text message, and social media. These tools can often handle the security, document retention, and discovery needs of an agency while providing a convenient single interface for employees and the ability for teams to collaborate (like 1 employee jumping into messaging with kin when another is on leave).