Search, Engage, and Evaluation: The Power of Kinship Care
This workshop explores how a kinship-first culture has reshaped legal expectations and practice when working with relatives. Participants will gain a clear understanding of the distinctions between relative search, kin engagement, fair evaluation, and best-interest determinations when making placement recommendations.
The session begins with an overview of why kin placements are often preferred, highlighting the importance of family connections, cultural continuity, and existing support systems. Participants will learn how relative searches are conducted and how to engage kin in a respectful, transparent, and meaningful way, including building trust and clearly communicating expectations.
The workshop will also focus on fairly evaluating kin as potential caregivers, addressing the role of implicit bias in decision-making and offering strategies to support consistent and objective assessments. The session concludes with practical tools to support best-interest determinations.