Oregon DHS Child
Welfare embraces Family First implementation
as an opportunity to expand the choices and support we provide to children,
young adults and families. Oregon Child Welfare is committed to increasing
families’ access to supportive services prior to formal child welfare
intervention. Through Family First, Oregon DHS Child Welfare will create a
culture of community participation in child safety and family well-being,
thereby reducing the stigma of seeking help.
Family First enhances services for:
- A child who is a candidate for foster care but can remain safely at home or
in kinship care and is
identified as being at imminent risk of entering or re-entering
foster care. Note: Oregon will be determining this definition in its forthcoming roadmap.
- Parents or kin
caregivers where services are needed to prevent the candidate from foster
care placement.
- A child whose adoption
or guardianship arrangement is at risk of disruption or dissolution.
- A
child in foster care who is pregnant or parenting.
What prevention
services are eligible?
If it is not possible to ensure the safety and well-being of a child or teen in their own home, a caseworker looks to family or friends willing to provide a temporary home while the parent or caregiver works to improve the situation at home. These families are known as “kinship families.” Any safe adult with an established and trusted relationship with a child or young person - grandmas, uncles, teachers, neighbors or even a friend’s parent - can be a kinship parent.
When no kin is available, foster families provide a safe, temporary home for children or teens to grow up in while their parent addresses safety concerns.
What is a kinship navigator program?
A service model intended to assist kinship caregivers to learn about, find, and use programs and services to meet the needs of the children they are raising.
Who is eligible for kinship navigator services?
All kinship caregivers who are caring for children, regardless of child welfare involvement.
Oregon is in the process of developing, evaluating and implementing its own Kinship Navigator program through a federal grant process. This program is overseen by Greater Oregon Behavioral Health and provides:
- A website and toll-free line for accessing information, education materials, referrals and supports
- Outreach services and online support group
- A statewide advisory committee
Family First eligible mental health services are those that aim to reduce or eliminate behavioral and emotional disorders or risk for such disorders. Programs and services may target any mental health issue and participants are not required to have a diagnosis. Eligible programs and services can be delivered to children and teens, adults or families.