Spaulding for Children (SFC), in partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), Macomb County (MCDHHS) and Michigan State University (MSU) was awarded a federal grant to develop a framework to provide training and support to kinship families, foster parents, parents and their children/youth who are working toward a goal of reunification. The project is called KINDER-CARES which stands for Kinship Network Development, Empowerment and Resilience and Connection and Relationship Enhancement through Shared Parenting. KINDER-CARES is a six-component program that is based on and in alignment with “Becoming a Family-Focused System”. KINDER-CARES will review/refine existing organizational policies and philosophy, conduct assessments to help guide transformational change, develop and promote training that supports staff, kinship caregivers and shared parenting, provide new/enhanced supports to kinship caregivers from the initial contact to reunification or other forms of permanency, broaden the role of kinship caregivers to be prepared/strengthened to provide the essential ongoing supports to relatives and their children after reunification and develop and coordinate local community supports to enhance and sustain the well-being of kinship caregivers.
