Family Finding Model

Family Finding is a vital operation of Placement Services and has the primary goal of locating and engaging family members and significant people within the lives of a youth and their family to build a natural support system. The purpose of this natural support system is to work with the Probation Officer to create a plan for ongoing treatment and permanency or identify a stable, home-like living situation for the youth. These natural supports will then be invited to a collaborative team with the Probation Officer in “Plan of Care” meetings to address educational needs, mental health care, behavioral health, physical health, and permanency. Research shows that youth connected with relatives have greater placement stability, better mental and physical health, fewer behavioral problems, and better outcomes as adults. All youth in Placement with Probation deserve an opportunity to live in a safe and supportive environment connected to a caring adult and family finding will help identify these individuals. The Probation Department Family Finding model includes the following 5 steps: Discovery, Notification, Engagement, Plan-of-Care meetings, and Follow-up Support. The goal of this process is to bring youth in Placement close to legal and relational permanency. Legal permanency includes reunification, legal guardianship, or adoption. Relational permanency is a loving, safe, and stable parenting relationship that is an unconditional commitment with lifelong support.

Getting started with Family Finding Efforts

Juvenile Court Officers review a youth's case, and if removal from the home is the Department's recommendation, they complete steps 1 and 2 of the Family Finding Model. All youth who receive a placement order are referred to a Qualified Individual (QI) for a level of care assessment. QIs are third-party mental health professionals who evaluate a youth's circumstances, along with their strengths and needs to determine the most appropriate level of care for their placement. For youth whose QI assessment determines a family-based setting to be appropriate (Resource Family or RFA), a Probation Officer will use the Family Finding results and complete steps 3-5 of the Family Finding Model with support from the Department Family Finding Officer. For youth whose QI assessment determines residential care in a Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) to be appropriate, the assigned Placement Officer reviews Family Finding results and completes Family Finding Model steps 3-5 with support from a Family Finding Officer.
Step 1: Discovery Family Finding efforts include the Juvenile Court Probation Officer submitting a Family Finding request to Seneca Family of Agencies. This agency conducts research to identify and locate relatives and close connections of the parents/legal guardians/caregivers of the youth and provides a report for documentation and use in Family Finding efforts by the Probation Officer. Family Finding efforts continue with the Probation Officer contacting the youth and parents/legal guardians/caregivers to get a youth/family generated list of family members and significant people who could be included in a natural support system. The Probation Officer will document the names and contact information provided by the youth/family for use in Step 2 of Family Finding. Additional Family Finding efforts to locate natural supports may include searches in the Child Welfare System, LexisNexis (a service which searches public records to reveal unexpected connections between people, places, and property), and on social media sites.
Step 2: Notification The Juvenile Court Probation Officer will mail a Family Finding letter explaining the potential removal of the youth from their home and the opportunity to become part of the youth's natural support system. The letter will further explain the opportunity to collaborate with Probation to plan for the care of the youth and potentially become a Resource Parent for them. This letter will be mailed to all adults identified from the Seneca Family Finding report and adults identified through conversations with the youth and family. The names of the individuals who were mailed letters and any responses received back will be documented. Family Finding efforts will also be documented in the Child Welfare System for youth with a Placement order. If a Juvenile Court Officer identifies a member of the youth's natural support system who is interested in becoming a Resource Family or legal guardian for the youth, they will refer the individual to the Department's Family Finding Officer.
Step 3: Engagement In this phase, a Probation Officer will contact and invite each adult that has been identified to support the youth to participate in “Plan of Care" meetings which will help build a treatment and care plan for the youth. The Probation Officer will begin to build a rapport and collaborate with the identified adults in the support system. Placement Officers who identify natural supports that express interest in becoming a Resource Family for the youth will refer the individuals to the Family Finding Officer, who will follow the Department RFA model and provide support through the approval process. Information about this process can be found at https://saccoprobation.saccounty.gov/ProbationServices/Pages/fosterayouth.aspx. For youth in-custody awaiting placement in an RFA home or STRTP, the Probation Officer will facilitate in-custody visitations to support connection or reconnection between the youth and identified natural supports. Background checks are completed on everyone before visitation is offered/approved. Once a youth is placed and is participating in a STRTP program, the assigned Probation Officer will facilitate progressive visits/contact to support maintaining connection or reconnection between the youth and their natural support system to increase the likelihood of a successful return home after the program.
Step 4: Plan-of-Care Meeting A team consisting of a Probation Officer and the natural support system for the youth will collaborate in a “Plan of Care" meeting that is strength-driven and focuses on the well-being and best interest of the youth. The meetings will address educational needs, mental health care, behavioral health, physical health, and permanency. The goal is to use the family's voice and choice in developing a plan that will identify and build on the youth and family's strengths, abilities, and skills while respecting their culture and community. This plan will include concurrent plans for the youth's care and permanency. A concurrent plan is the development of an alternative plan for the care of the youth should circumstances change.
Step 5: Ongoing Support The assigned Probation Officer will continue to schedule and participate in collaborative “Plan of Care" meetings with the youth's natural support system for the life of the case. The “Plan of Care" meetings will monitor the progress, needs, well-being of the youth and assure permanency goals continue to be appropriate and progress is being made to attain them.

Getting started with Family Finding Efforts

Juvenile Court Officers review a youth's case, and if removal from the home is the Department's recommendation, they complete steps 1 and 2 of the Family Finding Model.

All youth who receive a placement order are referred to a Qualified Individual (QI) for a level of care assessment. QIs are third-party mental health professionals who evaluate a youth's circumstances, along with their strengths and needs to determine the most appropriate level of care for their placement. For youth whose QI assessment determines a family-based setting to be appropriate (Resource Family or RFA), a Probation Officer will use the Family Finding results and complete steps 3-5 of the Family Finding Model with support from the Department Family Finding Officer.

For youth whose QI assessment determines residential care in a Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP) to be appropriate, the assigned Placement Officer reviews Family Finding results and completes Family Finding Model steps 3-5 with support from a Family Finding Officer.

Step 1: Discovery

Family Finding efforts include the Juvenile Court Probation Officer submitting a Fam Phone Proation Home Page.png ily Finding request to Seneca Family of Agencies. This agency conducts research to identify and locate relatives and close connections of the parents/legal guardians/caregivers of the youth and provides a report for documentation and use in Family Finding efforts by the Probation Officer.

Family Finding efforts continue with the Probation Officer contacting the youth and parents/legal guardians/caregivers to get a youth/family generated list of family members and significant people who could be included in a natural support system. The Probation Officer will document the names and contact information provided by the youth/family for use in Step 2 of Family Finding.

Additional Family Finding efforts to locate natural supports may include searches in the Child Welfare System, LexisNexis (a service which searches public records to reveal unexpected connections between people, places, and property), and on social media sites.

Step 2: Notification

The Juvenile Court Probation Officer will mail a Family Finding letter explaining the potential removal of the youth from their home and the opportunity to become part of the youth's natural support system. The letter will further explain the opportunity to collaborate with Probation to plan for the care of the youth and potentially become a Resource Parent for them. This letter will be mailed to all adults identified from the Seneca Family Finding report and adults identified through conversations with the youth and family. The names of the individuals who were mailed letters and any responses received back will be documented. Family Finding efforts will also be documented in the Child Welfare System for youth with a Placement order. If a Juvenile Court Officer identifies a member of the youth's natural support system who is interested in becoming a Resource Family or legal guardian for the youth, they will refer the individual to the Department's Family Finding Officer.

Step 3: Engagement

In this phase, a Probation Officer will contact and invite each adult that has been identified to support the youth to participate in “Plan of Care" meetings which will help build a treatment and care plan for the youth. The Probation Officer will begin to build a rapport and collaborate with the identified adults in the support system.

Placement Officers who identify natural supports that express interest in becoming a Resource Family for the youth will refer the individuals to the Family Finding Officer, who will follow the Department RFA model and provide support through the approval process.

Information about this process can be found at https://saccoprobation.saccounty.gov/ProbationServices/Pages/fosterayouth.aspx.

For youth in-custody awaiting placement in an RFA home or STRTP, the Probation Officer will facilitate in-custody visitations to support connection or reconnection between the youth and identified natural supports. Background checks are completed on everyone before visitation is offered/approved.

Once a youth is placed and is participating in a STRTP program, the assigned Probation Officer will facilitate progressive visits/contact to support maintaining connection or reconnection between the youth and their natural support system to increase the likelihood of a successful return home after the program.

Step 4: Plan-of-Care Meeting

A team consisting of a Probation Officer and the natural support system for the youth will collaborate in a “Plan of Care" meeting that is strength-driven and focuses on the well-being and best interest of the youth. The meetings will address educational needs, mental health care, behavioral health, physical health, and permanency. The goal is to use the family's voice and choice in developing a plan that will identify and build on the youth and family's strengths, abilities, and skills while respecting their culture and community. This plan will include concurrent plans for the youth's care and permanency. A concurrent plan is the development of an alternative plan for the care of the youth should circumstances change.

Step 5: Ongoing Support

The assigned Probation Officer will continue to schedule and participate in collaborative “Plan of Care" meetings with the youth's natural support system for the life of the case. The “Plan of Care" meetings will monitor the progress, needs, well-being of the youth and assure permanency goals continue to be appropriate and progress is being made to attain them.