Tip Sheet
A Snapshot of an Exemplary Practice: Onsite Social Services
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Kin caregivers often struggle to connect to the programs that offer the resources they need. Case managers and kinship navigators help.
Foster Kinship, a trusted nonprofit in Las Vegas, Nevada, has taken this assistance to the next level. They’ve partnered with the state to embed government workers and create a one-stop, welcoming place for kin caregivers to get services and connect to public benefits. The Network has recognized their innovation as an Exemplary Kinship Practice.
The Practice
As their February 2022 Facebook post announces, Foster Kinship offers kinship families an opportunity to “Skip the Welfare Office” by connecting to a social services worker onsite at the Foster Kinship office. Clients do not have to make a separate trip to the social services office to access government resources.
It’s the warmest of handoffs; clients remain in a physical space that is familiar to them and receive assistance filling out applications and completing other necessary steps from a staff that understands grandfamilies’ needs—including their eligibility for child-only TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families).
How It Works
- Two staff members from Nevada’s Department of Social Services (DSS) are available by appointment from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, in Foster Kinship’s Las Vegas office.
- DSS outreach workers are employed, supervised, and paid by the state department but are located onsite at Foster Kinship and attend Foster Kinship staff meetings.
- DSS communicates with Foster Kinship management staff regularly to ensure policies are being followed.
- Foster Kinship provides office space for DSS employees.
- Foster Kinship staff members, known as family advocates, are trained in child-only TANF, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), and Medicaid requirements, as well as the requirements of a state-based kinship subsidy program, and have access to state application documents and manuals.
- Foster Kinship uses a thorough intake process and collects information and assesses eligibility before the caregiver meets with the state DSS worker.
- To manage client relationships, Foster Kinship relies on the platform Salesforce. For scheduling, they use Calendly.
- Foster Kinship leverages social media to alert grandfamilies to the availability of these services. For example, they post on their Facebook page to raise awareness about kinship families’ eligibility for child-only TANF, providing their contact information for those who need help applying.
The Results
Foster Kinship staff members go the extra mile to translate complex requirements for accessing public benefits and act as a liaison between the kin caregiver and state worker. And it works!
Embedding social services in a familiar setting removes common barriers faced by kin caregivers: long processing times, transportation challenges, confusion around documentation, and fear or frustration navigating public systems.
In 2024, Foster Kinship completed over 550 DSS application sessions with families. Kinship families in Nevada who worked with Foster Kinship received child-only TANF at 2 ½ times the rate of other kinship families in the state. What a truly exemplary outcome for this nationally recognized practice!
