A5 - Legal Assistance to Kinship Families: How to Fill the FFPSA Gap in Kinship Navigator Services

The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) provides the first sustained federal funding for kinship navigators serving kinship families who are not in foster care. However, FFPSA does not support delivery of legal assistance. While some kinship navigators provide legal help, kinship navigators would have to add such services without funding. This workshop will identify core legal issues faced by kinship families and recommend strategies to incorporate legal help into kinship navigator programs. The attorney presenters will describe successful collaborations with state court programs, legal services providers, county and state bars, pro bono resources, and law schools, and offer tools for educating the legal community.

Presenters: Marla Spindel and Stephanie McClellan, DC KinCare Alliance, Washington, DC; and Gerard Wallace, New York State Kinship Navigator and University of Albany School of Social Welfare, Delmar, NY