Building Connections Between Chosen Family and Kin

A Culturally Adapted Program for LGBTQ+ Children, Youth, and Their Families

Bibliographic Data

ID21619799
AuthorsMarlene Matarese (0000-0002-7465-3050, PhD, associate research professor, University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT, USA, corresponding author), Elizabeth J Greeno (0000-0002-5363-1223, University of Connecticut), Elizabeth Greeno (PhD, associate research professor, University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT, USA), Angela Weeks (0000-0003-0202-2521, DBA, director, University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT, USA), Jaymie Lorthridge (PhD, senior research associate, Kaye Implementation & Evaluation, Snellville, GA, USA), P Brett Hammond (University of Connecticut), Paige Hammond (MHS, lead research specialist, University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT, USA), Shannon Deinhart (MSSA, executive director & co-founder, Kinnect, Cleveland, OH, USA)
Year2024
Volume105
Issue1
Pages81-93
Publication date2024-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFamilies in Society The Journal of Contemporary Social Services (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1044-3894 • E-ISSN: 1945-1350
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/10443894231204538
OpenAlexW4389397591
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited11

Chosen Affirming Family Finding (CAFF) is a program developed and implemented by Cuyahoga County Department of Child and Family Services and Kinnect from 2019 to 2021. CAFF is a cultural adaptation of Family Finding, designed to work with LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and other diverse sexual orientations and gender identities) young people involved with the child welfare system. This study outlines the evaluation of a 5-year design and implementation of the CAFF model using mixed-methods. At the start of services, nearly all youth were living in a foster home (67%) or residential setting (25%). At the end of CAFF services, the majority of youth who completed services were living at home (33%) or in kinship care (25%). Youth expressed that CAFF specialists reinforced their authority and role in making decisions about their lives, helped prepare them for disclosure, and increased family connections through meetings

Family preservation · Foster care · Kinship · Kinship care · Lesbian · Political science · Queer · Sexual orientation · Social Welfare · Sociology · Transgender · Welfare · Child Welfare and Adoption · Gender Studies · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Reproductive Health and Technologies

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