Kinship caregivers feel more satisfied with services and better supported with a Kinship Navigator

Kinship caregivers caring for children often lack access to services and supports they need to stabilize their families. Other kinship navigator programs have been shown to improve child permanency, child safety, child wellbeing, and adult wellbeing. This study evaluated Kinnections, a kinship navigator program provided by Wayfinder Family Services, operating since 2007 in seven counties in Northern California. Using propensity score matching, 116 kinship caregivers receiving Kinnections services were matched with 116 kinship caregivers in neighboring counties with no kinship navigator services available. The matched sample showed strong baseline equivalence on key caregiver, child, and household factors. Findings showed statistically significant improvements in kinship caregiver satisfaction with services received, and increased levels of social support for kinship caregivers receiving Kinnections. Kinship caregivers receiving Kinnections also had increased access to services and more referrals to services than kinship caregivers not receiving Kinnections. We discuss other findings of interest, including how dependency status influences outcomes, and offer recommendations for the field.