{"id":31587,"date":"2024-03-07T16:35:29","date_gmt":"2024-03-07T16:35:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/caseyfamilyv2.wpengine.com\/first-placement-family-placement-2\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T23:23:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T23:23:39","slug":"primera-colocacion-colocacion-familiar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casey.org\/es\/first-placement-family-placement\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfCu\u00e1les son algunas estrategias que priorizan la colocaci\u00f3n inicial de los ni\u00f1os con una familia?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Summary<\/h3>\n

This brief shares expert strategies for placing children with relatives right away.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Separating children from their families is a traumatic experience for everyone involved. When children must be placed in out-of-home care, one way to mitigate that trauma is to place children in the best possible setting right from the start: with a family. <\/strong>Numerous studies<\/a> have established that placing children with kin \u2014 whether biological relatives or chosen family (fictive kin) <\/a>\u00a0\u2014 is the best option for children<\/a>, resulting in better behavioral health and well-being, increased stability, and higher levels of permanency than their peers placed with non-relative caregivers.1<\/sup><\/a>,<\/sup>2<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0Kinship care allows children to remain connected to their family and community, which helps reduce the trauma associated with being separated from their parents. After placement, child welfare systems have an obligation to provide kinship caregivers with the support they need to raise the children successfully.<\/p>\n

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In the rare case that all options for placing children with kin have been exhausted, placement in non-relative family settings is the next best option. A family can provide children access to supportive relationships, which often is not the case when children are placed in group or institutional settings<\/a>. Children belong with families, not in facilities.<\/p>\n

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Away from Home<\/em><\/a>, a report focused on the experience of young people in group placement, concluded that these settings often fail to offer consistent, caring relationships and actually prevent<\/em> young people from building the sort of relationships necessary for healing and successful transition to adulthood. Research suggests that when compared to youth placed in group or institutional settings, children placed in family foster homes have fewer placements, spend less time in out-of-home care overall, and are more likely to be placed with their siblings and near their community.3<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

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Prioritizing placement with a family is supported by federal law. The Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018<\/a> (Family First) provides federal child welfare funding for upfront services to support safety, stability, and permanency for children while still living with their families. It seeks to reduce overreliance on inappropriate use of non-family-based settings by instituting requirements designed to ensure that group and institutional facilities be used only when clinically necessary. Federal policy also stipulates that those settings be time-limited, trauma-informed, and focused on engaging the child\u2019s family during and after treatment, with the goal to prepare the child for a swift return to family and community life.<\/p>\n

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Recognizing the significance of a child\u2019s first placement, and with the goal of making it the child\u2019s only placement, several child welfare jurisdictions have moved away from making initial placement in crisis nurseries, emergency shelters, diagnostic facilities, or receiving centers \u2014 and are prioritizing the placement of children with kin, or with caregivers in a family setting, from the start.<\/strong> This brief outlines six key strategies, shared by individuals with lived experience and agency leaders, that support first placement with a family and, in turn, improve placement stability<\/a> and timely permanency.4<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Engage families<\/h2>\n \n \n \n

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Authentic family engagement<\/a> involves more than a caseworker providing parents with a to-do list of essential tasks for successful reunification (such as parenting classes and therapy sessions). At its best, family engagement is collaborative and prioritizes the family\u2019s voice\u00ad when making decisions and establishing goals. This approach must also extend to fathers and paternal relatives<\/a>, who often have been excluded from decision-making but play a vital role in supporting their children and facilitating timely permanency.5<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0Engaging families also must include prioritizing youth voice<\/a> in all case planning by asking youth directly where and with whom they want to live, and what supports they may need.<\/p>\n

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It is common for families to distrust and fear child welfare intervention. Family engagement that is anchored in open communication and partnership between caseworkers and families helps to balance the inherent power dynamic that exists. \u201cIt is essential that families feel heard and that they are centered in decision-making that impacts their lives,\u201d said Gail Geohagen-Pratt, deputy commissioner of the New York State Office for Children and Family Services. \u201cAs child welfare seeks to transform, it is integral that we partner with families in a meaningful way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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It is important for parents to have their voices heard because sometimes that\u2019s all they want. If we\u2019re not providing the space for parents to speak while others are actively listening, then family engagement is not beneficial.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

— Colleen Puckett, CEO, Families\u2019 Anchor, Georgia<\/cite><\/figcaption>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n
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Provide support at home<\/h2>\n \n \n \n

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When child welfare intervention is necessary, it is best practice to provide in-home services<\/a> to keep a child safely at home with their family when possible. In-home services include a wide range of resources, with a goal of providing supports unique to a family\u2019s specific needs while:<\/p>\n