{"id":31624,"date":"2019-04-09T16:13:22","date_gmt":"2019-04-09T16:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/caseyfamilyv2.wpengine.com\/kin-first-allegheny\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T17:52:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T17:52:52","slug":"kin-first-allegheny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casey.org\/es\/kin-first-allegheny\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfC\u00f3mo avanz\u00f3 el condado de Allegheny hacia un enfoque que prioriza a los familiares?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Q&A with Marc Cherna, Director, Allegheny County Department of Human Services1<\/sup><\/a><\/h2>\n

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This Q&A features Marc Cherna, director of the Allegheny County (Pa.) Department of Human Services for more than 20 years. He explains how he achieved a kin-first culture shift in his agency, and his commitment to placing even more children with relatives.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: How did you begin to reduce congregate care, place more children with families, and prioritize kin?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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A:<\/strong> We started by winning over the hearts and minds of the caseworkers<\/b>, especially those working with adolescents. We had a lot of teenagers who were in group homes and residential treatment centers. Once placed there, they were basically out of sight, out of mind. We knew that we needed to get these kids into family-living situations, so we talked about how to do it differently and find a better way \u2014 placing them with kin. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Our Leadership Fellows, competitively selected from casework staff, took on the issue of congregate care, which really helped their caseworker peers see that the associated outcomes are really bad for kids. As administrators, we kept issuing directives, but we needed the caseworkers to have buy-in. Once we had that, we knew that things could begin to change. Some people just did not buy into kinship as a placement option at all. Folks would say, \u201cWell the apple doesn\u2019t fall far from the tree.\u201d But I would respond with this:<\/p>\n

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If you had grandchildren or children of your own that you couldn\u2019t care for, who would you want to care for them? Would you want people you know and love and can trust, or would you want some stranger to step in? And if you think about a child, developmentally, no matter what their age is \u2014 is it easier for them to come to you, as their grandparent, whom they know and love and are familiar with \u2026 or for them to go to a total stranger?<\/em><\/p>\n

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That stranger may be well-intentioned and try to love and care for them, but for the child it\u2019s a brand-new environment: new friends, new school and new home, and it\u2019s scary for kids. When you think about it rationally, it makes all the sense in the world to try and keep family ties and support families being together. In any family, as dysfunctional as it may be, you can usually find someone who has made it and is strong and has the kinds of skills needed to care for a child in their extended family. You\u2019ve just got to look for them. And remember, there are two parents with every family. So even if Dad\u2019s not currently involved, there\u2019s a whole paternal side that may be really positive and strengthening.<\/p>\n

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Beyond staff,\u00a0we had to convince judges, too<\/b>, as they were concerned about permanency. Many kin are not interested in terminating parental rights and adopting, but are willing to love and care for these children long term. I always say that if my grandkids were placed with me, I would never want to terminate my own child\u2019s parental rights. I\u2019d always have hope that they\u2019d turn things around, get into recovery, and get situated better to be able to parent again. But I would keep my grandkids forever! I\u2019d never pass them off. And I think that\u2019s the way other people think. So, where we originally had judges saying, \u201cWell, if they\u2019re not willing to adopt, then we have to remove them and place them with someone who is willing,\u201d we eventually convinced them \u2014 and they learned through experience over time \u2014 that kinship placements were better than stranger foster care or adoption.<\/p>\n

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Q: <\/strong>What outcomes have been achieved with a kin-first approach?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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A:<\/strong> While it does take more effort to find kinship than foster families, family placements are so much better. Over the past 20-plus years, we\u2019ve reduced the number of children in congregate care from 650 to 120.<\/b> Nonrelative placements are down over 60 percent, as well. We went from 20 percent of children placed with relatives to now 65 percent<\/b> of kids with relatives. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Relative families are paid the same and receive the same benefits as nonrelatives,\u00a0<\/b>and we get much better outcomes now. Jurisdictions that don\u2019t pay kinship parents, or pay them less than stranger caregivers, will have issues. I always like to share this line that I stole from Dr. David Sanders, Casey Family Programs\u2019 executive vice president of systems improvement: \u201cPayments are for room and board for the children. It doesn\u2019t cost less to raise kids if you are a relative or a nonrelative.\u201d That is really the bottom line.<\/p>\n

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Q: <\/strong>Was this a big change for your private provider community?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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A:<\/strong> It wasn\u2019t always comfortable in those first few years of moving from congregate care reliance to placement with kin. We have a good relationship with the providers; they make or break us, so we need good partnerships. Most were on board with moving away from operating group settings toward developing resource families, but I will admit that some did go by the wayside. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Allegheny County is unique in that we have only one agency that does all of our kinship work: <\/span>A Second Chance<\/span>. The founder, Dr. Sharon McDaniel, grew up in the system here, as did a lot of her staff, so the agency is different from other providers. The issues facing relative and nonrelative caregivers are different, so a key element in our strategy has been to ensure kin have specialized services and support from kin-focused experts.<\/b> A Second Chance does all of the kin licensing, training, and the case management. It works in partnership with our workers. We don\u2019t have a privatized system, but A Second Chance handles the supervision of relatives, works through issues with them, and has a 24\/7 support system and response. It also provides respite care and tries to help retain placements when there are struggles.<\/span><\/p>\n

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But there were some providers saying, \u201cWe want those kids instead of A Second Chance!\u201d They\u2019d go to the elected officials and boards saying, \u201cWe have empty beds; we need kids to put in there.\u201d My response was, \u201cWe don\u2019t look for beds for kids;\u00a0we look at what is most appropriate for a child<\/b>,<\/strong>\u00a0and then we\u2019ll look for a bed. We\u2019re not going to find a kid to fill your vacancy because you have one at your agency.\u201d So, through the years there was some heavy political pressure we had to withstand.<\/p>\n

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Over time, we have really made strides. We managed to get legislation passed about 15 years ago that created subsidized permanent legal custodianship (like an adoption without termination of parental rights), so that has helped. Dr. McDaniel has had incredible outcomes at her agency, and we have moved our kinship care rate from a little over 50 percent to 65 percent<\/b>, just by implementing kinship navigators. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: <\/strong>Do you think Allegheny County ever could place more than 65 percent of children with kin?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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A:<\/strong> Yes, I do. I\u2019d like us to keep going higher. I don\u2019t think there is a specific correct ratio. But you have to be sure you make the effort to locate and support kin for every family with a placement need. Sometimes you\u2019ll find families where it seems like there is really no extended family, or no one is viable: anyone you find is in jail, or their kids are all in care. But if you dig, do searches and family finding, you can often find a relative<\/b> in another state that may work. It takes time to do some digging, because the relative may have never met this kid, but it\u2019s important that we don\u2019t overlook this exploration when a child comes in and take the easy way out. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Q: <\/strong>What\u2019s been the most compelling way to address resistance to a kin-first strategy?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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A:<\/strong> It\u2019s been years, but our staff and community stakeholders really understand the evidence now. Through our Leadership Fellows, we found it was essential to share summaries of the research and the studies so folks could really digest why this approach made so much sense on all levels. Our Fellows would share this information directly with staff, and we would do specific trainings on kinship care. Frankly, though, this\u00a0messaging and education has to be constant.<\/b>\u00a0It\u2019s not enough to just train a certain group of staff once. You have to emphasize a kin approach all the time, and train on it continually.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Honestly, it\u2019s pretty routine for us to get new workers in their 20s who have passed civil service tests, grew up in a middle-class neighborhood and stable environment, and may have never been exposed to the challenges our families face. And they will come on board and say, \u201cWe\u2019ve got to save these kids from those people. This foster parent can give the child horseback lessons. What can grandma give them except love?\u201d Of course, we know that love is the most important thing \u2014 but they\u2019re a bit naive and so it\u2019s our job to educate them, to really\u00a0show them the benefits of making kinship a priority<\/b>,<\/strong>\u00a0and the services and supports that are available to keep kids safe, happy, and healthy with kin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Casey Family Programs consults with individuals and teams across the country to compile research, experiences, and insights about approaches that can safely reduce the need for foster care and ensure the well-being of children and families. We share this information broadly to help child welfare leaders and their partners tackle similar issues in their own communities. For questions about this resource, or if you have other child welfare information needs, please email kmresources@casey.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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1 Adapted from interview with Marc Cherna, October 4, 2018.<\/span><\/p>\n

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