Interview with Wayfinder Family Services on Its Innovative Kinnections Kinship Navigation Program Model

Wayfinder Family Services is the recipient of Social Current’s 2026 Innovative Impact Award for its Kinnections Kinship Navigation Program Model, an evidence-informed approach that strengthens support for kinship caregivers and the children in their care.

The Innovative Impact Award recognizes Social Current network organizations that develop innovative solutions that create lasting change for children, families, and communities. Through decades of partnership with California counties, Wayfinder has built and refined the Kinnections model to provide kinship caregivers with individualized navigation, training, concrete supports, and connections to community resources. Recent evaluation findings demonstrate the model’s positive impact on caregiver well-being, access to services, and permanency outcomes for children.

Wayfinder Family Services will be presenting a free webinar on Oct. 28 from 1-2 p.m. ET. Leaders from Wayfinder Family Services Kinnections Kinship Navigation Model will share their expertise about the program and lessons learned during their federal evaluation.

Social Current’s Senior Director of Child, Family, and Community Well-Being Romero Davis spoke with Brooke Derrick, program director, and Carol Ramirez, vice president and chief program officer at Wayfinder Family Services, about the organization’s journey, the importance of supporting kinship families, and what’s next for the Kinnections model.

Listen to the interview or check out the Q&A below.  

What inspired Wayfinder to develop the Kinnections Kinship Navigation Program Model?

Carol Ramirez: Our work with kinship families began more than 30 years ago. While conducting adoption home studies with counties across California, we recognized there was a significant gap in services specifically designed for relatives caring for children. Kinship caregivers often weren’t receiving the same training, preparation, or supports available to licensed foster families, despite taking on many of the same responsibilities.

As federal legislation began emphasizing family finding and kinship placements, we had opportunities to participate in demonstration grants that allowed us to evaluate what families truly needed. Across every project, we found the same thing: relatives were stepping forward to care for children, but they needed intentional, specialized support to navigate the challenges that came with those placements.

Beginning in 2007, we partnered with counties to develop kinship support services and continued refining our approach across both rural and urban communities. Over time, we were able to evaluate our outcomes, strengthen the model, and build the evidence base that led to the Kinnections program we have today.

Another important part of our journey is that many leaders within our organization have lived experience as kinship caregivers. We saw the challenges firsthand, listened to families, and built a program around what they told us they needed.

Brooke Derrick: Over nearly two decades, we’ve been able to continually refine the model based on caregiver feedback and implementation in multiple counties. Every community has unique needs, and those experiences helped shape the program into what it is today.

Why is kinship support more important than ever?

Brooke Derrick: Across the country, more than 2.5 million children are being raised by grandparents, relatives, or close family friends instead of their parents. In California alone, more than 600,000 grandparents are raising grandchildren.

Research consistently shows children do better when they can remain connected to family. Kinship placements often lead to fewer disruptions, stronger community connections, greater stability, and more opportunities for siblings to stay together.

As child welfare systems increasingly prioritize kin-first placements, the need for support services has also grown. Many caregivers never expected to suddenly become full-time parents again. They’re stepping into complex situations involving trauma, grief, and loss, often with little preparation.

Our Kinnections model serves both formal caregivers involved with child welfare and informal caregivers who have stepped in independently. Supporting those informal caregivers is especially important because it can help prevent families from entering the child welfare system altogether.

Carol Ramirez: Kinship care has always existed, but today’s families are navigating increasingly complex systems. Caregivers may need legal assistance, behavioral health services, educational advocacy, housing resources, or financial supports. Our goal is to help families access those resources while keeping children safely connected to the people who know and love them.

How does Wayfinder’s partnership with county agencies strengthen the model?

Brooke Derrick: Kinnections is built on a public-private partnership between Wayfinder and California county child welfare agencies. Counties provide the public funding that supports core services, while Wayfinder serves as a trusted community-based partner working directly alongside families.

Some caregivers are hesitant to engage with child welfare agencies, so having a nonprofit partner allows us to build relationships and connect families with the services they need in a supportive, collaborative way.

Carol Ramirez: We truly see ourselves as an extension of our county partners. Each organization brings different strengths, and together we’re able to provide more comprehensive support than either of us could alone.

The partnership succeeds because we share a common vision and communicate regularly. We also recognize that every community is different. Rural counties have different needs than urban counties, so while the core model remains consistent, we adapt programming to reflect each community’s unique strengths and challenges.

What makes the Kinnections model successful?

Brooke Derrick: Our philosophy is simple: children should have every opportunity to remain connected to their family or to people with whom they share meaningful relationships.

Everything we do is family centered and family driven. Families decide what goals they want to work toward, what supports they need, and how intensively they want to engage with services.

One of our greatest strengths is flexibility. A caregiver might need intensive case management during one period, then only attend support groups or community events for several years before returning when new challenges arise. We remain available throughout their caregiving journey.

We also employ parent partners, staff members with lived experience as kinship caregivers, who understand firsthand what families are experiencing and can provide guidance rooted in their own experiences.

Carol Ramirez: We also have an incredibly experienced team. Collectively, our staff bring more than 500 years of experience serving children and families.

Equally important is having people who are passionate about this work and understand the unique family dynamics involved in kinship care. Our specialized training helps staff recognize those dynamics so they can provide the right support at the right time.

How does the model empower families?

Carol Ramirez: One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned is that families often need immediate help navigating complex systems. Whether it’s legal services, schools, mental health care, housing, transportation, or basic necessities, families need someone who can help them find their way through those systems.

Sometimes caregivers suddenly find themselves caring for several children overnight. They may need beds, clothing, food, or transportation immediately. Helping them meet those immediate needs allows them to focus on caring for the children.

Brooke Derrick: Families really direct the services they receive.

Even when referrals come through county partners, caregivers determine what goals they want to pursue and what level of support works best for them. We don’t decide what families need, we listen to them.

We also gather ongoing feedback through advisory councils, surveys, and parent partners to ensure families continue shaping the program. Their voices are central to everything we do.

What did the Kinnections Project evaluation reveal?

Brooke Derrick: In 2021, Wayfinder Family Services was selected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as the sole recipient of a three-year, $1.8 million Family Connections grant through the Building the Evidence for Kinship Navigator Programs initiative.

The Kinnections Project brought together Wayfinder, the California Department of Social Services, five county child welfare agencies, the Children’s Bureau, and Child Trends to evaluate our model.

The study included 556 kinship caregivers across 13 California counties and compared outcomes between counties implementing Kinnections and counties without access to a kinship navigation program.

The evaluation found statistically significant improvements in social support, access to services, caregiver satisfaction, and connections to community resources among participating families.

As highlighted during the award presentation, 98% of children remained in stable permanency arrangements one year after case management ended, participating families were 25% more likely to access needed services, and 99% of caregivers reported lower stress and improved overall well-being.

The evaluation also met the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse standards for design and execution, allowing us to submit the Kinnections model for federal review.

What’s next for the Kinnections model?

Brooke Derrick: We’re excited that the Kinnections Kinship Navigation Program Model is currently under review by the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse. If it receives a promising rating, counties using the model could become eligible for federal Title IV-E reimbursement, making it easier to expand these services to more families.

It would also make Kinnections the first kinship navigator program in California to receive that distinction.

Carol Ramirez: We’re hopeful about what’s ahead, but our focus remains the same. Every day we’re continuing to work alongside our county partners, support families, and strengthen communities. That’s always been the heart of this work.  

Listen to the full interview online.

Join Wayfinder Family Services’ free webinar Oct. 28 from 1-2 p.m. ET to learn more.