Welcome!

1. Welcome! KINSHIP CENTER

2. Agenda/Topics to Be Covered • History of Kinship Center, our vision and mission • Core beliefs • Who’s who— • Board of Directors • Executive Management Team • Management Team • Agency policies • Benefits review • Performance reviews • Other resources • Required paperwork • Summary

3. History of Kinship Center • Kinship Center was founded in 1984 in Monterey, CA • Carol Biddle and Carol Bishop held a vision of children in safe, stable and loving foster and adoptive families • Agency mission: Supporting the creation and preservation of foster, adoptive and related families for children who need them

4. 2006 Vision Recognizing that stable families are core to a thriving society, Kinship Center will be a mission driven organization, filling the gap that government cannot by connecting children to permanent families and sustaining them through support, guidance, encouragement, and a broad spectrum of vital services.

5. Kinship Center’s Core Beliefs • Children must have permanency to achieve their full potential; • Healthy, functional families can provide a stabilizing, healing environment for children; • Even the most challenged child should have the opportunity to experience the love of a family; • Children and adolescents need families for a lifetime, not just for childhood.

6. Kinship Center’s Beliefs • By recognizing that children may have developed serious emotional and behavioral problems as a result of their pre-placement history, we craft our interventions to ease the difficult adjustment to a new family; • The core issues in foster care, adoption and relative care giving are not widely recognized by community service providers and educators; • Children and their families must receive interventions that are built on family and strength-based models.

7. We offer services in four main program areas: • Child placement • Developmental and mental health services • Specialized Family Services • Education and Training

8. Child Placement Services • Program Directors: Melissa Dodson (Southern CA), Sharon Roszia (Southern CA) and Nancy Murphy (Salinas); Leigh Cecka, Support Staff Manager • Placement of infants & special needs children in foster and / or adoptive homes, including: • Recruitment, • Orientation, • Pre-service training, • Placement and post-placement support, • Ongoing training, • Either reunification with birth family (foster care) or finalization of an adoption.

9. Child Placement Services • Services to birth parents considering adoption, including counseling • Ongoing support groups, e.g. open adoption groups, caregivers monthly groups, adoptee and birth parent groups, relative caregivers meetings

10. Funding for Placement Programs • Funded by fees (infant & international adoptions), • State and federal foster care monies, • Private Adoption Agency Reimbursement Program (PAARP), • and fund development / donations and grants

11. Placement Service Centers • Salinas • San Jose • Santa Ana • Pasadena • Redlands • Sites licensed by CCL—Community Care Licensing in each community

12. Developmental and Mental Health Services • Del Stewart (Santa Ana), Laura Ornelas (Salinas), Ron Huxley (San Luis Obispo) Program Directors • Assessment and evaluation, including medication support and psychological testing • Treatment—individual, family and group therapies • Specialized therapies—art, occupational and speech therapies, therapeutic behavioral supports (TBS), in-home behavioral coaching

13. Developmental and Mental Health Service Sites and Funding: • Santa Ana • Salinas • San Luis Obispo • Funded by State and Federal Medi-Cal dollars (EPSDT—Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment)

14. Specialized Family Services • Programs to augment existing community resources • Services include: specialized training and support • Recreation programs, direct services, such as food and clothing, tutoring • Advocacy and linkages • Funded by government contracts, grants, and fundraised dollars

15. Specialized Family Services Programs • Monterey County—Family Ties, a relative caregiver program; Charles Chambers, Program Director • Provides direct support services to relatives who are caring for children who are related to them, or who are “near-kin”. The majority are grandparents. • Because it is difficult to change your life to care for children, Family Ties is here to help ease the transition in any way we can.

16. Specialized Family Services Programs • Santa Clara County—Adoption Wraparound; Graham Wright, Program Director and in Monterey County, Ben Madia, Supervisor • Adoption Wraparound is strength-based, family-driven, flexible, creative, committed to permanence, and adoption competent. Goals are developed based on family needs, identified within regular family Team meetings, coordinated by a Wraparound Facilitator.

17. Specialized Family Services Programs • Covina (LA County)—Adoption Promotion & Support Services for LA County families and children, Bridge Builders—LA, Sandra Browne, Supervisor. Group education and support for LA DCFS families—adults & children • Santa Ana– Bridge Builders—OC, includes training and counseling for Orange County Social Services Agency families, Allison Maxon, Supervisor

18. Education and Training • The Education Institute of Kinship Center-- an umbrella for the educational activities of Kinship Center • Reflects the agency’s commitment to supporting adoptive, foster and relative families throughout the years by providing state of the art, quality training • Temple Smolen, Director

19. Professional and Parent Education • Comprehensive parent education • Classes to prepare applicants for parenthood, and to teach skills to parents with children already in their families. • Extensive professional training, through the Adoption Clinical Training (ACT) curriculum and other classes and workshops • DVDs and educational products developed by Kinship Center • Web-based e-learning modules

20. Education Institute Housed In Salinas • Ronald McDonald House Charities Education Center with seating for 200+ in a state-of-the-art training center • The Institute coordinates all training needs and requests throughout the agency and oversees development of curriculum and product • Many Kinship Center staff serve as consultants and trainers for the Education Institute

21. Future directions for The Education Institute • The Education Institute will continue to grow as new education, consultation and supportive programs are developed and expanded • Funded by grants, contracts and product sales

22. Development Department • Olivia Yates, Director of Development, Statewide • Judy Raible, Coordinator, Special Events, Salinas • Development / Fundraising is everyone’s job as funds make our work possible • You will receive a monthly e-newsletter; please read it. Please also send your ideas and suggestions to Olivia at (831) 455-4704 or oyates@kinshipcenter.org

23. Who’s Who at Kinship Center • Board of Directors governs Kinship Center (You will receive an up-to-date list of Board members) • Board meets quarterly in public meetings and minutes of those meetings are a public record • Board does not manage programs but rather oversees the governance and finances of Kinship Center and has an important role in fundraising and public relations

24. The Executive Management Team of Kinship Center • Carol Biddle, MSW, Executive Director and co-founder of Kinship Center (at Headquarters) • Carol Bishop, MFT, Assistant Director of Kinship Center and co-founder (at Headquarters) • Ann Hasselbach, CPA, Finance Director (at Headquarters) • Olivia Yates, PhD, Director of Development (at Headquarters) • Deborah Silverstein, LCSW, Associate Director (at Santa Ana office) See your staff roster for contact information

25. Functions of Executive Team • Meets weekly to review key issues for agency and to make policy decisions • Works to integrate programs into a system of care • Responds directly to requests from the Board of Directors for staff support and information • Sets direction for growth and development of agency • Oversees program directors

26. Statewide Management Team • Directors of each program, executive management team & administrative support supervisor • Team meets monthly to share information, coordinate resources and to problem-solve specific issues or concerns • Meets at least annually for management retreat to receive training and information and to plan for upcoming year

27. Kinship Center Policies • Important to read your Employee Handbook and ask questions of your immediate supervisor • Employees are responsible to follow policies as outlined in Employee Handbook and Policies and Procedure Manual • Kinship Center maintains a Policies and Procedures Manual that is available to you in each office; ask your supervisor for location of documents • Kinship Center staff is responsible to many entities, including the public, County, State and federal governments, other funders, so some of our policies are related to those compliance demands

28. Policies • Business hours are dependent on your program assignment as Kinship Center maintains its hours to serve the children and families at their convenience; • Many employees work extended and flexible hours; • Be sure to clarify the expectations of your supervisor and the needs of your program; • Kinship Center supervisors and directors are always open to receive your suggestions, questions and concerns

29. Benefits Review • Kinship Center offers excellent health / dental / vision and life insurance options for 30 hour or more employees • Vacation/sick/holidays, personal days ( 20+ hours employees only) • Kinship Center follows Federal calendar of official holidays • See Employee Handbook • Disability—State Disability Insurance (SDI) all employees • Long-term disability for 30+ hour-employees • Retirement benefits—403 (b) plan • Rodney Smith, agency representative • Employees may also enroll in several AFLAC policies • Many training/educational opportunities are available; ask your supervisor

30. Human Resources Information • Dina Inovejas (831-455-4709 or dinovejas@kinshipcenter.org) will help you with HR-related questions and Employment Policies • Employees are on at-will basis • Employment decisions are based on merit, qualifications and abilities; not influenced or affected by employee’s race/color, national origin/ancestry, sex, domestic partner status, religion, age, mental or physical disability, veteran’s status, political affiliation, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law

31. Employment Policies • Please pay special attention to our employee code of conduct, attendance and punctuality, personal appearance and grooming in the Employee Handbook • Confidentiality is an important part of the work we do; please be careful to protect the privacy of all our clients • Report any work-related injuries or illnesses to your supervisor immediately

32. Performance Reviews • Reviews let you know those areas in which you have performed well, in addition to those where improvement is needed • Informal evaluation is ongoing • Written appraisal occurs at the end of introductory period and then annually around hire date

33. Review Process • The review process: • You give your supervisor feedback • You receive written materials before a private meeting is held • You also can make written comments before signing the review • Reviews are kept in your personnel file

34. Other Resources: You will be given these: • Staff roster • Time sheets / allocation forms • Mileage and expense forms • Key(s), computer, phone, email– as needed for your job

35. Required Paperwork • You are responsible for keeping the agency informed of any changes in your contact information, your current auto insurance, driver’s and professional (if applicable) licenses • New employee paperwork must be completed on first day of employment

36. A Climate of Mutual Commitment • Kinship Center expects a full commitment from our staff to our mission and to our clients • In turn, Kinship Center makes a full commitment to our employees to create a safe and responsive workplace • Visit our website www.kinshipcenter.org for more detailed information about the agency

37. So Welcome to Kinship Center • We will do everything to make your workplace a creative, supportive and open environment • Now on to the work!