Voices from the Field: Stakeholder Perspectives on Family Finding

The Family Finding model provides child welfare practitioners with intensive search and engagement techniques to identify family members and other adults close to a child in foster care, and to involve these adults in developing and carrying out a plan for the emotional and legal permanency of the child. This brief describes the importance of establishing such permanent connections for children and youth, along with the challenges in forming and building lasting connections, from the perspectives of judges, guardians ad litem, and family finding specialists who regularly interact with children and youth in foster care. It also incorporates the ideas and input of national Family Finding experts.