Community Based Connections

CBCI'S HEART FAMILY STRENGTHENING PROJECT - COMMUNITY BASED CONNECTIONS, INC. WILL IMPLEMENT THE HEART (HELPING EVERY AREA OF RELATIONSHIPS THRIVE) FAMILY STRENGTHENING PROGRAM IN BROWARD AND PALM BEACH COUNTIES, FLORIDA, PROVIDING CURRICULUM-BASED WORKSHOPS ON COMMUNICATION SKILLS, CONFLICT RESOLUTION, EMOTIONAL INTIMACY, AND MARRIAGE BENEFITS USING THE NURTURING PARENTING PROGRAM, UNDERSTANDING DAD, AND MOM AS GATEWAY CURRICULA. THE PROJECT WILL SERVE ADULT INDIVIDUALS AND COUPLES THROUGH CASE MANAGEMENT, MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING, AND WRAPAROUND SERVICES, WHILE PARTNERING WITH THE LORD'S PLACE TO PROVIDE JOB AND CAREER ADVANCEMENT SERVICES. CBCI WILL HOST ANNUAL COUPLES RETREATS IN COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL CHURCHES, OFFERING PARTICIPANTS GUIDANCE FROM TRAINED MENTORS TO STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIP SKILLS. OVER THE FIVE-YEAR PROJECT PERIOD, CBCI WILL SERVE 1,300 ADULTS, WORKING TO STRENGTHEN MARRIAGES, IMPROVE FAMILY FUNCTIONING, AND ENHANCE PARENTING SKILLS AMONG PARTICIPANTS.

KINSHIP CONNECT PROJECT - COMMUNITY BASED CONNECTIONS, INC. (CBCI) PROPOSES THE KINSHIP CONNECT PROJECT, A THREE-YEAR INITIATIVE SERVING KINSHIP CAREGIVERS AND CHILDREN IN BROWARD AND PALM BEACH COUNTIES, FLORIDA. CBCI WILL REPLICATE THE FOSTER KINSHIP NAVIGATOR PROGRAM®, A TITLE IV-E PREVENTION SERVICES CLEARINGHOUSE-RATED PROMISING PRACTICE, TO STRENGTHEN THE SAFETY, STABILITY, PERMANENCY, AND WELL-BEING OF CHILDREN BEING RAISED BY RELATIVES AND OTHER ADULTS WITH FAMILY-LIKE RELATIONSHIPS. CBCI CURRENTLY PROVIDES CHILDNET-FUNDED KINSHIP SUPPORT SERVICES TO APPROXIMATELY 100 CAREGIVERS ANNUALLY IN BROWARD COUNTY. KINSHIP CONNECT WILL EXPAND THIS EXISTING PLATFORM BY INCREASING SERVICE CAPACITY AND ADDING THE MODEL-SPECIFIC ELEMENTS NECESSARY FOR FORMAL EVIDENCE-BASED REPLICATION, INCLUDING DEVELOPER-APPROVED TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT AND CASE PLANNING, FIDELITY MONITORING, CLOSED-LOOP REFERRALS, PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT, AND INDEPENDENT EVALUATION. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO ESTABLISH THE FOSTER KINSHIP NAVIGATOR PROGRAM® IN PALM BEACH COUNTY, WHERE THE MODEL IS NOT CURRENTLY FORMALLY IMPLEMENTED, CREATING A TWO-COUNTY REPLICATION DEMONSTRATION THAT INCLUDES URBAN, SUBURBAN, AND RURAL COMMUNITIES. DURING THE PROJECT PERIOD, CBCI WILL ENROLL 320 UNDUPLICATED KINSHIP FAMILIES, INCLUDING APPROXIMATELY 180 FAMILIES IN BROWARD COUNTY AND 140 FAMILIES IN PALM BEACH COUNTY, REPRESENTING APPROXIMATELY 360 CAREGIVERS AND 520 CHILDREN. AT LEAST 40% OF ENROLLED FAMILIES ARE EXPECTED TO BE INFORMAL KINSHIP FAMILIES NOT RECEIVING ONGOING CHILD WELFARE CASE-MANAGEMENT SERVICES. SERVICES WILL INCLUDE INFORMATION AND REFERRAL, BENEFITS NAVIGATION, LEGAL-SERVICE LINKAGE, CAREGIVER EDUCATION AND SUPPORT, FAMILY ASSESSMENT, INDIVIDUALIZED CASE PLANNING, INTENSIVE FAMILY ADVOCATE CASE MANAGEMENT, TANGIBLE SUPPORTS, SUPPORT GROUPS, AND CLOSED-LOOP REFERRALS. AN INDEPENDENT THIRD-PARTY EVALUATOR WILL ASSESS IMPLEMENTATION, FIDELITY, OUTCOMES, COSTS, CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT, AND SUSTAINABILITY. THE EVALUATION WILL EXAMINE CAREGIVER ACCESS TO SERVICES AND BENEFITS, LEGAL AND FINANCIAL STABILITY, CAREGIVER SELF-EFFICACY AND SUPPORT, PLACEMENT STABILITY, SERVICE COSTS, AND THE IMPLEMENTATION CONDITIONS NECESSARY FOR SUCCESSFUL REPLICATION. FINDINGS FROM BROWARD AND PALM BEACH COUNTIES WILL BE SYNTHESIZED INTO A FLORIDA REPLICATION AND SCALE-UP BRIEF TO INFORM DCF, CHILDNET, OTHER COMMUNITY-BASED CARE LEAD AGENCIES, AND KINSHIP-SERVING ORGANIZATIONS CONSIDERING FUTURE EXPANSION OF EVIDENCE-BASED KINSHIP NAVIGATOR SERVICES THROUGHOUT FLORIDA.