Child and Family Services

Counseling

Kinship Preventive Services

Across the United States, at least six million children are being brought up in households headed by grandparents and other relative caregivers.

Child and Family Services Kinship Preventive Services Program works with kinship caregivers and parents to prevent placement of relative children out of their homes (foster care, residential), and works to expedite the return of children to their parents and/or Article 6 custody to the kinship caregiver.

The Kinship Preventive Services Program assigns a counselor who - utilizing a family systems, solution focused approach - assists parents and/or kinship caregivers in solving problems, learning new ways of coping, and identifying other needed services. A majority of the service occurs in the kinship caregiver and/or parent’s home, however, some counseling sessions and group sessions will occur in one of several Child and Family Services offices. The kinship program offers the family case management, various workshops including support groups and parenting education.

Referrals are made by the Erie County Department of Social Services, who sends a B-2195 referral form to the Director of Preventive Services. The referral is then assigned to an appropriate family counselor.