Grantee: Kindering
Timeframe: January 2020 – December 2020 | Amount: $15,000
By establishing critical relationships between a child and key people involved in their life, CHERISH Therapists work to minimize trauma, stabilize placements, and facilitate healthy placement transitions when necessary. CHERISH Home Visitors use Child-Parent Psychotherapy to develop these relationships during regular, hour-long home visits and to guide foster caregivers in creating secure homes. Evidence-based CPP is one of the few empirically validated treatments for children exposed to trauma under age 6 and their caregivers. By fostering communication, we help lessen the stress that children and families experience within systems. We advocate for best practice around caregiver/parent connections, visitation, effective transitions, and ongoing support.
The project would include:
- Phase 1: Data audit. UW researchers led by Dr. Elizabeth Sanders will audit existing quantitative data from Kindering and 27 partner providers from seven partner sites. The research will focus on determining which program components support the best outcomes, particularly for children of color. We specifically will research any race/ethnicity disparities in outcomes and developmental successes.
- Phase 2: Qualitative research and analysis. UW’s team will collaborate with Kindering to create a guided interview series for both CHERISH providers/staff and foster care family participants to identify how demographic characteristics relate to child outcomes. UW doctoral students, rather than CHERISH staff, will conduct these interviews as an impartial third party.
- Phase 3. Review results; draft program improvements. Kindering’s Excellence Committee (EC) will analyze the findings to determine next steps for creating a more equitable service model for statewide program expansion. EC members regularly review Kindering’s existing and proposed programs against the standard of services for which we are well regarded in the community.
- Phase 4. Implement improvements. CHERISH has an established history of making strides on systems improvement, including through 1) the broadly diverse CHERISH-sponsored Child Welfare Community Connections Advisory Panel and 2) sharing resources with and trainings at DCYF Child Welfare offices throughout King County.
About Our Grantee
Kindering
Kindering is a community-based non-profit whose mission is to “embrace children of diverse abilities and their families by providing the finest education and therapies to nurture hope, courage, and the skills to soar.” Kindering’s programs support children with delays, disabilities and risk factors through a broad range of therapies and services, positively impacting their developmental trajectories and, ultimately, helping families thrive. Kindering supports all families, regardless of their financial means.
