Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 122.djvu/3977

 12 2 STA T .3954PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 351 —O CT. 7, 200 8ofent e ri n g, fo s ter ca re reconnect w it h fa m i ly mem b ers thro u gh the im p lementation of —‘ ‘ (1) a k inship na v igator program to assist kinship care - givers in learning about, fin d ing, and using programs and serv- ices to meet the needs of the children they are raising and their own needs, and to promote effective partnerships among public and private agencies to ensure kinship caregiver families are served, which program— ‘‘( A ) shall be coordinated with other S tate or local agencies that promote service coordination or provide information and referral services, including the entities that provide 2– 1–1 or 3 –1–1 information systems where available, to avoid duplication or fragmentation of services to kinship care families ‘‘( B ) shall be planned and operated in consultation with kinship caregivers and organi z ations representing them, youth raised by kinship caregivers, relevant govern- ment agencies, and relevant community-based or faith- based organizations; ‘‘( C ) shall establish information and referral systems that link (via toll-free access) kinship caregivers, kinship support group facilitators, and kinship service providers to— ‘‘(i) each other; ‘‘(ii) eligibility and enrollment information for F ed- eral, State, and local benefits; ‘‘(iii) relevant training to assist kinship caregivers in caregiving and in obtaining benefits and services; and ‘‘(iv) relevant legal assistance and help in obtaining legal services; ‘‘( D ) shall provide outreach to kinship care families, including by establishing, distributing, and updating a kin- ship care website, or other relevant guides or outreach materials; ‘‘( E ) shall promote partnerships between public and private agencies, including schools, community based or faith-based organizations, and relevant government agen- cies, to increase their knowledge of the needs of kinship care families to promote better services for those families; ‘‘(F) may establish and support a kinship care ombuds- man with authority to intervene and help kinship care- givers access services; and ‘‘( G ) may support any other activities designed to assist kinship caregivers in obtaining benefits and services to improve their caregiving; ‘‘(2) intensive family-finding efforts that utilize search tech- nology to find biological family members for children in the child welfare system, and once identified, work to reestablish relationships and e x plore ways to find a permanent family placement for the children; ‘‘(3) family group decision-making meetings for children in the child welfare system, that— ‘‘(A) enable families to make decisions and develop plans that nurture children and protect them from abuse and neglect, and

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