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After the adoptive parent or kinship caregiver consents and has heard their rights and responsibilities, OhioKAN staff will transition the conversation to the BASICS. The questions are formatted so that they can be read like a list. Some items have specific information about who these items may be most relevant to. Given information learned earlier in the conversation with the parent or caregiver and knowledge of the family composition, OhioKAN staff are encouraged to customize the conversation. For example, you don’t have to ask a family who has a toddler about school enrollment, but instead would ask about childcare and developmental screenings.
Explaining the rating system
As the BASICS Assessment begins, the Navigator explains the rating system to the kinship or adoptive caregiver. The caregiver will select the level of challenge for each domain area in the BASICS. It is important that the Navigator refrain from assuming or suggesting a rating based on discussion for each domain. This aligns with the OhioKAN value that we believe in families.
Asking about the BASICS domains
As the person conducting the assessment, allow the OhioKAN family to choose their level of need. If the person says “challenging” you can say “would you say that is somewhat challenging or very challenging” then follow with an open-ended question like “can you tell me more about what you need in this area?” While it is important to read all the questions, it is acceptable to ask them in any order. If the person has stated a need in a specific domain during the initial rapport building and screening conversation, begin the assessment by asking them about that domain first. As the Navigator begins asking the caregiver about each domain, the first set will include a focus on caregiver and family needs followed by child needs.
State Resources
The last step includes a review of state programs families may already have in place or may be eligible for. If OhioKAN staff know a family is ineligible for a certain program based on the service episode type, they can mark it as not eligible and skip that question as they move down the list. For example, staff will not need to ask a kinship family if they participate in an adoption subsidy program only open to adoptive families. Similarly, if the family does not have a child under the age of five living in the home there is no need to ask the family about WIC. If staff are unclear whether the family is eligible for a program or not, err on the side of asking the question and documenting the caregiver’s response.
After completing the BASICS, confirm the caregiver’s preferred method for receiving referral information and describe additional support available with Collaborate services.