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The following is a description of OhioKAN’s governance structure and approach to community partnerships tailored to the Ohio context. The OhioKAN Governance Structure was developed by the nonprofit community organization, Kinnect, in partnership with Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS). The Governance Structure includes the engagement of community partners, local agencies, and statewide operations all grounded in OhioKAN’s CARES values and IDEA principles. The light green boxes indicate the governing agency, ODJFS, and the implementing agency, Kinnect. Below in light blue are the entities established for community partnerships, specifically Regional Advisory Councils with one council per region and a Statewide Advisory Council. Membership of all councils includes intentional engagement of community members with lived experience as kinship caregivers and/or adoptive parents. The darker green boxes indicate the Kinnect program staff that partner with the staff employed by local agencies indicated by the dark blue boxes. Kinnect program staff such as the Program Director, Regional Directors, Coaches and Regional Coordinators all work either directly or indirectly with partnered site staff such as the Partnering Supervisors and Navigators. Coaches work directly with Navigators to support service delivery and continuous quality improvement.
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Figure 4. The above visual includes the OhioKAN Governance Structure, a visual that demonstrates the relationships between both internal and external stakeholders involved in the implementation and delivery of the OhioKAN program.