The OhioKAN Family Engagement Framework is a guiding approach and includes a set of core principles that describe how the OhioKAN program and staff partner with kinship and adoptive families. Since the beginning of the process to design OhioKAN, kinship and adoptive families have played an important role in envisioning and identifying the services and…

The OhioKAN program model is supported by community partners in both a Statewide Advisory Council and a set of Regional Advisory Councils. The advisory councils support the implementation of the OhioKAN program model and the stewardship of the community pathway of the theory of change. In partnership with OhioKAN staff, DCY, and the OhioKAN Regional…

Kinnect chose to contract with local agencies in order to work with established organizations that have a good reputation and credibility in the community to deliver the OhioKAN program model. Selected community organizations and county agencies hire, supervise, and support Kinship and Adoption Navigators. Through a memorandum of understanding (MOU), Kinnect procures services from community…

The non-profit organization, Kinnect, and DCY partnered to convene a formal management structure to attend to the day-to-day operations of the program’s implementation, fidelity to the model, and sustainability. Kinnect is the statewide implementing provider organization of the OhioKAN program model. The management structure includes DCY funding and agency staff embedded in the initial and…

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 DCY. The Governance Structure includes the engagement of community partners, local agencies, and statewide operations. The light green boxes indicate the…

Partnerships with the community are a core component of the OhioKAN model with an intentional pathway included in the theory of change. Examples of such partnerships may include representatives from public agencies, community organizations, and the community with an emphasis on individuals with lived experience and direct practice experts. Meaningful partnerships with community representatives with…

Learn about how OhioKAN was first implemented in the state of Ohio and the fundamental frameworks for engaging families and honoring their needs.