Building Connections Between Chosen Family and Kin: A Culturally Adapted Program for LGBTQ+ Children, Youth, and Their Families

Abstract

Chosen Affirming Family Finding (CAFF) is a program developed and implemented by Cuyahoga County Department of Child and Family Services and Kinnect from 2019 to 2021. CAFF is a cultural adaptation of Family Finding, designed to work with LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and other diverse sexual orientations and gender identities) young people involved with the child welfare system. This study outlines the evaluation of a 5-year design and implementation of the CAFF model using mixed-methods. At the start of services, nearly all youth were living in a foster home (67%) or residential setting (25%). At the end of CAFF services, the majority of youth who completed services were living at home (33%) or in kinship care (25%). Youth expressed that CAFF specialists reinforced their authority and role in making decisions about their lives, helped prepare them for disclosure, and increased family connections through meetings.