What You Need to Know about Funding for the Family Finding, Engagement and Support Program

Research shows that children placed with their own relatives and extended family members have greater placement stability, fewer emotional and behavioral problems, and more connections to their biological families and social-cultural communities. The Budget Act of 2022 allocated $150 million General Fund (GF) in one-time funding to be used for permanency work. An additional $750,000 GF in ongoing funding was allocated to create the Center for Excellence in Family Finding.

Key Information

Funding must be used for specialized permanency services and supports, including
  • Training of staff on family and engagement practices
  • Staffing and tools to identify, locate and engage persons related to the child (may include the use of internet and social media tools and other technological tools to support family finding)
  • Outreach and engagement of the child and family team members
  • Plan development and case management for the child, family and family-like connections
  • Implementation of model programs, strategies or promising practices
Availability and allowable uses of funds
  • Funding access beginning 2022-2023
  • Opt-in by June 30, 2025
  • Funds must be expended by June 30, 2027

Participating county shall utilize family-finding workers and they must be assigned to family finding engagement responsibilities as their full-time duties
County Match 50% match of local funds to the state funds being offered
County Opt-In Process

Counties that opt into the FFES program are required to submit a written plan providing:

  • Certification that a county has or will hire family-finding workers
  • Explanation of how the county will:
    • Provide the required match of local funds
    • Intend to use the funds
  • Explanation of the family finding models, programs, strategies or promising practice the county intends to implement
Data and Reporting

Counties are required to:

  • Collect and report program data regarding training and completion, strategies, models utilized and services provided
  • Track and report on outcome received by the program regarding:
    • % of children initially or subsequently placed with a relative or NREFM
    • % of children placed in family setting
    • Placement stability experienced by children in out-of-home care
    • Length of time to permanency for children in out-of-home care
    • Racial disproportionality of children who experience placement in congregate care
    • Racial disproportionality of children who experience placement disruption
    • % of children placed with relatives or NREFMs after having been in out-of-home foster care for 24 months+ in a non-relative placement and subsequently been subject to family finding and engagement

*CDSS will consult with Indian Tribes that enter into agreements with the department to develop procedures for program data collection, reporting and tracking