Looking Within: How Butte County Identified Workforce Empowerment as a Kin-first Priority

Butte County’s experience with the KIN Accelerator Pilot Program has been both insightful and transformative, leading us to identify a distinct and critical impact area: Workforce Empowerment. 

Workforce Empowerment focuses on strengthening workforce knowledge, practices and organizational culture to support consistent kin-first decision-making. The KIN Accelerator is both data-driven and centers the wisdom of those with lived expertise; the impact area of Workforce Empowerment emerged consistently throughout the Kinship Sprint* and was further reinforced by county placement data presented during the program’s launch. 

Reviewing our placement data through the Kinship 360 View and the activities in the launch event posed challenges and frequently raised more questions than answers. In several areas, Butte County’s kinship data was inconsistent and difficult to synthesize into clear themes. Since 2017, Butte County has experienced repeated disasters—occurring almost yearly through 2024—including multiple devastating wildfires and, of course, COVID-19. It remains unclear whether the data inconsistencies are due to population shifts, with residents leaving the area, or data entry errors. 

These data challenges highlighted the need for intentional investment in workforce fundamentals, staff support for a kin-first culture, and consistent practice. While Butte County demonstrates a clear commitment to the value of relative placement and strengthening kinship connections, a persistent hesitation remains when it comes to making initial placements with kin. 

Through our partnership with Think of Us, California Department of Social Services and UC Davis, the county has gained a valuable opportunity to educate both staff and external partners. These collaborations are helping to streamline and standardize processes, ultimately advancing a more consistent and kin-centered approach to placement decisions. 

During our Kin Accelerator Launch, the evidence supporting our chosen impact area revealed fragmented internal systems, which can make initial placement in stranger care appear easier, while assessing relatives often takes more time and effort. Some staff continue to hold beliefs that relatives are similar to parents and may face the same challenges, or that they may not provide appropriate boundaries. Additionally, there is a lack of education for staff, resource parents and community partners regarding available resources, training and a fundamental understanding of the profound positive impact that kin involvement and placement have on children’s success and timely permanency. 

We strongly believe that by focusing on Workforce Empowerment, we can shift foundational workplace culture, establishing the structure needed to support initial kin placement. The goal is to make the process not only a priority but also as streamlined and straightforward as possible. In turn, we hope these changes will lead to increased initial kin placements and greater stability in relative placements. 

This focus emphasizes shared knowledge and alignment around the priority of kin, clear practice expectations supported by a structured process that prioritizes kin engagement and placement, and a clear understanding of documentation requirements and how they are reflected in the data. 

To put this focus into action, we are currently working on contracts to facilitate multi-disciplinary teams for Family Connection Meetings and Quality Care Mapping**. Family Connection Meetings will occur early in the life of a case, helping to identify kin and creating a space for them to discuss availability and how they can support the child. These meetings are intended to increase kin participation in Child and Family Team Meetings (CFTM) and provide the education needed to engage fully and meaningfully. 

We are very excited to move forward with this new focus in Butte County and deeply appreciate the opportunity to partner with Think of Us, CDSS and UC Davis. We look forward to seeing this work strengthen kinship connections, increase placement stability and improve outcomes for children, families and caregivers throughout our community. 

* Kinship Sprint encompassed interviews with targeted groups, including Resource Parents, tribal partners, Child Welfare Social Workers, Youth, and community partners. 

** Quality Care Mappings are multi-disciplinary meetings focused on caregivers, providing a space to discuss challenges and explore the supports needed to strengthen caregiver’s capacity. These meetings can occur before or after a 14-day notice and complement the CFTM, shifting the focus from the child to the caregiver when appropriate. 

Penny Mittag, MSW, is the assistant director of Children's Services for the Butte County Department of Employment and Social Services. With a 31-year career in child welfare serving families in Butte County, Mittag is helping lead the county's participation in California's KIN Accelerator Program, an initiative focused on strengthening kinship placement practices and improving outcomes for children and families.