CDSS: Kin-first Academy: Foundations, Value and Impact

Course Overview

This foundational course in the Kin-first Academy introduces the values and practices that guide a kin-first approach in California’s child welfare system. Through interactive discussion and guided reflection, you’ll explore how California’s values, policies and practices support a kin-first approach—and how your role at CDSS contributes to statewide alignment and implementation efforts that keep children connected to their families, communities, and Tribes at every stage of involvement. 

What Will I Learn in This Training?

Even if you don’t work directly with children and families, this course will help you better understand what is expected of county child welfare professionals—and how your role at CDSS supports statewide efforts to cultivate a kin-first culture.  

By the end of this course, participants will be able to: 

• Understand why identifying and engaging family members early and often is a core expectation for county child welfare professionals—and how this supports a child’s sense of belonging and permanency while upholding California’s kin-first approach. 

• Describe the core values, beliefs and goals of kin-first culture. 

• Recognize that maintaining family, community and tribal connections supports a child’s identity, belonging and well-being—and embrace values that honor families as experts in their own lives. 

• Identify how California’s Integrated Core Practice Model (ICPM) and the “Gold Standard” of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) promote family finding and kin engagement practices. 

• Recognize common barriers—both systemic and personal—that can hinder efforts to place children with family or kin. 
• Identify how your role within CDSS can support and align with statewide kin-first efforts. 

What is Kin-First Culture?

At its core, a kin-first culture embodies an organization's unwavering commitment to nurturing and supporting relationships between children, youth, and their family members—including relatives, non-relative extended family, community, and Tribes. This approach prioritizes preserving and maintaining these vital connections, ensuring that children remain rooted and connected to those they love.

Join us in championing kin-first culture and shaping systems that keep children connected to their families, communities and Tribes!