OCFS Kinship Programs

OCFS Kinship Programs

The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) funds local kinship programs that serve specific counties in New York State, providing case management and other assistance to kinship caregivers. Please click on each individual program for more information. For a complete listing of kinship programs, please visit the county resource page.

New York State Unified Kinship System of Care

OCFS Kinship Online Training – Addressing Caregiver Challenges

Serves Bronx County and the upper Manhattan area-We serve informal kinship caregivers, kinship custodians and guardians.

The primary goals of the project are to improve four key indicators: the number of children who enter foster care for the first time, the number of children who re-enter foster care, the length of time children remain in foster care, and the overall occurrence of abuse and neglect within the Highbridge community.

Services Include:

• Information and Referral to Local Agencies
• Mental Health Services referrals
• Family Counseling referrals
• Health Services
• SNAP benefits and Housing Assistance Application Assistance
• Legal Services through Mobilization for Justice
• Mentorship program for youth re-entering the community from the juvenile justice system

Serves English and Spanish speaking clients. We distribute food to kinship families in need every Wednesday.

A New York State Office of Children and Family Services Kinship Caregivers Program

Catholic Charities of Buffalo – Kinship Program
Allegany County Kinship Program
2636 West State Street, Suite 301
Olean, NY 14760

Contact: Danielle Kielar for Allegany
Phone: 716-372-0101 ext. 3747
E-mail: danielle.kielar@ccwny.org

Contact: Jennifer Norton for Cattaraugus
Phone: 716-372-0101 Ext 3745
E-mail: jennifer.norton@ccwny.org

Serves Allegany and Cattaraugus Counties.

This program is a partnership with Catholic Charities, YMCA of Twin Tiers, and Elder Law. The kinship families have to have Article 6 (permanent custody) or informal custody to qualify for the program (for  Allegany). And be TANF eligible for Cattaraugus County. If they have legal guardianship, Article 10 or KinGAP they are not eligible to participate.

The program has 5 components:
1. Case management and referral services: home visits, linkages with community agencies, finding out the needs of the families and how to help them; 1-4 times per month.
2.  Support groups-separate for adults and children: For adults: the curriculum PASTA (Parenting a Second Time Around) once a month
For children: once a month focusing on stress management, listening skills, self-  esteem building, bullying prevention.
3. Education sessions: ElderLaw lawyer will be presenting on legal issues; 3 times per quarter
4. Family engagement activities:  family swim nights, movie night, craft night, etc. once a month
5. Maintenance and family preservation services: respite for the children once a month

A New York State Office of Children and Family Services Program

Catholic Charities Family and Community Services- KIN Program
87 N. Clinton Ave
Rochester, NY 14604
Contact: Laura Weaver
Phone: (585) 546-7220 ext. 4802
E-mail: lweaver@cfcrochester.org
Website: https://www.fcscharities.org/

Serves Monroe and Wayne County.

It can be overwhelming to help raise the child of a family member when the parent(s) cannot. Grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles often become the non-parent caregivers for the children of a family member when the parent(s) are unable to raise them. Catholic Charities Family and Community Services is here to help you with this important responsibility. Serves legal custodians and families with no formal legal designation.

Services include:

• Meeting you in your home to provide emotional support
• Provide you with referral and connect you to services and resources
• Invitation to our monthly support/informational group (on hold during COVID pandemic)
• Help you apply for any eligible financial assistance
• Fun Family Entertainment (on hold during COVID pandemic)

A New York State Office of Children and Family Services Program

Community Action Program for Madison County, Inc.
Kinship Care Program
3 East Main Street
Morrisville, NY 13408
Program Manager: Deborah L. Donnelly
Phone: (315) 684-3144 ext. 25
Email: ddonelly@capmadco.org
Executive Director: Elizabeth Crofut
Phone:(315) 697-3588 ext. 40
Email: ecrofut@capmadco.org
Website: www.capmadco.org

The Family Center
493 Nostrand Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11216
Phone: (718) 230-1379 ext. 140 (For New Clients)
Website: https://www.thefamilycenter.org/what-we-do/family-support-services/family-ties/

Program Contact: Trish Jean-Louis, Program Supervisor
Phone: (718) 230-1379 x 132
Fax: (718) 638-1628
Email: tjean-louis@thefamilycenter.org

The Family Center’s Kinship Program serves Brooklyn (Kings) and Staten Island (Richmond)- Serves kinship caregivers with legal custodian and families with no formal designation.

Family Ties Program:
Across New York City, there are over 80,000 households led by grandparents or other kin who are raising children due to the illness, absence or loss of their biological parents. The Family Center offers a full array of services to these families, who are often struggling financially and emotionally. Across the five boroughs of New York City, most kinship caregivers and adoptive parents will be eligible for services under one of our caregiver contracts. Services can be delivered in the office or home.

Services include:
• Individual and Family Counseling, with specialization in family transitions, trauma, and grief and loss
• Developing a permanency plan to address who would care for children if a caregiver becomes incapacitated or dies
• Case management and advocacy to ensure families have all the services and benefits that they need
• Legal assistance on family law, housing, lifetime planning and benefits matters
• Parenting groups and support, specialized for grandparent caregivers
• Recreational activities for families

Services are available in English, Spanish, French and Haitian Creole.

TFC’s services for adoptive parents and kincaregivers are funded by the NYS Office of Children and Family Services

Family Service Society of Yonkers
Kinship Support Program
30 South Broadway
5th Floor
Yonkers, NY 10701
Phone: (914) 963-5118
Fax: (914) 308-3281
Program Contact: Carolyn Fluckinger, Program Director
Email: cfluckinger@fssy.org
Program Contact for Rockland: Michelle Brownlee, Case Manager
E-mail: MBrownlee@fssy.org
Website: www.fssy.org

Serves Westchester and Rockland Counties

Provides case assistance and management, case advocacy, caregiver support groups, parenting and communication workshops, information and referral, family and youth events, free summer youth program, parenting and communication workshops, material assistance, access to mediation, counseling and legal services. Serves legal custodians and families with no formal legal designation.

Case Management & Assistance
• Case Advocacy
• Caregiver Support Groups – Grandparent and Relative Caregiver Support Group Meeting (Virtual): Presentations on parenting issues, group discussion, and peer support.
-Takes place on third Friday of the month from 10:00AM-11:00AM
-Contact Kayla Urena ( (914) 310-4915 or kurena@fssy.org )
-Takes place on second Friday of the month from 10:00AM-12:00PM
– Contact Bettye Malone ( (914) 963-5118 or bmalone@fssy.org )
• Parenting & Communication Workshops
• Information & Referral
• Family & Youth Events
• Youth Support Group – Youth Empowered for Success (YES!) Meeting (Virtual): Presentations on adolescence and other topics, group discussion, and peer support
Takes place on third Tuesday of month from 3:00PM-4:00PM
Contact Kayla Urena ( (914) 310-4915 or kurena@fssy.org )

E-tutoring
• Free Summer Youth Program
• Material Assistance
• Access to Mediation
• Counseling
• Legal Services

Hillside-Kinship Caregiver Program
1 Mustard St.
Rochester, NY 14609
Contact: Beth Harrington
Phone: 315-459-1606
E-mail: bharring@hillside.com
Website: www.hillside.com
Program Serves: Monroe and Erie County.

The Hillside Kinship Care Program is designed based on the unique needs of kinship families with a goal to support and strengthen families, promote permanency and ensure the well-being of kinship children.
This program serves families with informal or legal custody of a youth between the ages of 0-18, free of charge. Services are provided by experienced kinship parents and other kinship professionals.

We understand the challenges grandparents, relatives or any non-parent caregiver may experience at times and the need to secure consistent resources and meet other kinship families.
Participating families will be connected to a Permanency Specialist who will provide one to one support to help caregivers identify tools to manage challenging youth behaviors, navigate legal, school and mental health systems, secure community resources and connect with other kinship families through support groups and recreational activities.

Participating families will be connected to a Permanency Specialist who will provide one to one support to help caregivers identify tools to manage challenging youth behaviors, navigate legal, school and mental health systems, secure community resources and connect with other kinship families through support groups and recreational activities.

Detailed services include:

-Individual advocacy and one to one case management support
-Monthly Caregiver and Youth support groups
-Access to Hillside’s 24/7 Crisis Support Line
-Family-focused social/recreational activities
-Caregiver education groups and trauma-informed trainings
-Parenting A Second Time Around “PASTA” workshops
-Referrals and connections to targeted community-based services

-This Kinship Caregiver Program is funded by: New York State Office of Children and Family Services

Hope for Youth -Kinship Program
201 Dixon Avenue
Amityville, NY 11701
Contact: Leslie Messeder
Cell: 516-506-3458
Office: 631-782-6306
Email: lmesseder@hfyny.org
Website: https://hfyny.org/

Serves Nassau and Suffolk Counties

The Kinship Caregiver Program will serve families in both Nassau and Suffolk County who have informal or legal custody of children between the ages of 0 -18.  The Kinship Case Manager will conduct monthly home visits for the first 3 months and will continue for up to 6 months.  Case management services will focus on the long term objective of increasing the caregiver’s capacity to care for the children in their care and reduce stress.  Needs of the family will be assessed and the  Kinship Caregiver Case Manager will make appropriate referral and connect family with local supports and resources.  Families will have access to Hope for Youth services such as mental health, Child-Parent Psychotherapy, Children and Family Treatment Support Services and Health Homes.

Hope for Youth is partnering with Cornell Cooperative Extension, who provides:

1. Support Groups-Separate for both adults and children
2. Education-Parenting A Second Time Around
3. Family Engagement-Monthly social activities will be planned for the families in the program in each county.
   
   A New York State Office of Children and Family Services Program

Liberty Resources – Kinship Caregiver Program
945 South 1^st Street
Fulton, NY 13069
Supervisor: Priscilla Heilveil
Phone: (315) 598-4642 ext.1214
Email: pheilveil@liberty-resources.org
Case Manager: Betsy Neal
Phone: (315) 598-4642 ext. 1137
Email: eneal@liberty-resources.org
Website: https://www.liberty-resources.org/child-and-family/

Besides outreach to the community, the program offers an array of services tailored to meet the needs and build on the strengths of kinship families in Oswego and Onondaga counties. . For many families, information, referral and linkage to available resources that offer supports such as financial, educational or legal information and community programs will be sufficient.

Other families may take advantage of the program’s case management coordination and the availability of small financial grants for specific needs.  Training on relevant topics as well as elements of  the “Caring for Our Own” and “Parenting the Second Time Around” (PASTA) training curricula are presented   monthly as are  support groups for caregivers and youth. Family recreational activities and brief respite are also available.

In families where there is a high risk of disruption because of serious emotional or behavioral challenges of the youth in care, an intense combination of trauma informed therapeutic case management, assessment & crisis intervention is provided by a master’s level clinical social worker.

Serves Legal Custodians and families with no formal legal designation.

An Office of Children and Family Services funded Kinship Program

New York Council on Adoptable Children
333 West 39th Street, Suite 201
New York, NY 10018
Program Contact: Cyndi Morales and Joann Buttaro
Phone: (212) 475-0222 ext. 232
Cell: (646) 483-5901
Email: mholiday@coac.org and  jbuttaro@coac.org
Website: www.coac.org

Permanency Program -Serves all five New York City boroughs-Serves post adoption and post guardianship families.

Kinship Connections Program-Serves Manhattan and Queens-Serves legal custodians and families with no legal designation

COAC’s Kinship Program serves kinship caregivers with no formal designation and legal custodian families in the New York (Manhattan) and Queens counties.

At the New York City Family Permanency Center, we provide adoptive and post guardianship families with engaging and beneficial support services. Our goal is to strengthen family relationships and functioning. We provide crisis and ongoing counseling services, referrals to community-based services, advocacy services, and informative workshops for parents and youth. We provide a wide array of services, and are committed to meeting your family’s needs.

Services Provided:
– Individual and family counseling in your home and at COAC’s office
– Advocacy and referral services for mental health, counseling, and other community services
– Support Groups and Educational Workshops
– Help finding mentoring, tutoring, career and academic planning, employment and other services for youth.
– Telephone WARMLINE for information and crisis counseling
– Coordination with COAC’s legal services for families affected by HIV/AIDS
These services can be provided in the home, community, and/or office. All services are available in English and Spanish.

A New York State Office of Children and Family Services Kinship Caregivers Program

The Neighborhood Center, Inc. – Kinship Connections

221 South Warren Street
Syracuse, NY 13202
Phone: (315) 703-6500
Legal Helpline: 877-777-6152
Website: https://www.neighborhoodctr.org/services/child-care-family-services/kinship-care-management/

612 Elizabeth Street
Utica, NY 13501
Phone: (315) – 272-2630
Email: terris@neighborhoodctr.org

612 Elizabeth Street
Utica, NY  13501
Phone: (315) – 272-2630
Email: terris@neighborhoodctr.org
Website:  https://neighborhoodctr.org/services/child-care-family-services/kinship-care-management/

This program provides services to Kinship families, with legal custody or no formal legal designation, living in Oneida and Herkimer Counties. We have a staff of 2 Care Managers who provide monthly  home visits as well as phone calls as needed.  Our goal is to help assess the services that you are in need of and link you to those services. We also will be able to provide respite to qualified families. We will have support groups for both adult caregivers and children available in both counties on a monthly or bi-weekly basis. Family fun days will be held on a quarterly basis.A Facebook page for the Caregivers is also up and running. There is no charge to the families as this program is grant funded.  We are able to coordinate services with other service providers as well.

A NYS Office of Children and Family Services Program

OLV Human Services-Kinship Caregiver Program
790 Ridge Rd
Lackawanna, NY 14218
Program Contact: Leann Lapis
Phone: (716) 828-9411
Fax: (716) 828-7845
Website: www.olvhumanservices.org
Provides services to caregivers in Erie and Chautauqua counties who have Article 6 or 1017 custody arrangements, as well as those caregivers providing informal care arrangements for children not biologically their own.  Services include family-driven case management provided by an MSW Case Manager.  Additional services include monthly peer lead support groups and educational sessions for kinship caregivers, as well as interactive groups designed specifically for children in the caregiver’s household, and family engagement activities for all family members.  Group curriculums are evidence based and include the PASTA training (Parenting A Second Time Around) and TCIF (Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Families).  Hourly respite services are available for caregivers on an as-needed basis.

A NYS Office of Children and Family Services Program

St. Catherine’s Center for Children (SCCC) Kinship Care Program-Serves Albany and Schenectady Counties

40 North Main Ave.
Albany, NY 12203
Melinda Gonzalez
(518) 390-0802
mgonzalez@st-cath.org

Kinship Caregiver Program Brochure

The St. Catherine’s Center for Children (SCCC) Kinship Care Program serves the Albany-Schenectady region of upstate New York. A care coordinator and kinship specialist are trained to focus on the needs of kinship caregivers that have informal or legal custody of children up to age 18. With an emphasis on permanency interwoven into all activities, elements of the program include:

• Case management and referral.
  • Community education for the families.
  • Support groups for caregivers.
  • Family engagement activities.
  • Support groups for children in program.
  • Short respite periods, as needed, for the caregivers.

Families receiving SCCC kinship care services participate in support groups, crisis management training, peer-to-peer support activities, and 1:1 educational sessions that are designed to aid the caregivers in successfully navigating social service and legal systems to obtain much-needed services and support.

Parenting a Second Time Around is the guiding curriculum for the program support groups. Additional training sessions are aimed at increasing the caregivers’ understanding of trauma and how to best provide strength-based parenting to the children in their care and promote stability in the home.

One key feature of the SCCC kinship care program is the brief period of restorative relief from supervising the child(ren) that is provided to the caregivers, with the intent to decrease family stressors and temporarily relieve the caretaker(s) from the demanding responsibility of providing care. The children spend time with the trained respite provider in community outings and educational activities.
The program also regularly solicits the input of the caregivers and families to fine-tune services to the specific needs of program participants.

A New York State Office of Children and Family Services Program

St. Catherine’s Center for Children (SCCC) Kinship Care Program- Serves Greene and Ulster Counties
53 Albany Ave.
Kingston, NY 12401
Program Contact: Lilian Leveque
Phone:(518) 646-3373
Email: Lleveque@st-cath.org

Program Flyer

The St. Catherine’s Center for Children (SCCC) Kinship Care Program serves the Ulster-Greene region of upstate New York. A care coordinator and kinship specialist are trained to focus on the needs of kinship caregivers that have informal or legal custody of children up to age 18. With an emphasis on permanency interwoven into all activities, elements of the program include:

• Case management and referral.
• Community education for the families.
• Support groups for caregivers.
• Family engagement activities.
• Support groups for children in program.
• Short respite periods, as needed, for the caregivers.

Families receiving SCCC kinship care services participate in support groups, crisis management training, peer-to-peer support activities, and 1:1 educational sessions that are designed to aid the caregivers in successfully navigating social service and legal systems to obtain much-needed services and support.

Parenting a Second Time Around is the guiding curriculum for the program support groups. Additional training sessions are aimed at increasing the caregivers’ understanding of trauma and how to best provide strength-based parenting to the children in their care and promote stability in the home.

One key feature of the SCCC kinship care program is the brief period of restorative relief from supervising the child(ren) that is provided to the caregivers, with the intent to decrease family stressors and temporarily relieve the caretaker(s) from the demanding responsibility of providing care. The children spend time with the trained respite provider in community outings and educational activities.
The program also regularly solicits the input of the caregivers and families to fine-tune services to the specific needs of program participants.

A New York State Office of Children and Family Services Program