Kinnect offers SEEK training for a variety of professionals, including PCSAs, child welfare professionals and system professionals (i.e., courts and other child and family servicing agencies).

For more information, or if you would like to request this training, please email us at KinnectU@kinnectohio.org or call 216-692-1161.

Search, Engage, Explore, Kinnect (SEEK) - This one-day, in-person training experience introduces participants to our intense values-based family search and engagement (FSE) process. The strategies from SEEK empower families and produce lasting results, connecting young people with their kin, culture, and community. Participants will learn about the core values and foundations of FSE, from legislation history and evolution of practice, to integrating family finding across agencies. Topics discussed will include the “why” behind kin-first decision-making, how to identify and overcome barriers to connecting children with their kin, and trends in practice. Through interactive curriculum and activities, participants will learn diligent searching techniques, meaningful engagement strategies, as well as skillsets for connecting and supporting kinship families.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
(1) Recognize how legislation supports keeping children connected to their family
(2) Explain how the core values of family search and engagement can be incorporated into practice
(3) Describe the difference between outcomes related to children with kinship caregivers versus those who grow up in foster care
(4) Utilize new search tools and strategies in practice
(5) Recall strategies to engage with the immediate family being served, their extended family, other professionals, and partnerships with key stakeholders
(6) Identify barriers and solutions to quality family search and engagement
(7) Assess where current practice does not align with core values of family search and engagement and explore areas of opportunity