DISCUSSION:

The purpose of this memorandum is to introduce the Missouri Kinship Navigator Program. The Children’s Division has partnered with ParentLink, the Missouri Family Resource Centers, and other public and private community partners to connect formal and informal relative caregivers to quality information, outreach activities and support services across Missouri.

Missouri Kinship Navigator Program established a statewide toll-free phone line: 1-833-KIN-4KID (1-833-546-4543) that is operated by ParentLink warm-line staff who are trained to assist relative caregivers in identifying, locating, and accessing programs and services to meet the physical and emotional needs of the children they are raising, as well as any needs of the relative/kinship caregiver.

The ParentLink staff who operate the warm-line connect caregivers with Kinship Navigators from ParentLink or other agencies including: Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association (CMFCAA), FosterAdopt Connect (FAC), and Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition (FACC) to provide kinship navigation services located in many communities across Missouri. For additional information on specific services, resources and locations, visit the ParentLink Kinship Navigator website: https://education.missouri.edu/navigators/

Staff should share the Missouri Kinship Navigator toll-free phone line: 1-833-KIN4KID and the ParentLink Kinship Navigator website with all relative/kinship caregivers.