California KIN Accelerator Pilot

Where This Work Is Happening

Eight California counties: Alameda, Butte, Kern, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Stanislaus.
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Key Partners

• California county child welfare agencies, community partners, and lived experts — local leadership and co-design partners across the eight counties
• California Department of Social Services (CDSS) — state partner
• Center for Excellence in Family Finding, Engagement, and Support — implementation and learning partner
• Casey Family Programs — strategic partner

The Challenge

Kinship care helps reduce trauma, preserve family and cultural connections, and improve outcomes for children. When children cannot remain with their parents, being cared for by relatives or trusted adults with established relationships can make a lasting difference.

California has made kinship care a priority for decades through policy, funding, training, and practice reform. Even so, many counties still face structural barriers that make it difficult to consistently place children with kin and sustain kin-first practices across their systems.

The Action

Inspired by approaches from the technology and start-up sectors, the Accelerator combines customized support, peer learning, and rapid-cycle testing to help counties move faster and more effectively toward kin-first systems. The Pilot is grounded in three core principles: centering lived experience, leveraging technology and data, and prioritizing co-design. Counties participate through cohort convenings, expert-led master classes, targeted implementation support, and shared learning opportunities.