Lincoln Team and Board Member Spotlight: Kinship Support Services

“It is an honor to be able to serve kinship families, children and youth. Their courage, strength and resilience is admirable.” —Anabel Rodriguez

Lincoln knows that children do best when they remain in the safe, stable, and familiar environment that relatives can provide. Relative caregivers are the backbone of our child welfare system, stepping up to fill the gap when challenges take parents from raising their children. It may surprise you to learn that for each child in foster care, there are 6 children being raised by relatives in the US. Many are grandparents with special needs linked to age, poverty, poor health, and lack of support and resources. Since 2001, Lincoln's Kinship Services has addressed the unique needs of each caregiver and child, providing a variety of supports and services. This month, Lincoln is proud to highlight the Kinship Support Services program. Meet Anabel Rodriguez, Kinship Program Manager, and Sheetal Patel, Lincoln Board member and champion of Kinship. 

Anabel Rodriguez came to Lincoln almost 5 years ago as a Bilingual Case Manager supporting Spanish speaking Kinship families in southern Alameda county. Two years ago, Anabel transitioned to the Kinship Program Manager, and has embraced the ability to lead and support the Kinship staff team. Anabel ensures that the program meets all county contract deliverables, and that the staff team and families have access to all the resources they need.  Anabel supports Case Managers in facilitating support groups for kin caregivers, as well as in creating culturally responsive, thoughtful case plans for families. Since COVID-19 caused shelter-in-place orders, Kinship has pivoted to a telehealth service delivery model, particularly supporting elderly kin caregivers in navigating rapidly increasing digital demands. 

 All Kinship services are now provided virtually, including the Kinship Cafe which is an activity based group that leads community activities like cooking, arts and craft, and step-by-step technology coaching. Kinship’s Youth Team launched the Kinship Lounge which supports youth in completing homework and staying on task with distance learning expectations. Anabel has been consistently wowed by the efforts of the Kinship team who have approached new challenges with innovation and a steadfast commitment to serving family needs. 

 Anabel is inspired every day by the resilience of our Kinship families. Families come to Lincoln services carrying a lot of stress, uncertainty, and confusion. Grandparent kin caregivers often don’t know anything about their rights or what resources available to them. Elderly caregivers give so much of themselves in the best interest of their families, and despite the hardships that can be caused, they remain committed to keeping their families together. Anabel is proud of Kinship’s 100% permanency rate - meaning that families are able to build healthy homes, access financial resources, actualize successful permanency plans, and establish family stability all while keeping children out of the foster care system. 

Sheetal Patel has been a Lincoln Board member since 2016, and was introduced to Lincoln through her company’s Social Outreach Program. Sheetal was drawn to Lincoln because our commitment to children, education, and mental health - all of which deeply resonated with her. When Lincoln began pairing Board members to programs, Sheetal chose the Kinship program for many reasons. The relatability of the Kinship scenario struck her, as she realized that anyone could be thrust into a similar situation, with a relative unable to care for their own children and family members called upon to step in. Sheetal was also impressed with the outcomes of the Kinship program, and the resounding impact the program has on keeping kids out of the system. Since the wellbeing and success of children is far higher when they are able to stay within their own family and out of the foster care system, the Kinship program has been proven essential to ensuring that kids can thrive even during/after a family crisis or upheaval. 

Sheetal was also drawn to Kinship because of how locally focused the program is, how staff and services are located within the communities they serve. Sheetal holds strong connections with Hayward, by growing up there as a child and because her sister serves as a Hayward Middle School teacher. As a child in Hayward, Sheetal recalls seeing kids and families who were struggling with similar situations as the Kinship families today. Sheetal is proud to work in support of a program that removes barriers for families to receive supportive services in their own communities, and to normalize both asking for and receiving help from trusted community-based resources. With respect at the center of our work, Sheetal knows that Lincoln will continue to keep children and families together across the Bay Area.