Abstract: This paper from the Special Issue on Kinship Care of the Child Welfare Journal discusses a three-phased service model assessed using Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) conferences with informal kinship caregivers and their families. Gain scores were compared between Phase 2 (case management only) and Phase 3 families (case management with conference). Phase 3 families had higher gain scores than the Phase 2 families on measures of parenting stress, social support, family needs and child well-being, but the differences were not statistically significant. Phase 3 families had superior consumer feedback scores.
