New Hampshire Kinship Navigator Program- To replicate Washington's KNP model which will expand kinship caregiver support, improve family stability, and increase access to critical services statewide. - The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is the designated Title IV-E agency. The Division for Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) and Division of Public Health (DPH) are divisions within the DHHS, which operate as a single legal entity. DHHS seeks funding to replicate Washington’s (WA) Clearinghouse rated Kinship Navigator Program (KNP). NH continues to see increases in kinship caregiving, with many children residing with grandparents, extended relatives, and other kin who provide essential safety and stability. Although, DHHS currently operates a Kinship Navigator Program, kinship families do not yet have access to an evidence based model that is implemented with fidelity to ensure consistent, high quality service delivery. This gap is significant, particularly as kinship caregivers statewide face financial strain, behavioral health needs, and social emotional challenges that require coordinated, trauma informed support. Through this project, DHHS will implement the WA KNP model across NH’s existing statewide infrastructure of eleven Family Resource Centers (FRCs). DPH will serve as the operational lead responsible for program implementation and administration, including day-to-day operations, staff training, fidelity monitoring, data collection, reporting, evaluation, and fiscal administration. DCYF will provide statutory child welfare expertise, Title IV E compliance, and provide consultation to support evaluation, fidelity monitoring, and permanency aligned practice. The replication of the WA KNP model will introduce standardized needs assessments, structured goal planning, tiered service delivery, caregiver education, case management, required follow ups, peer support opportunities, and coordinated referrals. These services will be available to formal and informal kinship caregivers statewide, with targeted outreach to rural families and caregivers experiencing significant financial, behavioral health, or social emotional needs. Implementation of these components will modernize NH’s kinship support framework and strengthen consistency across all FRC regions. The evaluation activities will be conducted by the Behavioral Health Improvement Institute (BHII) at Keene State College. BHII will work with DPH to complete fidelity monitoring, support continuous quality improvement, analyze service and outcome data, and partner with WA KNP model developers to ensure adherence to required standards. Evaluation efforts will focus on caregiver and child well being, service engagement, placement stability, model fidelity, rural access expansion, and system level improvements in referrals and coordination. Findings will guide program refinement and support NH’s readiness for future Title IV E claiming. Overall, this project will strengthen NH’s statewide Kinship Navigator Program capacity, expand access to evidence based supports, enhance consistency in service delivery, and improve long term outcomes for kinship caregivers and the children in their care.
