‘Ohana Finding

(Family Finding)

`Ohana Finding (nationally referred to as “Family Finding”) is a process designed to identify, locate and engage family members of children and youth who are in foster care. Since 2007, EPIC has been contracted by the Department of Human Services—Child Welfare Services to assist with this process and to help meet a federal mandate that became law in 2008. The impetus for notifying and engaging family members is based on the premise that children who need to be cared for by someone other than their parents do better when they are placed with and/or are able to stay connected to people who know and care about them.

Family Finding utilizes database case mining and internet searches to identify and locate family and other possible relatives. Individuals who are identified as possible relatives are verified via phone contact and/or letters, and names of confirmed family members are compiled onto maternal and paternal family lists. These lists are then submitted to CWS, the GAL, and the EPIC ‘Ohana Conference Specialist and/or Connections Specialist to assist them in engaging relatives to help care for, provide support for, or reconnect to the child in care.