What is KEEP Connecting Kin?
Parent training and support groups for families caring for the youth of family or friends, not formally involved with child welfare
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A place to find community and personal connection with other kinship families
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Learn about community resources to address the unique needs of kinship families
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Families earn cash for participating in a KEEP group
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KEEP is a manualized evidence-based program backed by 25+ years of research and listed as promising in the Title IV-E Clearinghouse
What is a KEEP Connecting Kin Group?
KEEP Standard is now listed in the Family First Prevention Services Act Title IV-E Clearinghouse. This designation makes KEEP programs eligible for federal funding.
For more information, please visit: https://preventionservices.acf.hhs.gov/
We are proud to be recognized by Generations United as a Program of Distinction for our work supporting kinship families.
Learn more at: https://www.gu.org/projects/program-certification/
"Seeing and listening to the other parents helped me realize that my struggles are not just my own. I've seen improvement in my child that I might not have seen or noticed so quickly otherwise. Thank you!”
-KEEP Parent Participant
Interested in bringing KEEP to your community? Get in touch!
Oregon KEEP Connecting Kin Families
KEEP Connecting Kin is offered to Oregon’s informal kinship families in partnership with Oregon Kinship Navigator (OKN).
OKN is a state representative and advocate for Oregon Grandfamilies, representing their concerns and issues. A large part of their work is networking within Oregon and with other states to improve support services to kinship families. Learn more about OKN here.
Oregon Kinship Navigator and KEEP Partnership
KEEP Connecting Kin Partnership Timeline
2017
KEEP available for formal kinship families in three Oregon counties as part of the tri-county pilot
2019
KEEP available for formal kinship statewide as part of the KEEP Oregon scale-up
2020
KEEP available for informal kinship families statewide through collaboration with ODHS Child Welfare and Oregon Kinship Navigator
2021-Current
KEEP Connecting Kin available for informal kinship families statewide through collaboration with ODHS Self-Sufficiency Programs as part of two ACYF-funded Connecting Kin scale-up and evaluation studies
Oregon Kinship Families who have participated in KEEP
As of June 25, 2025, we have served 590 Oregon kinship parents!
Oregon KEEP Connecting Kin Families in 2024
KEEP Data Collection: FIDO
The FIDelity and Observation system (FIDO) is a HIPAA compliant, web-based application designed to support the implementation of evidence-based interventions and programs, including KEEP. Through a set of integrated data entry forms, FIDO tracks progress on key implementation processes such as staff training and certification milestones, participant attendance and engagement at sessions, staff participation in consultation activities, and fidelity adherence ratings of the intervention delivery. FIDO can be set up to collect data using standardized measures and program-specific indicators of progress and program outcomes. FIDO data is easily accessed at any time by site leadership and is a user-friendly and essential tool for assessing ongoing program quality as well as program outcomes.
For more information, please visit our website: https://fido.oslc.org/info/
We’re excited to bring KEEP to your community!
"KEEP has been an amazing group to be a part of. I’ve learned so many skills and tools to help be a better parent for my sister. The group leaders and other parents have shared so much wisdom with me as I’m going through kinship parenting at a very young age. KEEP is an amazing program that deserves all the support it can get.”
-KEEP Kinship Parent Participant
"I learned specific skills that will help me implement some of the things I’ve been wanting to do for a while. It was also great to just talk with other adults in similar situations.”
-KEEP Kinship Parent Participant
