CareSource, a mission-driven Medicaid plan serving more than 450,000 Georgians, has awarded $250,000 to Connect Our Kids, a nonprofit that helps social workers, lawyers and volunteers find supportive family connections and natural support networks for vulnerable children. CareSource will use the Connect Our Kids technology platform to help make family connections for its members who are in the child welfare system.    

“CareSource is excited to partner with Connect Our Kids to offer their innovative technology to our members in foster care to help them find and build a familial network and learn about their family history,” said Bobby Cagle, CareSource executive director of Georgia child welfare “Not every child in the foster care system is an orphan, and this technology will help find living relatives who could potentially care for them or be a part of a network of supportive adults who would provide emotional support. Beyond that, this technology can connect them with important information about their family and cultural history.”   

Connect Our Kids' “People Search” tool is used by child welfare professionals to find contact information for extended family members of children in the foster care system. The search looks at public information gathered from over 300 sources and has a database of over 3 billion people. The “Family Connections” tool allows professionals to take the information they learn about extended family members and create a visual support map that builds out the network of extended family members. Connect Our Kids will provide access, training and support to CareSource team members for them to implement these tools in their work with members.   

“The power of the technology we have at Connect Our Kids lies in the ability to connect children with their family history and help them learn about their extended family and cultural community, which can bring a sense of identity and belonging,” said Jennifer Jacobs Connect Our Kids CEO. “We are grateful for the support from CareSource and excited to partner with them to help connect vulnerable children to extended family members and information on their family background.”  

Organizations such as Creative Community Services have used Connect Our Kids to connect foster care youth with family members.  

“Creative Community Services is extremely grateful to CareSource for facilitating access to Connect Our Kids,” said Sally Buchanan, Creative Community Services executive director. “This software is a real game changer in finding family members for children and youth in foster care.” 

Connect Our Kids is the most successful technology platform for family search and engagement in the United States. The technology is being used across 44 states and makes connections for thousands of children each year.