Finding Families for Foster Care


Keeping Kids with Kin

When a child enters the foster care system, foster agencies often lack the resources to find and contact loving family members of the child.

Family First Investigations is a grant-funded organization that can provide free research assistance to foster care agencies in participating states and counties.  Foster care agencies simply need to complete our assistance request form, and our licensed investigators will begin working on finding loving family members and running background checks immediately in order to help provide a safe kinship placement. 

Board of Directors

Kathleen Davis, LPI

Kathleen Davis has been a licensed investigator for over 25 years.  As owner of Veridicus Associates, Kathleen has extensive Investigative research in the following areas: Attorney Support Services; Background Investigations for Corporations; Embezzlement Audit Case Work; Missing Persons; Adoptee / Birth Parent Searching; and other miscellaneous Civil, Criminal and Litigation Investigative Research.  Kathleen is a certified foster care parent.  This first hand experience has given her a deep appreciation for the welfare and safety of all foster children and the current need for finding family members in difficult foster placements.  Her goal is to help the lives of children... one kid at a time!  

kathleen@familyfirstinvestigations.org

Kelly Reinhardt, PMP

Kelly's continued passion for the welfare of children began with her degree in Family and Child Development.  With more than 25 years of experience in the field of strategic planning, strategic communications and program management, Kelly's unique talent and expertise, coupled with her commitment to the welfare of children, is an asset to Family First Investigations.  In her current role as Sr. Research Associate with the Collaborative Center to Advance Health Services at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, she continues to enhance her expertise as an experienced team leader responsible for many aspects of day-to-day operations and special projects in both large and small grant-funded programs.  Kelly is an expert in guiding complex strategic initiatives for private industry, nonprofit organizations, government agencies and philanthropic institutions.  

kelly@familyfirstinvestigations.org

Karen Virgillito, J.D.

As a dedicated senior-level legal administrator and a licensed attorney in the state of Kansas, Karen has over 25 years of progressive leadership experience in corporate & contract law, mergers and acquisitions, developing and implementing policies, strategic business advisory, and education.  She also has experience in alternative dispute resolution and has completed her training in transformative mediation.  Highly energetic, Karen is driven to continuously improve the mission of an organization with a willingness to champion causes that provide equal opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds. 

karen@familyfirstinvestigations.org

Nancy A. Elliott, Ph.D., ABPP

Dr. Nancy Elliott is a Board-Certified Forensic Psychologist. Over her thirty years in the mental health field, she has provided both therapeutic and evaluative services to a wide range of individuals including children, parents, and foster caregivers involved in legal proceedings or cases with Child Protective Services. She has worked, both directly and indirectly, with Departments of Human or Family Services in multiple states with a constant focus on the best interest of the children from a trauma-informed perspective. Currently in private practice, Dr. Elliott is responsible for providing a wide range of forensic psychological evaluations that require the collection and consideration of details from multiple perspectives to support a synthesized opinion for legal decisions in the family or criminal court process. 

Francesca Villarreal, MSW, MBA

Passionate about empowering the voices of vulnerable children and families, Francesca brings a wealth of experience and dedication in the areas of child welfare, mental health, substance use, and forensics. Francesca is committed to advocating for the rights of children, empowering families, and facilitating positive, lasting change. As a former foster youth placed with her loving grandmother, her experience brings a unique perspective to her work. Francesca is deeply committed to leveraging her personal experiences to advocate for and empower others who have walked a similar path. Her journey has instilled resilience, empathy, and an unwavering dedication to improving the lives of those who, like herself, have faced the complexities of foster care. Francesca is focused on a future where every individual, regardless of their past, can thrive and achieve their fullest potential.