Expert

Samantha Steinmetz

Policy Analyst

Impact Areas
Contact Information

Samantha Steinmetz is a Policy Analyst at Chapin Hall. Steinmetz collaborates with state and local child welfare jurisdictions to build their capacity and successfully implement evidence-based strategies to improve family outcomes in safety, permanency, and well-being. Steinmetz uses her direct-practice and clinical perspective to help jurisdictions include hard-to-reach populations in their program and policy design. Currently, she supports jurisdictions in their development and implementation of kinship and adoption navigator programs, and Family First Prevention Services Act readiness. Steinmetz is particularly interested in tribal child welfare policy improvement strategies, and implementation processes.

Prior to coming to Chapin Hall, Steinmetz was the Chief Planning Analyst for the Department of Family and Support Services for the City of Chicago. Steinmetz started her career at Simply Smiles Inc., a nonprofit organization that works both on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation in South Dakota and in Oaxaca, Mexico. At Simply Smiles, she led youth and family programs and child welfare response strategies in partnership with community leaders.

Steinmetz holds a Master of Arts in Social Service Administration and a certificate in Health Administration and Policy from the University of Chicago, and a Bachelor of Arts in History and Global Studies from Saint Michael’s College in Vermont.

Master of Arts in Social Service Administration, Certificate in Health Administration and Policy, University of Chicago
Bachelor of Arts in History and Global Studies, Saint Michael’s College

Key Work

Key Work

Project
Toolkit Centers Racial Equity in Sustaining Family Stability
Chapin Hall, in partnership with Lutheran Services of America, developed the Family Stabilization Initiative Sustainability Toolkit that centers racial equity.
October 31, 2023
Research
Landscape of Kinship Navigator Programs Shows Investment, Innovation
This brief offers recommendations for child welfare leaders who are considering designing or implementing their own kinship navigator program.
2023
Project
Chapin Hall Offers Sessions on Family First Prevention Services, Economic and Concrete Supports at 2023 CWLA Conference
Chapin Hall staff presented at the 2023 CWLA conference. Read about the presentations and view the slides.
July 13, 2023
Project
Kinship Care Leads to Better Outcomes for Children
Chapin Hall policy experts partner with jurisdictions and organizations to develop, implement, and evaluate kinship navigator programs.
June 16, 2022
Project
OhioKAN: Building Evidence for Kinship and Adoption Navigation Services  
OhioKAN’s mission is to create a statewide flexible and responsive kinship and adoption navigator program designed to assist children, caregivers, and families.
August 25, 2020