When children are placed in out-of-home care, child welfare professionals most often seek family connections to try to prevent any additional trauma children may face. This also provides better connections to children's family and culture. Kinship caregivers don’t always receive the same level of support as other foster parents do, which in many cases means missing out on resources that can alleviate additional stress. Find resources on this page to help guide your agency, organization, and/or community to better support and encourage kinship caregivers. Resources include State and local examples.
Beyond the Search: Supporting Potential Families After Family-Finding Efforts
AdoptUSKids (2021)
Focuses on the importance of having strong approaches to engaging and supporting possible family connections once they have been located. Specifics on the three different categories of support are also provided.
A Critical Resource at Risk: Supporting Kinship Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond (PDF - 2,891)
Center for the Study of Social Policy (2020)
Explores kinship care and how this critical resource is at risk now and in the future due to organizations' shortcomings and lack of support systems.
Engaging Kinship Caregivers With Joseph Crumbley [Videos]
Annie E. Casey Foundation (2017)
Presents a five-part video training series led by Joseph Crumbley, family therapist, trainer, and consultant. The resource also includes a link to the video series discussion guide to help program directors, supervisors, and child welfare trainers lead group sessions on the series.
Family First Prevention Services Act: Implementing the Provisions That Support Kinship Families (PDF - 1,058 KB)
Grandfamilies (2021)
Provides guidance to professionals on how to effectively engage and consult parents, kinship caregivers, and children on key aspects of the Family First Prevention Services Act that impact kinship caregivers.
Five Ways to Help Kin Caregivers Now
Annie E. Casey Foundation (2019)
Discusses how kinship caregivers do not always receive the level of support they may need and provides recommendations for how to better support them.
Foster and Kinship Parent Recruitment and Support Best Practice Inventory (PDF - 1,740 KB)
Redlich Horwitz Foundation (2017)
Discusses evidence from the field on key steps needed to locate, recruit, and retain kinship foster parents.
Recruiting and Supporting Kinship Foster Families
Bissell (2017)
American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law
Discusses how to support and recruit kinship caregivers and reviews what kinship families need to help children thrive. The resource discusses family finding, kinship training, support networks, engaging kinship parents, and how to improve recruitment and retention of these families.
Supporting Kinship Caregivers
National Conference of State Legislatures (2020)
Explores support for relative caregivers of children in the areas of medical consent and school enrollment, relative notification, and subsidized guardianship. The resource also lists State legislative enactments from 2012 to 2016 supporting relatives, kinship care providers, and grandparents.
Supporting Kinship Caregivers Through the Family First Prevention Services Act
Annie E. Casey Foundation (2020)
Provides resources to support kinship caregivers and help them better respond to the needs of children.
Working With Kinship Caregivers
State and local examples
Kinship
Children’s Home Network (2018)
Presents resources and information to support kinship caregivers throughout the State of Florida.
Kinship Care Services
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
Provides lists of services in Washington State, including a list of support groups and resource persons for grandparents and relatives raising children.
Kinship Resources
Kids Matter, Inc. (2016)
Provides Wisconsin-based resources that aid and support kinship caregivers in finding health care, help with school issues, supplemental income, and additional supports as they care for a child that may have been trauma exposed.
Training Videos
Foster Kinship Training Institute (2019)
Offers a series of training videos for child welfare professionals who work with kinship families in Nevada. The videos focus on topics related to kinship care, foster care, substance use, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and more. The webpage also offers additional resources related to working with kinship caregivers, Federal laws relating to kinship care, and more.