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  • Impact of Kinship Care on Permanency Outcomes

Impact of Kinship Care on Permanency Outcomes

When a child in foster care experiences placement instability, it can have a significant negative impact on their overall well-being. Kinship care has become a preferred option in most U.S. child welfare systems, because it is the least restrictive and most family-like out-of-home placement for children, and those in kinship care environments have fewer disruptions and overall better permanency outcomes than those in nonfamilial placements. The resources below address practices and programs that promote stability and positive permanency outcomes for children in kinship care. 

Achieving Permanency for Children in Care: Barriers and Future Directions
Madden & Aguiniga (2017)
Upbring
Reviews factors and programs that may impact the likelihood of a permanent placement for a child in care.

Creating a Kin-First Culture
Miller (2017)
Child Law Practice Today, July/August
Focuses on steps child welfare organizations can take to prioritize kinship placement, help children maintain family connections, and preserve cultural identity all while also supporting kinship caregivers.

Kinship Care Is Better for Children and Families
Epstein (2017)
Child Law Practice Today, July/August
Examines efforts to remove barriers related to kinship placements, which allow relatives to care for children while maintaining family connections.

Kinship Guardianship as a Permanency Option

Series Title
State Statutes
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
View
Download (PDF - 1,710KB)
Year Published
2019
Reviews State laws and policies that allow a family member or other person with close ties to a child who has been placed in out-of-home care to become that's child's permanent guardian. Guardianship has emerged as a permanency option for a child who has been placed in out-of-home care as it creates a legal relationship between a child and caregiver that is intended to be permanent and self-sustaining and can provide a permanent family for the child without the necessity of terminating the parents' parental rights. A guardian's rights and duties, approving a guardianship home, modifying or revoking a guardianship, and kinship guardianship assistance are among the issues addressed. Summaries of relevant laws for all States and U.S. territories are included.

Partnering With Relatives to Promote Reunification

Series Title
Factsheets for Families
Author(s)
Child Welfare Information Gateway
Availability
View
Download (PDF - 346KB)
Order (Free)
Disponibilidad
Ver
Versión para imprimir (PDF - 397KB)
Ordene (Gratis)
Year Published
2020
Shares stories and advice from caregivers and birth parents who have experienced kinship care on the importance of maintaining boundaries, managing family dynamics, building trust, positive parenting and communication, and securing support.

Placement Stability of Children in Informal Kinship Care: Age, Poverty and Involvement in the Child Welfare System
Lee, Choi, Lee & Kramer (2017)
Child Welfare, 95(2)
Reviews data regarding the characteristics of children in informal kinship care and their caregivers, children’s prior involvement with the system, and factors that may be associated with placement instability. 

Promoting Permanency for Teens: A 50 State Review of Law and Policy
Johnson, Speiglman, Mauldon, Grimm, & Perry (2018)
National Center for Youth Law
Explores State policies and practices on permanency and transitioning to adulthood for youth in foster care. The report concludes with recommendations for permanency standards for States. 

State of Grandfamilies 2017: In Loving Arms: The Protective Role of Grandparents and Other Relatives in Raising Children Exposed to Trauma (PDF - 2,729 KB)
Generations United (2017)
Discusses ways in which kinship caregivers can help their children understand and respond to the trauma they have experienced, including maintaining community ties and creating a safe and stable home.

Using Family-Finding Models to Achieve Permanency [Webinar]
AdoptUSKids (2021)
Highlights effective approaches for engaging and finding families within the child welfare system in this two-part series. Part 2 is also available.

Youth Engagement Team: Recommendations for Improving Permanency and Well-Being (PDF - 3,986 KB) 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (2021)
Provides recommendations pulled from roundtable discussions about how to support permanency with kin, relational permanency, and older youth adoption.

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Spotlight On

Kinship Guardianship as a Permanency Option
Child Welfare Information Gateway
(2019)
Family Engagement: Partnering With Families to Improve Child Welfare Outcomes
Child Welfare Information Gateway
(2021)

The Share of Children in Foster Care Living With Relatives Is Growing

Child Trends (2019)

Related Content

Kinship Care

Family Group Decision-Making

Decision-Making in Kinship Care

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