The following resources provide examples of ways States and communities are achieving permanency for children who are in the care of relatives and kin.
AARP New York Report on Barriers to Successful Kin Caregiving of Children (PDF - 493 KB)
Stowell-Ritter (2004)
Describes agency survey results that identify key obstacles to obtaining services and the need to develop an agenda for removing barriers and expanding access.
Evaluation of Region 4 Kinship Support Unit: Washington Department of Social and Health Services Children's Administration (PDF - 582 KB)
Partners for Our Children & University of Washington School of Social Work (2010)
Discusses the findings of an evaluation of the Washington State Kinship Support Unit, an agency formed in May 2008 to achieve permanency for children in long-term care with kin. Interviews revealed barriers encountered as well as recommendations for strengthening kinship practice.
Finding Family Connections Pilot Project: Final Report Narrative (PDF - 3963 KB)
Iowa Department of Human Services, Four Oaks & Iowa KidsNet (2008)
Shares case studies and highlights successes and lessons learned from the Finding Family Connections Pilot Project, an Iowa initiative that operated from February to September 2007. The project sought relatives and kin to provide a lifelong connection with and who may serve as resources for children in foster care.
Implementing the Permanency Care Assistance Program (PDF - 67 KB)
Center for Public Policy Priorities & Texas Senate Committee on Health and Human Services (2010)
Discusses the need for a 2017 sunset provision to the new Texas Permanency Care Assistance program, which pays relatives who take permanent custody of a child in State care. It reviews provisions of the program, intended goals, and limitations.
Kinship Permanency Incentive Program Annual Report (PDF - 145 KB)
Ohio Office for Children and Families (2007)
Promotes a permanent commitment by kinship caregivers for minor children who are unable to safely remain in their own homes due to abuse, neglect, dependence, or unruliness. This incentive is supported though Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Kinship Support Services in California: An Evaluation of California's Kinship Support Services Program (PDF - 708 KB)
Shlonsky, Choi, Piccus, Cardona, & Needell (2004)
Highlights findings from the ongoing evaluation of the Kinship Support Services Program, which was designed to support the well-being of California children in formal kinship placements and to minimize the number of children in informal kinship care entering the child welfare system.
"Preventive" Subsidized Guardianship Programs: An Emerging Option for Permanent Kinship Care (PDF - 318 KB)
ChildFocus (2006)
Describes programs in six States and the District of Columbia that promote permanent homes for children with relatives—before they enter foster care.