New Publication

Kinship Caregiving Options: Considerations for Caregivers

About 2.6 million children are being cared for by kin — both blood relatives and people with a significant connection to the family without parents present in the home. Of these children, 137,000 are being cared for by kin in the legal custody of the child welfare system. However, the vast majority of the 2.6 million children in kinship families — approximately 2.5 million children — are outside the child welfare system, and these families do not get the same level of support as those inside the system.

A new publication, Kinship Caregiving Options: Considerations for Caregivers, was developed in partnership with the ABA Center on Children and the Law, Children’s Defense Fund, and Generations United, with support from Casey Family Programs. The publication provides a broad, national overview of choices that may be available to caregivers, along with related considerations, to help caregivers make more informed decisions about pathways to pursue.

The resource compares the situations for families providing care as licensed foster parents in the child welfare system, families that do not have a license but are within the child welfare system, and families outside the child welfare system. Categories covered in the resource include:

• Help with decision making about caregiving options,
• Legal assistance,
• Legal relationships and authority,
• Parental rights and responsibilities,
• Relationship with the birth parents,
• Children’s health care consent authority and insurance,
• Children’s education,
• Oversight from the child welfare agency and the courts,
• Foster home licensing process,
• Monthly financial support,
• Child welfare agency supports and services,
• Community-based supports and services,
• Chafee Independent Living Program,
• Chafee Education and Training Vouchers,
• Kinship Navigator Programs,
• Federal and state tax credits,
• Long-term permanency options: possible related financial assistance, and
• Long-term permanency options: legal support and post-permanency services.

Also included in the publication are tips for kin caregivers and professionals working with kin, as well as links to additional resources. For more information, check out the publication here.