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Preserve Culture and Families with Relative and Kinship Care
Culture is a source of strength, a source of resilience and a source of pride and it should be preserved1.
Kinship care helps maintain familial and cultural connections and must be prioritized more frequently, especially for Black and Native families and other communities in the child welfare system that have experienced racial inequality and discrimination.
Research has proven that placing children in the care of relatives or kin reduces the trauma of family separation and helps children maintain a sense of family, belonging, and identity.
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Kinship care and establishing protective factors in communities promotes stability, permanency, and well-being for children in need of out-of-home placement. Kinship care has historically been used in many communities of color to sustain family relationships, and to protect and preserve the culture and history of these communities. Child welfare agencies can value and support kinship care placements, allowing Black and Native communities to continue to care for each other, recognizing and respecting families to build on the strengths of these communities and their culture.
Supporting kinship care promotes a system that provides racial equity and family reunification to children of color in the system.
There are several resources featured on the National Foster Care Month website that emphasize the importance of preserving cultural and family bonds through kinship care. Make sure to explore these resources and share them with your colleagues and communities:
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