RESOURCE COLLECTION & WEBINAR ANNOUNCEMENT

September is Kinship Care Month!

Historically, kinship care has been common in many communities of color to sustain family relationships and protect and preserve their culture and history. Research also indicates that placing children in the care of relatives or kin reduces the trauma of family separation; helps children maintain a sense of family, belonging, and identity; and supports reunification efforts.

These benefits have led to increasing attention on kinship care as an optimal placement when family separation is necessary.   During Kinship Care Month, we demonstrate our commitment to a family-centered child welfare system and recognize the importance of prioritizing kinship placements and supporting kin caregivers. Together, we can provide caregivers and agencies with the resources and tools they need to improve reunification odds and positive long-term outcomes.

Join the Webinar!

Register today for, “Keeping Youth at the Center of Kinship Care Practice: Prioritizing Relationships, Community, and Culture” on Wednesday, September 13, 2023, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Publications

• Kinship Care and the Child Welfare System (also available in Spanish)
  Provides information to help kin caregivers work effectively with the child welfare system. It also includes links to more detailed information and places to find support.
  
  
• Partnering With Relatives to Promote Reunification (also available in Spanish)
  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, providing positive parenting, and securing support.
  
  
• Placement of Children With Relatives
  Presents an overview of state laws that give priority or preference to a child's relatives when children need to be placed in out-of-home care. Issues addressed include locating relatives, determining the fitness of a relative to provide care, requirements for licensure, and guidelines for placing siblings together.

Resource Collections for Families

• Parenting Resources for Relative/Kinship Caregivers
  Includes information for kin caregivers to help care for their relatives' children, including state and local examples.
  
  
• Kinship/Relative Care Organizations
  Lists organizations that offer information and resources in support of grandparents and/or relatives raising children.
  
  
• State Kinship Care Contacts and Programs
  Includes kinship care contacts and website links to kinship care programs and services offered by state child welfare departments, subcontracted private nonprofit agencies, and some tribes in applicable states and the District of Columbia.

Resource Collections for Professionals

• Kinship Care
  Includes information on changing family dynamics, financial and legal supports, and permanency.
  
  
• Kinship Care for Diverse Populations
  Includes resources on how kinship providers can be more culturally aware and inclusive with the children in their care.
  
  
• Decision-Making in Kinship Care
  Explores reasons for placing children with relatives or kin, considerations for kin caregivers, and strategies for making decisions in the children's best interests. Includes state and local examples.
  
  
• Impact of Kinship Care on Permanency Outcomes
  Addresses practices and programs that promote stability and positive permanency outcomes for children in kinship care.
  
  
• Kinship/Relative Adoption
  Provides information about kinship and relative adoptions, including state and local examples.

From the Child Welfare Information Gateway Podcast Series

• Episode 77: “Advances in Supporting Kinship Caregivers - Part 1"
  
  
• Episode 78: “Advances in Supporting Kinship Caregivers - Part 2"
  
  
• Episode 79: “Advances in Supporting Kinship Caregivers - Part 3"
  
  
• Episode 80: “Advances in Supporting Kinship Caregivers - Part 4"
  
  
• Episode 81: “Advances in Supporting Kinship Caregivers - Part 5"

Join Us In Raising Awareness!

Use these messages and GIFs in your outreach throughout the month to raise awareness in your communities about the benefits of kinship care.

• September is Kinship Care Month! Help relative and kin caregivers prepare for their #kinship journey. Find guidance on changing family dynamics, establishing permanency, and information about the impact on caregivers. #KinshipCareMonth
  https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/outofhome/kinship/resourcesforcaregivers/
  
  
• It is important for children and youth to maintain #connections to their cultural roots and communities. These resources provide information about the needs of #diverse #kinship families, and how maintaining family bonds can help youth develop their cultural identity, foster a sense of belonging, and improve placement stability and permanency outcomes. #KinshipCareMonth
  https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/outofhome/kinship/diverse/
  
  
• Being a relative or #kinship caregiver can be stressful and lead to burnout. Use these resources to learn about the steps you can take to support your #wellbeing. #KinshipCareMonth
  https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/outofhome/kinship/resourcesforcaregivers/impact/
  
  
• There are many benefits to placing children with relatives or kin, like minimizing trauma, improving behavioral outcomes, and preserving cultural identity. September is #KinshipCareMonth. Use this factsheet to learn about how kinship care is improving outcomes for families involved in the #childwelfare system
  https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f-kinshi/
  
  [Translation] Colocar a los niños con familiares o parientes tiene muchos beneficios, como minimizar el trauma, mejorar los resultados de comportamiento y preservar la identidad cultural. Septiembre es el #MesdelCuidadoporParientes. Usa esta hoja informativa para conocer cómo el cuidado por parientes está mejorando los resultados para las familias involucradas en el sistema de bienestar de menores.
  https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/cuidadoresfam/

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