Include Kin When Designing Solutions for Children in Care
Kinship Policy Improvements Toward Child Welfare System Transformations, the final brief in the Family Ties series, summarizes how kinship policies have dramatically changed since 2007. As child welfare agencies increasingly prioritize kin when children must be removed from their homes, more states are exploring opportunities to reduce barriers to foster home licensure for kin, — notifying kin sooner, collecting data around kinship care and consulting with kin to inform decisions.
However, significant concerns remain, as previous reports in the series detail. Steep disparities persist in support offered to kinship caregivers, such as those in diversion arrangements or unlicensed kinship care. For example, only 23 of the 46 states responding to the initial survey reported providing financial assistance for unlicensed caregivers, compared to 44 that provide it for licensed caregivers. While most states (40) confirmed having a kinship navigator program, only 28 offer them statewide, limiting access for many caregivers who suddenly face navigating the complexities of the child welfare system.
Recommendations for Child Welfare Administrators
Kinship Policy Improvements Toward Child Welfare System Transformations notes key data gaps exist that could inform addressing disparities, including the need for more agencies to monitor and evaluate the outcomes of kinship diversion arrangements to ensure children’s safety and protect parents’ legal rights. Overall, more can be done to include and support kin who are stepping in to care for children as well as those informing and leading system improvement.
To build on the progress made since the 2007 survey, child welfare administrators can do the following:
- reduce barriers to licensing and encourage jurisdictions to adopt kin-specific licensing standards;
- provide equitable financial support for every child in the custody of the child welfare agency, regardless of caregiver licensure status;
- update kinship diversion policies to address concerns about access to services and parental decision making;
- ensure every kinship caregiver has access to kinship navigation;
- collect and use comprehensive data for every type of kinship care arrangement; and
- include kinship caregivers in policy design and implementation and compensate them for their time.
About the Family Ties Series
The Family Ties series highlights positive trends in kinship care policies and practices. Based on a comprehensive survey, the collection of briefs reveals that child welfare agencies are increasingly prioritizing kinship care placements, reducing reliance on restrictive group settings. This shift is a positive step toward providing more stable and supportive care for children.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation asked Child Trends to survey child welfare administrators in states across the country to better understand the landscape of kinship care policies and to identify opportunities for improvement. Survey responses showed significant improvement since a similar survey was conducted in 2007.
The other four briefs in the Family Ties series examined:
- policies that support licensure of kinship foster parents;
- policies that affect unlicensed kinship caregivers;
- policies that govern kinship diversion; and
- policies that encourage agencies to engage and partner with kinship caregivers, the children in their care and parents.
“With state-by-state policy information and recent federal policy changes, child welfare administrators have a tremendous opportunity to improve their approaches to engaging and supporting kin,” said Todd Lloyd, senior associate for Child Welfare Policy at the Foundation. “Increases in kinship care and guardianship over the past 15 years demonstrate the potential to help children remain with family whenever possible now and for generations to come.”
