It's More Prevalent Than You Might Think
Overall, 1 in 11 children lives in kinship care at some point before the age of 18. One in 5 black children spends time in kinship care at some point in their childhood.
This KIDS COUNT policy report summarizes the special role that grandparents, other relatives and close family friends play in the lives of children who cannot safely live with their parents. Given that 1 in 11 children lives in kinship care at some point before the age of 18, the report provides recommendations for how for public systems, private agencies, faith based organizations and communities can support kinship families to ensure that their children thrive.
Overall, 1 in 11 children lives in kinship care at some point before the age of 18. One in 5 black children spends time in kinship care at some point in their childhood.
Kinship care increases child safety, stability, permanence and well-being.
Kinship caregivers face multiple financial, health and social stresses of caregiving and child welfare and other public and private systems are not adequately meeting their needs.
Innovative programs and best practices should be expanded among child welfare agencies, other public systems and community institutions to strengthen the support system for kinship families.
Nationally, relatives or family friends are raising approximately 2.7 million children because their parents can no longer care for them.
We hope you'll find value in this report. We’d love to get a little information from you, which we'll use to notify you about relevant new resources.
