Inside Kinship Care

Kinship care – the care of children by grandparents, other relatives or friends – is a major part of foster care, yet there are distinct issues that arise in care involving family rather than 'stranger' foster carers. This book takes an in-depth look at what goes on 'inside' kinship care. It explores the dynamics and relationships between family members that are involved in kinship care, including mothers, grandparents, siblings and the wider family. Chapters also discuss issues such as safeguarding, assessment, therapy, encouraging permanence, placement breakdown, support groups, and cultural issues. The final part of the book looks at kinship care from an international perspective, with examples from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and the United States. Drawing on a range of theoretical perspectives and with contributions from different branches of kinship care, this book provides an invaluable overview of the issues involved and how to provide effective support. It will be essential reading for all those working in the kinship care field, including social workers, therapists, counsellors, psychologists and family lawyers.

"Kinship foster care involves placing children who cannot live at home in foster care with other members of their family or close network. This book sheds light on different aspects of kinship care development and practice. This book will be of interest to all scholars, students and professionals working in social work and child welfare more broadly, both in the Nordic countries and in a wider international context"--

KINSHIP FOSTER CARE: POLICY, PRACTICE, AND RESEARCH assembles the thinking and research of experts from several professional fields concerning what has become the fastest growing type of substitute care for children in state custody. The editors have contributed the initial and concluding chapters of the book and the lead chapter in each of its three sections.

Children are frequently cared for by relatives and friends when parents, for whatever reason, are unable to care for their children themselves. Yet there has been very little information about how well children do when placed with kin or how safe they are in these placements. This book compares formal kinship care to traditional foster placements in order to ascertain which children are placed with kin, in what circumstances, how well such children progress, and how often these placements disrupt. The authors explore whether children placed with family and friends fare better or worse than other foster children, what services are provided and needed, and how kin care is experienced by carers, children and social workers. This book will be essential reading for social workers, policy makers, students and all those working with looked-after children, and will enable local authorities to make informed decisions about where best to place children and the support needed by family and friend carers.

Kinship care is part tradition and part social welfare policy. Tradition and Policy Perspectives in Kinship Care examines the balance of the two perspectives and presents current practice challenges of formal and informal kinship care. This important resource focuses on both the needs of the caregiver as well as the impact of kinship care on children. Public policy issues related to kinship care are discussed in detail. This insightful book explores this crucial issue through the lens of social workers who fully understand the strengths and challenges of kinship care. Tradition and Policy Perspectives in Kinship Care discusses this issue from both micro and macro levels, explaining the outcomes of kinship based on variables such as the youth’s and parent’s outlook for the future, performance in school, welfare reform, domestic violence, respite care, spirituality, and involvement of nonbiological relatives. The book then focuses on the subject of grandparents as caregivers, examining their coping resources, effectiveness of programs serving them, and recommended changes to services to enhance their well-being. Topics in Tradition and Policy Perspectives in Kinship Care include: study examining the future outlook in African American kinship care families the effect of family disruption on a child’s educational performance the impact of the Temporary Assistance to Need Families (TANF) legislation and future policy links between domestic violence and kinship care the role of spirituality and religion in kinship care a study on the needs of biological parents the impact of a grandparent’s parenting responsibilities on his or her psychological well-being intergenerational communication kinship care in public housing examination of the factors that influence kinship care provided by African American grandfathers AARP study of grandparents raising grandchildren in the District of Columbia the KinNET project funded by the Children’s Bureau for a national support network for kinship care providers Tradition and Policy Perspectives in Kinship Care is an invaluable resource for social workers, counselors, child welfare agency administrators and practitioners, educators, and graduate students.

Kinship care is one of the most prevalent forms of placement used for maltreated children and youths. This book is the first to provide a systematic and theory-informed approach to preparing caregivers for the vital role they play in the lives of abused and neglected children. It presents a relationship-building framework that can be used to better achieve the three major child welfare goals: (1) protection, (2) permanency, and (3) well-being. Child welfare students and practitioners will learn evidence-based practice and policy strategies that foster attachment, identity, and belongingness in children, enabling the children to reconnect and establish important relationships and social supports that are vital to their development. The text traces the historical development of kinship care and describes the current knowledge base—both theoretical and practical—about this form of child placement. It discusses the political, social, cultural, and economic contexts of kinship care and how policies can be reshaped to better support the kinship paradigm. A variety of options for kinship relationships are explored along with strategies to assure child safety within kinship care. Case examples throughout illustrate the practical application of strategies and policy approaches. Key Features: Describes an evidence-based, relationship-building framework for achieving the major child welfare goals of protection, permanency, and well-being Discusses the history, development, and current state of knowledge about kinship care Addresses varied options for kinship relationships Focuses on strategies to assure child safety within the kinship relationship

Kinship foster care involves placing children who cannot live at home in foster care with other members of their family or close network. This book sheds light on different aspects of kinship care development and practice. Using a 20-year longitudinal research study from Norway, this book shows the historical development of kinship care in Norway, research on kinship care, and how family life and relations are negotiated and lived in the span between private and public sphere. It includes the perspectives of the children, their parents and their relatives who have functioned as foster parents. Recognising that kinship care is complex, and needs to be understood and studied from different perspectives, the book describes, analyses and discusses a number of subjects: kinship care in a child welfare historical context, families who are part of kinship care and their perspectives, the formal frameworks around kinship care, and research approaches which have dominated research into kinship care. This book will be of interest to all scholars, students and professionals working in social work and child welfare more broadly, both in the Nordic countries and in a wider international context.

This book is the first to provide strategies for effective advocacy and placement within the foster care and kinship care systems. It also takes a rare look at the dynamics of the foster and kinship relationship, not just among children and the agency workers and service providers who intervene on their behalf, but also between children and those who take in and care for them as permanency develops. Drawing on their experience interacting with and writing about the institution of foster care, Mitchell Rosenwald and Beth N. Riley have composed a unique text that helps practitioners, foster parents, and relative caregivers realize successful transitions for youth, especially considering the traumas these children may suffer both before and after placement. Advocating for a child's best interests must begin early and remain consistent throughout assignment and adjustment. For practitioners, Rosenwald and Riley emphasize the best techniques for assessing a family's capabilities and for guiding families through the challenges of foster care. Part one details the steps potential foster parents and kinship caregivers must take, with the assistance of practitioners, to prepare themselves for placement. Part two describes tactics for successful advocacy within the court system, social service agencies, schools, and the medical and mental health establishments. Part three describes how to lobby for change at the agency and legislative levels, as well as within a given community. The authors illustrate recommendations through real-life scenarios and devote an entire chapter to brokering positive partnerships among practitioners, families, and other teams working to protect and transition children.