Kinship Care

A relative caregiver (commonly called a kinship caregiver) is rearing about 10 percent of children in the United States. While relative caregivers are typically a child’s grandparent, they can also be other relatives (e.g., aunts, uncles, siblings, cousins) or fictive kin (e.g., godparents). The most prevalent care arrangement is classified as informal, denoting an agreement voluntarily brokered between a child’s parent and relative caregivers. However, more commonly discussed in the literature is formal care, where a public child welfare entity has intervened in establishing safeguards for a child, resulting in court action that designates a child a ward of the state and authorizes placement with a relative caregiver. This dichotomous classification involves more nuanced typologies when considering the voluntary versus involuntary nature of agreements and the public versus private auspices under which they fall. For example, a child could be in an informal, private kinship care arrangement brokered by a public child welfare entity. Such distinctions are important not just for classification but because they are often associated with differential levels of support, financial provisions, public oversight, and outcomes (e.g., child well-being, permanency). While typologies vary, there are common reasons why children come to be reared by relatives, including child maltreatment, parental incarceration, physical or mental illness, addiction, death, or abandonment. For children removed from parental care for maltreatment, placement with kin tends to be preferred for most public child welfare agencies. Demographically, Black and Native children are most likely to be reared by kin. Caregivers tend to be women, unmarried, of color, and economically disadvantaged, with an average age of fifty. Kinship caregiver experiences differ, but most report satisfaction with the role and a sense of self-efficacy from ensuring that their relative’s child is safe, nurtured, feels loved, and remains connected to family. Although kinship care is considered a protective factor because children experience more favorable outcomes (e.g., stability) than their counterparts do, many caregivers report being under resourced and experiencing high stress levels. Likewise, many kinship caregivers lack knowledge and direction about legal issues, resources, and pathways to support. Safeguarding children and promoting their well-being is of paramount interest to those involved in kinship care. More recent research and state and federal laws recognize that to advance child well-being, financial provisions, services, and supports must be in place for children and caregivers. Despite significant gains in the past twenty years, the literature, well-supported programs and interventions, and policy related to kinship care remains inchoate.