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.

Disability & Sleep Quality of Custodial Grandparents During Fall 2020 of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Disability of custodial grandparents, grandparents who are the primary caretakers of their grandchildren often in parent absent households, are not frequently examined. One in four adults in the U.S. lives with a disability with the highest percentage of disabilities reported in the South. Quality sleep is integral for overall wellbeing and is altered with age. Sleep complaints of older adults are associated with multiple adverse health outcomes such as dementia, stroke and obesity. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between disability and sleep quality amongst custodial grandparents during the COVID-19, Fall 2019 in Georgia. Thirty-four custodial grandparents were recruited from the Georgia Division of Aging Kinship Care Support Groups, ages 42 to 78, with most identifying as African American. Disability status and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were measured. Results showed a significant negative relationship for custodial grandparents’ disability status and sleep quality (χ2= 9.167, p=0.027; Γ=-0.683, p=0.002), sleep disturbance (χ2= 12.150, p=0.002; Γ=-0.897, p<.001), and use of sleeping medication (χ2= 9.645, p=0.022; Γ=-0.785, p<.001). Custodial grandparents with a disability had worse sleep quality, more sleep disturbances, and took more sleeping medication compared to custodial grandparents without a disability. Results have implications for kinship care providers and medical practitioners when engaging with custodial grandparents about their health, disability and impacts on their sleep quality.

Kinship Care and Child Protection in High-Income Countries: A Scoping Review

Kinship care is a global phenomenon with a long history, which in high-income countries (HICs) at least, is being increasingly formalized through legislation and policy. There are many benefits to kinship care, including improved child mental health and well-being when compared to other types of out-of-home care. Despite this, kinship care is not without its risks with a lack of support and training for kinship carers putting children at an increased risk of abuse and neglect. This scoping review was conducted across 11 databases to explore the breadth and depth of the literature about abuse and neglect within kinship care in HICs and to provide initial indications about the relationship between kinship care and abuse. Of the 2,308 studies initially identified, 26 met the inclusion criteria. A majority of studies were from the United States, and most used case review methods. From the included studies, rates of re-abuse, and particularly rates of physical and sexual abuse, appear to be lower in kinship care settings when compared to other out-of-home care settings, but rates of neglect are often higher. This review has demonstrated that a small but significant number of children living in kinship care experience neglect or abuse.