What is Kinship Care?
Kinship care refers to when a relative takes over as primary caregiver for a child(ren). Some states have expanded "kin" to include "fictive kin" (people who are not directly related to the child, but are relationally close to them) when it comes to kinship caregiving through the child welfare system.
The History of Kinship Care:
When did it start?
- Kinsihp care has been around as long as families have been around! However, the make-up and structure of kinship care has changed overt ime
Before 1978
- Prior to 1978, almost all kinship caregivers were caring for children through an unofficial arrangement
- When a child was orphaned, the state would ensure the child was palced with a responsible adult, but would not offer additional support to kin
- At times, kinship caregivers became responsible for the child through an informal agreement with the child's parents
What changed in 1978?
- Kinship caregiving became a part of the child welfare system, with caseworkers turning to a child's kin to foster children when they were removed from their home(s)
- Kinship caregivers did not receive the financial support that foster/resource parents did when taking in a child
Summary:
While kinship caregivers have existed as long as families, utilizing kinship caregivers as a formal way to care for children and youth in the child welfare system wasn't common practice until about 45 years ago. Yet, even when kinship caregiving became more widely used by the child welfare system, kinship caregivers did not receive the support that licensed foster parents did. But that's changing! Keep an eye out for part 2 of "History of Kinship Care" to learn more!
Related Resources:
Want to read part 2? Check it out here.