Across the country, state child welfare agencies increasingly rely on grandparents, relatives, and close family friends to become foster families to abused and neglected children. The most recent data show that more than one in four children involved in the child welfare system – approximately 104,000 children – are in foster care placements with relatives. While these kinship foster families step up every day to provide critical love and care for the children who need them, they face a range of challenges as foster parents and family members.
This article from the Child Law Practice Today July/August 2017 Issue on Kinship Care describes a national campaign launched by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, with other national stakeholders, to transform foster parenting by changing the way systems and communities partner with foster parents to help children stay safe, heal, and thrive in their own families and communities. The article highlights the considerations identified by kinship foster families as fundamental to feeling supported by child welfare systems and providing the best possible care.