Kinship Care | Better Care Network

Kinship Care

Kinship care is the full-time care of a child by a relative or another member of the extended family. This type of arrangement is the most common form of out of home care throughout the world and is typically arranged without formal legal proceedings. In many developing countries, it is essentially the only form of alternative family care available on a significant scale.

In the context of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, kinship care is the primary mechanism that has enabled a vast majority of children who have lost both parents to remain in family care in their community.

Kinship care offers many advantages over other forms of care for children not able to live with their parents. It allows family relationships to continue, maintains the child within her culture and community, and avoids the anxieties related to placements with unfamiliar adults.

Kinship care is more successful with immediate family members, rather than distant relatives. Children may be treated differently than the caretaker’s own children, and exploited, abused or denied access to education and health services. Kinship care has also been shown to result in the delayed reunification of a child and parents, either because the family is comfortable with the situation, there are financial disincentives for returning the child, or social services are less active in moving the case forward.

In order to reduce the incidence of such problems, the use of kinship care should be appropriately monitored by the local authority or a protection agency. Children in kinship care have a right to protection and family support services. However, it must be recognized that kinship care has a positive effect on many children's lives. Placing requirements on kinship arrangements that unnecessarily intefere with or interrupt this traditional caretaking practice should be avoided.

Kinship care may be an option for child protection agencies to consider when a child is without adequate family care. The decision to use kinship care will depend on what is in the child’s best interests, and should involve a careful assessment of the child’s opinions, the family’s ability to care for the child, and permanency planning in order to work towards timely family reunification. Financial support is an area for debate since, while it can enable a family to care for a child, it may also encourage relatives to keep a child for monetary gain.

The resources found in this section provide policy guidance and country examples on the use of kinship care.

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The Promise of a Future: Strengthening Family and Community Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Sub-Saharan Africa

Kerry Olson, Ruth Messinger, Laura Sutherland, and Jennifer Astone , 2005

A brief document advocating for the strengthening and support of community based responses to children and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Perspectives on Family, Friend and Neighbor Child Care: Research, Programs and Policy

Bank Street College of Education, 2005

A series of papers examining kinship care options and programs in the US which address low socio-economic status, culturally appropriate care, exemplary models of kinship care, and public policy.

Promising Practices in Reunification

Susan Dougherty, 2004

A list of US programs and program approaches that influence family reunification outcomes. Relevant for social workers, policy-makers, and others involved in foster care, after care, and family reunification.

Child Protection: Children Without Parental Care

UNICEF, 2004

A brief fact sheet on the multilevel support needs of children without parental care. Includes a brief section on statistical data and examples of UNICEF action in several countries around the world.

Improving Protection for Children Without Parental Care - Kinship Care: An Issue for International Standards

UNICEF and International Social Service, 2004

A paper outlining the use of formal and informal kinship care, child headed households and cross border kinship care. It discusses the advantages and limitations of each, including welfare costs, and argues for international standard setting.

A Global Policy for the Protection of Children Deprived of Parental Care

Claudia Cabral, 2004

This paper presents a set of global policy guidelines for the protection of children without parental care. It recommends the need for a global understanding of best practices within the legal framework of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Orphans in Africa: Parental Death, Poverty and School Enrollment

Anne Case, Christina Paxson, and Joseph Ableidinger, 31 Dec 2003

Research on the incidence, living arrangements, and causes of lower school enrollment of orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Forgotten Families: Older People as Carers of Orphans and Vulnerable Children

Help Age International and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance , 2003

A publication by International AIDS Alliance and HelpAge International provides an overview of the issues identified by older people and orphans and vulnerable children themselves; examples of community-based programs that are improving the lives of older people and orphans and vulnerable children; recommendations that will help to prioritize orphans and their carers within HIV/AIDS and wider development policies, programs and research.

The Reach of the South African Child Support Grant: Evidence from KwaZulu-Natal

Anne Case, Victoria Hosegood, and Frances Lund , 2003

This research paper evaluates the impact of the Child Support Grant in South Africa. It finds that while there exists a strong commitment to implementation, the presence of a child’s mother is an important factor in program participation.

Forgotten Families: Older People as Carers of Orphans and Vulnerable Children

Amleset Tewodros, 2003

A brief policy report which highlights issues faced by older caregivers of orphans and vulnerable children in Africa. Outlines NGO responses, challenges and recommendations for programmatic support of older caregivers. Includes statistical data on ageing, HIV/AIDS and kinship care in Africa.