Displaying 6101 - 6110 of 15990
Abstract
This study from the Special Issue on Kinship Care of the Child Welfare Journal examined the impact of a kinship supports intervention implemented in 16 children services agencies. Children placed with kin experienced greater stability, reached permanency more quickly, and were less likely to experience subsequent maltreatment or re-enter care than children placed in non-relative foster care. Furthermore, children receiving intervention services experienced shorter, more stable placements than children placed with kin…
Abstract: This paper from the Special Issue on Kinship Care of the Child Welfare Journal discusses a three-phased service model assessed using Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) conferences with informal kinship caregivers and their families. Gain scores were compared between Phase 2 (case management only) and Phase 3 families (case management with conference). Phase 3 families had higher gain scores than the Phase 2 families on measures of parenting stress, social support, family needs and child well-being…
Abstract: Much has been written about the tremendous risks faced by children who do not live with or who are not cared for by their parents. Similarly, existing literature warns of the less than optimal child outcomes associated with kinship care, given that caregivers themselves can be vulnerable because of their advanced age, health difficulties, lack of resources and fragile living conditions. Still, research has demonstrated the beneficial effect of kinship care on children. However, little is known about what produces these observed positive effects. In this…
This article from the Special Issue on Kinship Care of the Child Welfare Journal explores the Family Connections Discretionary Grant Program. "The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoption Act (FCA) represented a major effort to address the unique challenges experienced by private and voluntary kinship caregivers and thereby support the safety, permanence, and well-being of children and youth in their care and prevent their removal into foster care (Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoption Act [FCA…
Abstract
Collaborative partnerships are a major factor in achieving positive outcomes for children, youth, and families. They can lead to a common and unified understanding of the needs of children, youth, and families; identification of gaps in services and supports; and coordinated efforts to address those gaps across child welfare and other human and social services. While it is recognized that progress has been made in developing policy and defining standards of practice related to supporting kinship families, there remains a need for continuous assessment of current policy and…
Abstract
This study from the the Special Issue on Kinship Care of the Child Welfare Journal uses nationally representative survey data to describe differences in characteristics, adverse family experiences, and child well-being among children in kinship care with varying levels of involvement with the child welfare system. Well-being is examined in the domains of physical and mental health, education, and permanency. Comparisons provide insight on kinship care arrangements inside and outside the child welfare system, as well…
The purpose of this introduction of the Special Issue on Kinship Care of the Child Welfare Journal is to offer a conceptual framework for addressing the challenges involved in developing a coherent set of policies and practices with respect to kinship care. The challenges span two key tensions in the public protection and care of vulnerable children. The first concerns the appropriate scope of public interest in the welfare of other people's children: Should child welfare policy be constrained to a narrow set of functions that ensure children are adequately fed,…
Twenty years ago, when this journal first published a special issue on kinship care (Wilson & Chipungu, 1996), the focus was on the formal placement of children with kin after the children were taken into public custody. This special issue of the Child Welfare Journal focuses on the much larger number of kinship caregivers, who either intervene on their own or accept the assistance of child protective authorities that facilitate informal arrangements without taking legal custody. It is the larger combined population of formal and informal kinship placements, to…
This two-part special issue focuses on children in kinship care—those who are being raised by grandparents, aunts and uncles, older siblings, and non-related extended family members—to bring attention to this less visible area of public child welfare, featuring policy-based and empirical research on kinship families.
Articles in this special issue include:
This bulletin draws from available literature and practice knowledge to summarize key issues related to providing effective services to support the stability and permanency of adoptions. It is intended to support adoption professionals in addressing adoptive parents’ and children’s needs for services, recognizing key considerations in providing services, addressing emerging issues, and meeting common challenges in delivery.