Honoring Kinship Care Month

Each year, during the month of September, we celebrate National Kinship Month by remembering the “why” behind our work. Numerous studies show time and again the positive benefits of kinship care over traditional foster care. Here are a few of the reasons why kinship care matters:

MINIMIZES TRAUMA

Kinship caregivers can help provide stability when everything else around a child is changing. Placing a child in the home of a relative or familiar family friend can help ease the pain of loss that comes with removal.

IMPROVES CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING

Kinship care givers are more likely to provide long term care for children, increasing a child's sense of well-being and security.

PERSERVES CHILDREN’S CULTURAL IDENTITY & CONNECTIONS TO COMMUNITY

Children who are removed from their homes experience loss of varying degrees. One nontangible loss often experienced by foster children is a loss to things like family traditions or culture. Children in kinship placements are more likely to maintain a family's culture or heritage, which ultimately can provide an additional layer of stability for the child.

PROMOTES SIBLING TIES

While many traditional foster families are open to taking a group of siblings, they may not be able to for a variety of reasons. Kinship providers are far more likely to keep groups of siblings together, helping to increase feelings of connectedness and stability for the children in care.

IMPROVIES BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES

Did you know that the presence of one caring and supportive adult in a child's life has the potential to change their world? As famously put by @JoshShipp "Every kid is one caring adult away from being a success story". When children are placed in a kinship home with someone they already have a relationship with, they are more likely to thrive.

INCREASES PERMANENCY FOR CHILDREN

When children are placed with kin, they are more likely to experience permenancy as kinship caregivers are more likely to engage in adoption or guardianship long term. The less disruptions a child experiences in their living enviornment, the better.

Adapted from: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/child_law/resources/child_law_practiceonline/child_law_practice/vol-36/july-aug-2017/kinship-care-is-better-for-children-and-families.html