What is kinship care?
A. Kinship care providers are non-parent relatives who have become the primary or sole care givers for children whose parents are unable to care for them. These are often older relatives, and particularly grandparents. More than three million children in the U.S. live with older relatives, and in a least one million homes a grandparent is the sole or primary care giver.
A “Relative” means an adult who is related to the child by blood, adoption, or affinity within the fifth degree of kinship, including stepparents, stepsiblings, and all relatives whose status is proceeded by the words “great,” “great-great,” or “grand,” or the spouse of any of these persons, even if the marriage was terminated by death or dissolution. However, only the following relatives shall be given preferential consideration for the placement of the child: an adult who is a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or sibling. Q What are the laws regarding kinship care? A When a child is placed in foster care by a county, the county social worker and court must give preferential consideration to certain relatives (grandparent, aunt, uncle or sibling). The court shall order the parent to disclose all known relatives. The social worker shall initially contact the relatives given preferential consideration to determine if they desire the child to be placed with them. Those desiring placement shall b
Kinship care is when someone in the child’s own family or a close family friend provides a temporary home for the child to prevent them from being placed in foster care. Living with a loved one is a less traumatic alternative for a child and the preferred option for placement when a child can not remain with his/her parents.
