Local authorities should recognise and meet the needs of
children in kinship care by providing practical, emotional and financial support and Government needs to ensure there is funding to achieve this.
Disability and special needs A high proportion of children
living in kinship care have a disability, additional needs or specific learning difficulties.
The conference provides an opportunity to hear about new research and insight about young
people in kinship care and kinship carers.
The service is staffed by
experts in kinship care providing advice and guidance on issues that include legal options, benefits and support including grants for essential items.
Do you want to learn what's
happening in kinship care, access the latest information, meet other kinship carers and enjoy relaxing activities?
About 65 percent of the youth we serve live with foster families, and 35 percent are being cared for by relatives
in kinship care arrangements that we support in collaboration with other agencies.
The articles aim to improve the well - being and safety of children
in kinship care while supporting their providers.
Research shows that children
in kinship care benefit from increased placement stability compared to children in local authority care, and are able to maintain family relationships.
The number of children
living in kinship care are increasing, and these children are overwhelmingly affected by poverty.
Intensive support services — for the most vulnerable children
placed in kinship care as a result of child protection involvement.
There are currently around 30,000 children being
raised in kinship care across London, with an estimated 200,000 children being raised by relatives across the UK.
An exciting opportunity exists to be involved in a newly established team that delivers high quality support to children, families and
caregivers in our Kinship Care First Supports Program.
It is based on a survey of national policies and practices for children looked
after in kinship care across the 32 local authorities in Scotland, and an intensive study of 30 children living with 24 kinship families in five local authorities.
Our research shows that around half of children (52 %) are
in kinship care as a result of parental drug or alcohol misuse, although other reasons include bereavement, imprisonment, parental abuse or neglect and parental ill health.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation's released a five - part video training series, «Engaging Kinship Caregivers: Managing Risk
Factors in Kinship Care» featuring internationally respected kinship care expert, Dr. Joseph Crumbley, to strengthen the skills of child welfare professionals in supporting families to improve outcomes for children.
A monthly support group facilitated by Leeds City Council, giving you the opportunity to chat to other carers
involved in kinship care over tea and coffee.
Kinship care Features resources for managers of kinship care programs, impact and evaluation of kinship care, locating and working with kinship caregivers, achieving & maintaining
permanency in kinship care, and supporting kinship families
Children
in Kinship Care Experience Improved Placement Stability, Higher Levels of Permanency, and Decreased Behavioral Problems: Findings From the Literature (PDF - 81 KB) Child Focus (2014) Explains research that shows children have better outcomes in kinship families, including improved placement stability, higher levels of permanency, and decreased behavioral problems.
The type of placement also contributes to placement stability.58 Children
in kinship care tend to experience more stability (that is, fewer placement disruptions), 59 although high disruption rates are found in kinship situations with vulnerable children and / or families.60 Placement stability for children in group care varies depending on child age and needs.
School can be a tricky time for kinship children, but our recent Growing Up
in Kinship Care report found that individual teachers and school counselling services could really help some young people.
The Grandparents Plus Kinship Care Professionals Group is for social workers, academics and others with an
interest in kinship care.
Final Report (PDF - 125 KB) Winokur, Crawford, & Longobardi (2006) Uses a matched case design to compare children
in kinship care with children in foster care on available child welfare outcomes.
Our recent research on Growing Up
in Kinship Care found that school can be a challenging environment for children, even at an early age, so it can be really helpful to have conversations with the school from the offset.
As the leading experts
nationally in kinship care (aka family and friends care) we will work with you to develop system, policy and service improvements to enable more children, who can not remain with their parents, to live safely and thrive within their wider family network.
If we view this
point in our kinship care history as an opportunity for an innovative new start then Victoria is well placed to lead a much - needed national discussion on the role of kinship care within out of home care.»
An exciting opportunity exists to be involved in a dynamic team that delivers high quality support and case management to children, families and caregivers
in our Kinship Care Program.
We're proud to say this is the first research of its kind in the UK focused on the outcomes of young people who've grown up
in kinship care into adulthood.
Whilst there is a considerable literature on the difficulties faced by young people leaving local authority care, much less is known about how children who have been brought up
in kinship care get on as they reach their late teens and early adulthood.
Kinship Process Mapping: A Guide to Improving
Practice in Kinship Care The Annie E. Casey Foundation (2013) Discusses the use of kinship process mapping in child welfare agencies as a means of standardizing the kinship search process and utilizing kinship caregivers effectively.
Family Finding & Engagement (PDF - 342 KB) Mertz (2016) National Institute for Permanent Family Connectedness Examines the most effective methods for identifying and involving extended family
in the kinship care process.
Characteristics of Four Kinship Placement Outcome Groups and Variables Associated With These Kinship Placement Outcome Groups Chang & Liles Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 24 (6), 2007 Investigates factors that might be associated with the
disruptions in kinship care of abused and neglected children, characteristics of the children such as their health status, ages, and the extent to which they were getting into «trouble» were significantly associated with outcomes.
Thanks also goes to Grandparents Plus with whom we jointly conducted the Understanding family and friends care: local authority policies report and our
partners in the Kinship Care Alliance.
«By safely keeping the vast majority of children living
in kinship care out of the care system (95 %), kinship carers are saving the tax payer billions of pounds each year in care costs.
• Joan Hunt, Suzette Waterhouse and Eleanor Lutman (2008) Keeping them in the family: Outcomes for children placed
in kinship care through care proceedings (BAAF).
While I had some awesome internship experiences (mentoring 8 - 12 year old
kids in kinship care who had been abused and neglected, time at a therapeutic preschool and work with the special education department of the Jefferson County Preschools), I didn't feel any of them were exactly what I was looking for.
A new report, Needs of Kinship Care Families and Pediatric Practice, released by the American Academy of Pediatrics, discusses how awareness of a patient's
placement in kinship care can better assist pediatricians in addressing their patient's health and wellness.
Number of children 0 — 14 living
in kinship care among children living with neither biological parent in East Africa
Ms Ashley also met Tristram Hunt and Steve McCabe MP (Shadow Children's Minister) with some kinship carers and young people
raised in kinship care to discuss their experiences and necessary reforms.
Options for Relatives Georgia Division of Family and Children Services Discusses research that shows children thrive best when
placed in kinship care and explains types of approvals for kinship care in Georgia.
International research has found significant benefits for children and young
people in kinship care, including: