Kinship Adoption Resources
What is Kinship Adoption?
• When parents are unable to care for their children and those
children then are placed in the care of extended family or others
with whom they share an emotional bond; this is referred to as
kinship care.
• Kinship care is the full time care, nurturing and protection of
children by relatives, members of their tribes or clans,
godparents, stepparents, or any adult who has a kinship bond
with a child. This definition is designed to be inclusive and
respectful of cultural values and ties of affection. It allows a child
to grow to adulthood in a family environment.
• Such arrangements have been carried out informally for
hundreds of years. In the past 10 to 20 years, child welfare
agencies have sought to provide homes for children in need.
• Processes allow for foster or adoptive family members to have
full custody of children and compensation for their assistance
Statistics, Benefits, and Downfalls
• There are 157,298 children living in grandparent-headed
households
• There are 35,333 children living in households headed by
other relatives.
• Kinship Care allows for closer ties with biological parents and
siblings than those in non-kin care.
– More visits, calls, letters and communication exchanged
between parent and child in kinship care.
• Children in public kinship care are less likely to have multiple
placements.
• They are also less likely to be reunited with their parents and
more likely to remain in the care of a relative.
Video Overview
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNM0r4ZxQJ8&feature=related
• Highlights reasons for rising trend of grandparents raising
grandchildren
– Reasons such as drug or alcohol abuse, mental health, jail, or death
• Discusses challenges for families
– Disabilities, finances, structure, illness
General Information Regarding Kinship
Adoption
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Relative adoption gives a broad overview of the main concepts regarding
adoptions within a family
The site offers information to help make kinship decisions, such as sections on
“Barriers to Kinship,” “Making the Decision,” “Legal Options,” and “Other Forms of
Care.”
The site offers a Directory of Professionals that includes lawyers, advocates,
mental health professionals, and adoption liaisons by state
There are several blogs and forums that offer a support system for families
considering kinship adoption
Barriers of Kinship Care involve lack of financial or housing resources, inability to
understand effects of abuse, and pressure to make important decisions for the
children
Benefits of Kinship Care are described as reduced attachment issues, increased
feelings of trust, and better emotional regulation
– One study showed that relatives generally have a more positive perception of children in their
care than nonrelative foster parents; they are also more likely to like and accept them
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http://relative.adoption.com/
Processes for Adoption
• Adoption Under One Roof provides comprehensive adoption
information with informational sections, blogs, Q & As, and
articles for issues surrounding adoption
• The “Kinship” section answers questions about the process,
adoption subsidies, expected timeline for adoption, and
preparation work to be done to ensure adoption success
• The site offers blogs for adoptees, adoptive parents or
relatives, and birth parents
• This site is an important networking system after an
adoption takes place so members of the family could
continue to receive support from others similar to
themselves
• http://ouradopt.com/content/kinship-adoption
Establishing Relationships with
Grandchildren
• The AARP gives suggestions
for building relationships
between grandparents and
their grandchildren
• The site offers blogs,
articles, and discussion
boards for grandparents
searching for more
information about relating
to their grandchildren
• http://www.aarp.org/relati
onships/grandparenting/
Advocacy for Needs in Adoption and
Child Well-Being
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The Children’s Defense Fund advocates for
the well-being of all children. Kinship
adoption is described as a policy priority to
the organization.
In adoption, the defense assists in the
implementation of the Fostering
Connections to Success and Increasing
Adoptions Act, which requires relatives of
children who are removed from their
parents’ custody to be notified
Children’s Defense Fund works to ensure that
children:
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enter foster care only when they cannot be
safely cared for by family
are safe
get appropriate basic supports and special
help
find permanent, nurturing families
(“permanency”) through reunification,
adoption or legal guardianship in a timely
fashion
www.childrensdefense.org
Financial Assistance to Kinship Families
• The Urban Institute Project provides a
brief overview of some of the licensing
requirements for kinship adoption and
foster care throughout the country
• The most beneficial aspect of the site is
the specific state break down of financial
assistance that is provided (such as TANF)
and the legal processes that must occur
before funds may be received
• Because each state is different, it is
important to become educated with the
process and complete appropriate
paperwork
• http://www.urban.org/uploadedPDF/90
0611.pdf
Financial Assistance for Children with
Disabilities
• This government website assists with understanding the process and
eligibility for receiving Supplemental Security Income for children (under
the age of 18) with disabilities
• Other funds are also available for children who have disabled caretakers
• An individual under age 18 is "disabled" if he or she has a medically
determinable physical or mental impairment, which:
– results in marked and severe functional limitations; and
– can be expected to result in death; or
– has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than
12 months.
• Amount given to families is dependent on earned income (or
governmental assistance) for entire family and amount of caretakers
• Grandparents and other relatives are eligible for assistance
• http://www.ssa.gov/ssi/text-child-ussi.htm
Kinship Permanency Incentive Program
• The Ohio Department of Job and Family
Services sponsors a Kinship Permanency
Incentive program designed to assist
families or friends financially who are caring
for other children
• The program provides incentive payments
to families.
– Eligible families will receive an initial payment
of $1,000 per child
– They will also receive five hundred dollars per
child each six-months, up to a maximum of
$3,500
• Incentives are provided to support the
stability of the child’s placement in the
home.
• The payments are in addition to Ohio Works
First cash assistance received for the child.
• http://jfs.ohio.gov/ocf/kinship_care.stm
Legal Assistance
• While the Adoption Child Welfare Law site is comprehensive and
offers information about many topics in adoption, it has a strong
section regarding kinship adoptions and foster care
• The site offers an extensive history of adoption law by state and
gives a listing of available legal organizations to assist in various
processes
• Important adoption cases that have set precedent can be searched
by state
• The site also has a very informational Q & A section for families
looking to adopt or foster other family members.
– Differences between Kinship Care, Guardianship, Adoption, Medical &
Educational Consent, Stand-by Guardianship, and Legal Custody are
explained
• http://www.adoptionchildwelfarelaw.org
More Legal Resources-Kinship Care
Navigators
• The Grandfamilies State Law and Policy Resource Center serves to
educate individuals about state laws and legislation in support of
grandfamilies
• The site gives an overview of Ohio’s program, kinship care
navigators.
– Navigators are individuals who provide relative caregivers with
information, referral services, and assistance concerning available
services and benefits at the state and local level.
– Some of the services include funded child care, respite care, training
related to caring for special needs children, legal services, and a crisis
hotline.
• The site also explains housing waivers for families, subsidized
guardianship, and other difficult topics in kinship care
• http://www.grandfamilies.org/
Government Research about Relative
Adoption
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The United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for
Children and Families data and reports completed by the department regarding
appropriate matching with relatives, statistics of pre and post adoption families,
and other issues surrounding the well-being of a child
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The site extensively described the benefits of relative adoption. In one report,
relative adopters rated children as more capable, reported feeling closer to their
children, reported less negative effects of the adoption, reported fewer school
problems, and adopted children were reported to have less special medical needs.
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Another report observed the outcomes of kinship adoption and that kinship
caregivers expressed a willingness to adopt their adolescent kin but need the
support of social workers, most kin adolescents had a strained or non-existent
relationships with their birth parents, most kinship caregivers have a social support
network they can depend on, most service workers had extremely high caseloads,
and most service workers held a negative perception of kinship caregivers.
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Abstracts of the reports are provided
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http://www.childwelfare.gov/adoption/types/families/kinship.cfm
Support for Post-Adoption
• The Child Welfare League of
America seeks to protect all
children and promote their wellbeing
• The site offers a fact sheet
regarding Kinship Care in every
state including specific laws,
agencies that can assist or
provide services, and census
information about kinship rates
– Statistics described in first slide
• The specific agencies described
on the website offers a variety of
services such as counseling,
coordination, and support
• http://www.cwla.org/programs/
kinship/factsheet.htm
Support for Grandparents Raising
Grandchildren
• Grandsplace is a site catered to grandparents and relatives caring
for grandchildren or other family
• The site offers specific locations and agencies throughout the
country (chosen by state) that focus on the support and services
for Grandparents in need
• The site provides practical information such as healthy cooking
recipes for growing children, immunization information, learning
to take personal time, and other words of wisdom from
grandparents
• There is also a list of compiled resources from grandparents that
include places to look for financial assistance, adoption subsidies,
and respite services
• http://www.grandsplace.org
Completed by Nicole Wojnarwsky
MSASS Candidate 2011
February 19-20, 2011