In times of crisis, when a child is unable to remain in the home with their biological parents, they need to be moved to a safe place where they can be cared for and thrive. Sometimes, these children spend time in the care of foster parents. There are many types of foster care, from specialized care to the typical foster care most people think of when they think of out-of-home placements for children and youth. 

But another out-of-home placement is a form of foster care called kinship care. Kinship care can be transformational for children in need of stability and safety. Nebraska is one of the first states in the country to provide relative and kinship caregivers with the same level of financial assistance as non-relative or kinship caregivers, an exciting step forward in the kin-first approach to foster care!

September is Kinship Care Month, a time to celebrate those who provide a home for children who need support. This can include grandparents, relatives or close family friends. Let’s explore the benefits of kinship care and why it can be so vital to children in foster care.

What is Relative/Kinship Care?

In relative/kinship care, a child lives with relatives or a previously known trusted adult other than their biological parents. These relatives may be grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins or even adult siblings. Kinship care refers to an adult who is known to the child but is not related to them. For example, this might be a neighbor, teacher or a family friend.

With both relative and kinship care, a child is placed in a home with individuals known to them. In traditional foster care, the child is in a licensed foster home with foster parents who are not known to them. Both relative and kinship homes are offered support to assist them in providing a safe and loving home for the child. Training is available to assist relative and kinship caregivers in learning about different challenges that children might face. Being removed from their family home is difficult. Kinship care with a relative or other individual known to them can help decrease the trauma a child may experience. As of 2022, 54.2% of children in foster care in Nebraska were placed with relatives or kin.

Benefits of Kinship Care

Here at KVC Nebraska, we recognize kinship care as a highly beneficial first consideration for a child’s care when the care of a biological parent is not currently an option. Here are some key advantages of kinship care:

1. Decreased Placements and Reentry

Children in foster care often go through multiple placements, averaging 2.6 placements for Nebraska children in out-of-home care in 2022. This number is even higher the older a child gets. Teens ages 13 to 19 average four placements while in foster care.

Because of the focus on kin-first placements in the state of Nebraska and child welfare organizations like KVC, children in kinship care placements are much less likely to move to another foster care placement. Additionally, the chances of re-entry into the foster care system following discharge due to reunification or guardianship are statistically lower in kinship care situations than with non-kinship placements.

2. A Familiar Environment

Just imagine for a moment: You’re suddenly in a new home, sleeping in a new bed, eating different food, and going to a new school. Foster care placements can sometimes involve a lot of shock for children. This can be true even if they’re moving into a home with similar racial, ethnic or religious backgrounds. 

As much as foster parents can do their part to be culturally sensitive to children in their care, family members or family friends can build on the familiarity they already have through kinship care. This naturally creates an environment that minimizes barriers.

This familiarity and sense of comfort goes beyond the cultural experience as well. Children may have spent time in their relative’s home or spent the night there before entering into kinship care. This makes the situation more comfortable for the child. It gives them a sense of normalcy that is unique to kinship care. And in times of crisis, any familiarity can be valuable.

3. Better Mental and Behavioral Health

Children of all ages need a safe place and secure relationships with caregivers to thrive mentally and emotionally. Because foster care involves at least some amount of destabilization, it’s common for children in foster care to struggle with mental health difficulties and challenging behaviors.

As a natural outcome of the other benefits listed, children in kinship care can experience fewer behavioral problems and mental health disorders than children in non-kinship foster care. The care of a known and trusted adult and not moving through multiple placements provides stability. This makes it easier for children to adjust to the loss of being separated from their biological parents.

4. Reduced Trauma

Understandably, removal from one’s childhood home inevitably results in trauma for children of all ages. Much of this trauma occurs due to the loss of living with their biological parents. But this trauma becomes even more complicated by additional losses that come with entering into foster care. This can include separations from siblings, friends, pets, their neighborhood or changing to a different school district.

Children entering kinship care experience less trauma from loss because they are maintaining family ties despite the altered circumstances. Additionally, children placed in kinship care are much more likely to remain in the same home as their siblings, especially in situations with three or more siblings. An Illinois study on the wellbeing of children in foster care statewide found that 53.5% of children with three or more siblings stayed together in kinship care placements. Whereas, only 1.8% stayed together in traditional foster care placements.

5. Increased Stability and Permanency

While the ultimate goal of foster care is always reunification, other discharge reasons include adoption, guardianship, emancipation or aging out. In 2020, 89% of all children who exited foster care went to a permanent home, whether through reunification, adoption or guardianship.

Children have a much higher chance of achieving permanency when in a relative/kinship care situation. This is true even in the case of older youth who need support transitioning from foster care into adulthood. Reunification is most successful when the foster parents and birth parents work together, and this is easier to do when the parties have a pre-existing relationship prior to the child entering foster care.

Make a Difference in the Life of a Child

While kinship care is the ideal foster care placement, not all children entering foster care have a viable placement option. Foster parents willing to open their homes and provide a safe place for children and families are still in high need! Learn more about becoming a foster parent with KVC and discover how you can be just what a child needs to grow and succeed.