Resource Library

Addresses motivations for becoming a kinship parent and the importance of having agency guidance and support to navigate shifting family roles and dynamics. This video presents one family’s transition from kinship care to adoption and highlights resources that contributed to their success and their ability to provide permanency for their adoptive daughter.

Illustrates the changes parents face when they decide to provide full-time care for their relative children and the benefits of different types of agency support. In this video, a kinship and adoptive parent discusses strategies she used to successfully provide stability for the children in her growing family and the importance of having agency resources to accomodate her changing family needs.

Highlights the rewards and challenges of providing permanency and stability for relative children with differing needs. In this video, a single grandparent of five discusses her epxerience becoming a kinship careviger, foster parent and then legal guardian for her daughter’s children; support the caseworker provided for her to become a certified foster parent; and the joy of watching her grandchildren thrive.

Synthesizes past knowledge and provides research from eight states and from national data on the extent of adopted children re-entering foster care, the circumstances involved in both foster care re-entry and adoption dissolutions, and the significant number of children adopted from foster care who require ongoing mental health services.

Provides an overview of research on children’s adjustment to adoption, reasons for adoption instability, and the significant need for post-adoption support. Includes recommendations to enhance post-adoption services.

Explores the challenges, opportunities and recommendations for improving kinship care in the United States. This article emphasizes the importance of a kin-first culture, which requires systemic changes and a shift towards strengths-based approach that views kin as protective and deserving of support.

A compilation of FAQs about kinship adoption

Brings attention to the distinctive needs of children adopted by their relatives, focusing on the increasing prevelance of kinship adoption compared to traditional foster parent adoption.

Disucsses the importance of kinship care being seen as both a prevention resource as well as an intervention for children, with a focus on how outcomes for kinship families can be improved.

Assists child welfare professionals in helping kin caregivers collaborate effectively with the child welfare system.