The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 directed the Secretary of HHS to develop this report to Congress. This report was prepared with the input of the Advisory Panel on Kinship Care which met in October 1998 and January 1999. The report has two parts. Part I reviews the academic and related research literature on kinship care, including what is known about current practices in the use of relatives as foster parents. Part II is the Secretary’s Report to Congress, which presents the Department’s conclusions and recommendations based on the Advisory Panel’s input, on internal deliberations, and on available research and data. In requesting this report, the Congress asked for information on a variety of topics including state practices, policies, and costs for services to families in which a relative cares for a child in state custody, as well as family characteristics and conditions that lead to relative foster care placements. Note that the Executive Summary includes information only on the research review and does not summarize the Secretary’s Report. The full report in PDF format (681KB) is available at http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/kinr2c00/full.pdf

This report is available on the Internet at:
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/kinr2c00/index.htm

Part I: Research Review

Executive Summary of Part I

Introduction

1. The Role of Extended Family in Child Rearing
Redefining Kinship Care
The Extent to Which Children in Foster Care Are Placed with Relatives
Public Kinship Care
Factors Contributing to Increased Use of Public Kinship Care
Guiding Kinship Care Policy and Practice

2. The Evolution of Kinship Care in Federal and State Policy
The Development of Child Welfare Policy
Federal Kinship Care Policy
Income Assistance Policies
Child Welfare Policies
State Policies Regarding Kinship Care
Definitions of Kin
Preference for and Recruitment of Kin
Licensing and Approval Policies
Supervision
Costs and Sources of Funds for Kinship Care
Legal Challenges
Recent Federal Legislation
Social Security Act Amendments
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act
Adoption and Safe Families Act
State Implementation of Recent Federal Policy Changes
Summary of Federal and State Kinship Care Policies
Gaps in Knowledge and Potential Sources of Data

3. How Do Kinship Families Differ from Non-Kin Foster Care Families?
Conditions under Which Children Enter Kinship Care
Caregiver Preparation
Caregiver Authority
Characteristics of Kinship Caregivers and Their Households
Basic Demographic Characteristics
Age
Race and Ethnicity
Marital Status
Residence
Household Size
Education, Employment, and Income
Well-Being of Kinship Caregivers and Children
Summary of the Characteristics of Kinship Care Households
Gaps in Knowledge and Potential Sources of Data

4. Experiences of Public Kinship Care Families
Child Welfare Service Delivery and Supervision of Kinship Care Families
Supervision and Information Provided to Public Kinship Care Families
Services Provided to Public Kinship Caregivers and to Birth Parents
Experiences of Children While in Public Kinship Care
Family Continuity, Access of Birth Parents to Children
Child Safety
Permanency
Permanency Plans for Children in Kinship Care
Length of Stay in Care
Permanency Outcomes
Effects of Kinship Care on Children and Caregivers
Summary of the Experiences of Kinship Care Families
Gaps in Knowledge and Potential Sources of Data

5. Summary and Conclusions
Limitations of the Data
Unanswered Questions
Future Sources of Information

Notes

Part II: Secretary’s Report to Congress

Responding to a Congressional Directive

Background

Principles

Issues
Selection, Assessment and Supervision of Relative Caregivers
Financial Assistance for Relative Caregivers
Non-Financial Assistance for Relative Caregivers
The Role of Kinship Care as a Permanency Option for Children
Interactions Between Research, Evaluation and Other Information
Gaps in Research, Evaluation and Other Information

Future Considerations

Appendices

Appendix A: Text of the Adoption and Safe Families Act

Appendix B: State Data

Appendix C: Bibliography

Appendix D: Kinship Care Advisory Panel Members