Kinship Care Literature Review

Released October 2024

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Think of Us has conducted a comprehensive scoping review of recent literature on kinship care, answering key questions such as: What do we know about kinship care? What don't we know? And what are the next steps for kinship care research?

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Read the Summary of Findings

Download Full Report

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Background

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In recent years, child welfare agencies have shifted to prioritizing kinship care—placing children with relatives or close family friends when they can't stay with their parents. In 2023, the federal government introduced new rules allowing states to adopt kin-specific licensing standards, giving them more flexibility to support kinship families. This shift culminated in a March 2024 National Convening on Kinship Care co-hosted by Think of Us and the U.S. Children's Bureau in March. Attendees included policymakers, advocates, and agency leaders, representing 20% of youth in the child welfare system. Together, we discussed progress and new ways to support kinship families, and there was a clear call for more research and guidance.

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Literature Review Toplines

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• Children in kinship care experience more positive outcomes compared to those in non-kin foster care, including stronger connections to family and culture, better physical health, and improved well-being.

• Kin caregiver outcomes are mixed, with higher levels of stress and depression reported compared to non-kin foster caregivers.

• Kinship families need tailored support and services, as many do not receive adequate housing, legal, medical, mental health, education, or economic assistance.

• There is a significant lack of research on kinship care outside the child welfare system despite being 18 times more common than kinship care within the system.

Research Gaps

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Our review identified several critical areas where more research is needed:

• Experiences of kinship care across different demographics, including race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status

• The impact of location and neighborhood on kinship care outcomes

• Experiences of kin caregivers beyond grandmothers, such as adult siblings, aunts, uncles, and non-relative kin

• Long-term outcomes for children in kinship care

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Call to Action

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Based on our findings, we recommend future research focus on:

1. Exploring and comparing different kinship arrangements

2. Examining experiences across diverse types of kin caregivers

3. Investigating outcomes across various demographics

4. Developing new measures for assessing whole-family outcomes

5. Uncovering cultural and contextual factors influencing kinship experiences

We also call for more mixed-methods and participatory research that centers lived experience and is trauma-informed.

As a result, we’re inviting researchers to collaborate with us on groundbreaking projects focusing on kinship care and centering lived experience. In June 2024, we surveyed over 650 kin caregivers, asking over 100 questions about their demographics, needs, experiences with systems, trust in those systems, and thoughts on support, services, and recognition. Respondents represent diverse kin arrangements, including formal care, kinship care outside of child welfare, permanency (adoption, legal guardianship), and various combinations of these.
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With the consent of lived experience experts, we have the opportunity to collaborate with other research institutions on the same data set. We would like to hear from you on ideas and thinking that would further the understanding of kinship needs. If interested, please complete this form. 

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