The growth in the number of children who are living formally or informally with their relatives is one of the most stunning changes in the child welfare system. While it is apparent that kinship care is making a significant contribution to increasing permanency for children, it is also clear that significant efforts need to be made to provide appropriate support services for kin families. As kinship care continues to be a primary and valuable option for children who cannot live with their parents, emphasis on kinship care policy, practice, and research is necessary to continue to enhance services and supports for kinship caregivers and families.

The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 established grants to fund kinship navigator programs, which connect children involved with child welfare to grandparent or relative caregivers and help those caregivers identify and access needed programs and services. Kinship Navigators highlights the work of the seven kinship navigator Family Connection Grant projects, providing a closer view of the programs and services and the children and families that they serve.

Editors: Gerard Wallace, Liliana Hernandez, and Julie Treinen

Item Number: 1569