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On September 28, 2023, the U.S. Administration for Children and Families (ACF) issued a final rule that explicitly gives all Title IV-E child welfare agencies the option to use kin-specific foster care licensing or approval standards and encourages them to limit those standards to federal safety requirements. This change will allow more children to be cared for by those they know…
This radio segment from the program 'This American Life' tells the story of Shamyla, who grew up as the adoptive child of her aunt and uncle in the United States but whose biological parents in Pakistan wanted her back in their care. The family argued over this for years, Shamyla's adoptive mother saying "I'm not going to give her back. She's not a ball, I can't toss her back." When Shamyla was twelve years old while on a visit to Pakistan, her birth parents took her on a trip out to the countryside and did not return. Shamyla's adoption had been informal and, as such, her US parents had…
Sreyny Sorn, manager of the ABLE Project at Children in Families, gave a presentation at a side event at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on 5 March, 2019. The event was titled “Promoting Quality Family and Community-Based Care for Children with Disabilities.” BCN nominated Sorn to speak about the ABLE program and how they work to place children with disabilities in suitable foster or kinship homes in Cambodia by supporting children and families.
Sorn described how she and the ABLE team recruit foster families to care for children with disabilites and how the…
According to the advocacy organization, First Focus, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee is planning to consider new legislation known as the Family First Act in January 2016. The legislation would direct investments at keeping children safe and supported at home and in family-like settings. The Act addresses longstanding barriers in federal child welfare financing by providing targeted new investments in evidence-based prevention, intervention and post-permanency services and supports. The legislation is significant because it would allow states, for the first time, to…
This series of podcasts from Faith to Action Initiative features the audio from past Faith to Action webinars, including a webinar on The Continuum of Care. "The Continuum of Care" is the audio version of Webinar 2 for on-the-go learners. This podcast looks at the range of alternative care for children who have been separated from parental care and emphasizes family care. Alternative care includes: kinship care, foster care, adoption, and formal residential care such as temporary rehabilitative care and small group homes. Large-scale institutional care is not recommended. This podcast…
7.5 million children all over the world live in charitable children’s institutions, commonly known as children’s homes or orphanages, yet 80 per cent to 90 per cent of these children have a living parent or known relatives. In Kenya, an estimated 45,000 children live in charitable children’s institutions for various reasons such as the loss of a parent or primary caregiver, poverty at home, sickness and disability, violence, abuse, and neglect.
The COVID-19 pandemic "has heightened challenges for multigenerational caregivers, many of whom are vulnerable to the virus while taking care of children," says this article from USA Today. "One in four children living with grandparents are Black, according to Annie E. Casey Foundation KidsCount data using U.S. Census figures." According to the article, Generations United, a nonprofit for multigenerational families, has developed a COVID-19 guide for multigenerational families, as well as a racial equity tool kit to help health and social services providers become more…
"Outside of the traditional foster care system exists a shadow system of potentially hundreds of thousands of children removed by CPS to their relatives or family friends—without a court case, monetary support, or due process," says this article from the Appeal which explores the phenomenon of "shadow foster care" in the U.S. "Unlike the traditional foster care system," says the article, "no court case is initiated, and no lawyers are present to advise either parents or caregivers of their rights. Legal advocates say these arrangements lead to confusion around custody rights, are ripe…
"A recent review by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory highlighted a lack of preparation and ongoing support for special guardians, who are often asked to care for children with complex emotional and behavioural problems in challenging circumstances," writes Louise Sims - kinship care and fostering consultant at CoramBAAF - in this article from the Guardian. In the article, Sims shares the story of Gillian, a grandmother who took on the care of her grandson and the lack of support she received.
This article from the New York Times describes how "relative caregiving is ingrained in Black households and a main reason for the low number of formal adoptions [among Black families in the United States]."
"Black families often opt for informal arrangements sans social workers, termination of parental rights and lawyers," the article continues. "In general, kinship care reduces stress, promotes stability and eases the transition from living with parents to a different yet familiar environment."
The author speaks of personal experience in kinship care, noting that "once I…