Kinship Care | Better Care Network

Kinship Care

Kinship care is the full-time care of a child by a relative or another member of the extended family. This type of arrangement is the most common form of out of home care throughout the world and is typically arranged without formal legal proceedings. In many developing countries, it is essentially the only form of alternative family care available on a significant scale.

In the context of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, kinship care is the primary mechanism that has enabled a vast majority of children who have lost both parents to remain in family care in their community.

Kinship care offers many advantages over other forms of care for children not able to live with their parents. It allows family relationships to continue, maintains the child within her culture and community, and avoids the anxieties related to placements with unfamiliar adults.

Kinship care is more successful with immediate family members, rather than distant relatives. Children may be treated differently than the caretaker’s own children, and exploited, abused or denied access to education and health services. Kinship care has also been shown to result in the delayed reunification of a child and parents, either because the family is comfortable with the situation, there are financial disincentives for returning the child, or social services are less active in moving the case forward.

In order to reduce the incidence of such problems, the use of kinship care should be appropriately monitored by the local authority or a protection agency. Children in kinship care have a right to protection and family support services. However, it must be recognized that kinship care has a positive effect on many children's lives. Placing requirements on kinship arrangements that unnecessarily intefere with or interrupt this traditional caretaking practice should be avoided.

Kinship care may be an option for child protection agencies to consider when a child is without adequate family care. The decision to use kinship care will depend on what is in the child’s best interests, and should involve a careful assessment of the child’s opinions, the family’s ability to care for the child, and permanency planning in order to work towards timely family reunification. Financial support is an area for debate since, while it can enable a family to care for a child, it may also encourage relatives to keep a child for monetary gain.

The resources found in this section provide policy guidance and country examples on the use of kinship care.

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Life Improvement, Life Satisfaction and Care Arrangement Among AIDS Orphans in Rural Henan, China

Qun Zhao, Xiaoming Li, Xiaoyi Fang, Bonita Stanton, Guoxiang Zhao, Junfeng Zhao, and Liying Zhang, 20 Jan 2009

This study aims to compare perceived life improvement and life satisfaction among double orphans in 3 main care arrangements (group home, AIDS orphanage, kinship care) in 2 rural Chinese counties.

Alternative Care for Children in Southern Africa: Progress, Challenges and Future Directions

UNICEF, 09 Jan 2009

This report, prepared for UNICEF East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) assesses the capacity in Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland and Zambia to manage alternative care systems for children.

Toolkit for Positive Change: Providing Family-Focused, Results-Driven and Cost-Effective Programming for Orphans and Vulnerable Children

Save the Children Federation, 2009

Documents the strategies of The Positive Change: Children, Communities and Care (PC3) Program - a five-year (2004-2009) integrated and comprehensive program designed to provide care and support to more than half a million orphaned and vulnerable children and their families throughout the country of Ethiopia.

India: The Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS): A centrally Sponsored Scheme of Government-Civil Society Partnership

The Indian Ministry of Women and Child Development , 2009

In 2006 the Indian Ministry of Women and Child Development proposed the adoption of an Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS), which was adopted and launched by the central government in 2009-2010. Recognizing chronic under funding of child protection services in the country and major gaps in the system, the ICPS was expected to significantly contribute to the realization of Government/State responsibility by creating a system that would effectively and efficiently protect children.

Faces of Positive Change: Highlighting Positive Change in the Lives of Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Ethiopia

Save the Children Federation, 2009

Highlights successes and lessons learned from the PC3 Program. Serves as a companion piece to the Toolkit for Positive Change

Manual for the Measurement of Indicators for Children in Formal Care

Better Care Network and UNICEF, 2009

Manual to assist countries in strengthening their information system around children in formal care through data collection around 15 global indicators

Demographic Evidence of Family and Household Changes in Response to the Effects of HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa

Joint Learning Initiative on Children and HIV/AIDS, 01 Dec 2008

Assessment on the impact of HIV/AIDS on key aspects of family life cycles

State Kinship Care Policies for Children that Come to the Attention of Child Welfare Agencies

Child Trends, 01 Dec 2008

Explores the disparity in support given to children in formal foster care in the United States compared to those in informal kin arrangements

Salt, Soap and Shoes for School: An Evaluation Report

HelpAge, REPSSI, World Vision and SDC, 01 Jul 2008

The impact of pensions on the lives of older people and grandchildren in the KwaWazee project in Tanzania’s Kagera region.

Strategic Approach to Categorizing Progress on Child Welfare Reform in CEE/CIS Countries

University of Pittsburgh, Office of Child Development, 01 Jul 2008

The purpose of this report is to create a strategy for assessing the status and progress of child welfare reform in CEE/CIS countries using the best available quantitative and qualitative information.