While most states have kinship foster care, the way they handle things is very different. They give varying levels of support to the families. Financial assistance, support and other resources have the greatest impact on kinship foster care.

Some states do offer financial assistance, subsidizing housing, educational funds, respite care, and other services. For the most part this is not a widely practiced thing. Some states offer different assistance on a case by case when it involves kinship. The major responsibility falls on the family member providing care.

Some states are realizing the need of kinship fostering and providing them with some resources. Grandparents (50 years and older) with income under $21,580 will receive $200 per month for each grandchild (limit of $600 per family)in some states. Illinois offers subsidized guardianship which has helped reduce the caseload for the state.

In kinship fostering, if the family member needs full support caring for the child, they have to become foster parents. Along with all the training and paperwork, in some areas things can be slightly different if you only do kinship fostering.

A concern with kinship placement is that they are still children that have been abused and neglected. Children that suffer with abuse do tend to have additional needs, problems and behaviors. These family members for the most part are unequipped to deal with major issues that can come with parenting abused children. The family members do not go through the training as foster parents do concerning the issues and how to deal with them. This could place the family members at a major disadvantage in helping these children.

Kinship foster care can help preserve the family connections for the child. It also helping the child to have visits and remain in contact with her parents easier than going through the child welfare department. This can be a better alternative for a child that needs to be removed from her home rather than being placed in the foster care system.

Related post:

What is Kinship Foster Care?

Related articles at adoption.com:

The Legal Maze of Kinship Care

Father Involvement in Kinship Foster Care: An Empirical Study