Celebrate the extraordinary impact of kinship and family! September brings us both Grandparents Day and National Kinship Care Awareness Month, A time to honor the incredible grandparents, relatives, and close family friends that step up so that children can avoid non-familial foster placement and remain with family.

These heroes give love, stability and a sense of belonging, keeping families connected during challenging times. Read on to learn about the vital role of kinship families in creating hope so youth can thrive.

In The Spotlight – What is a Kinship Family?

A ‘Kinship Family’ is a structure where children are raised by non-parental relatives. At times it can include other siblings or cousins that are also being raised by the same kinship caregiver. We have many kinship families in our community.

‘Kinship placement’ occurs when a child is placed with a relative or close family friend, also known as fictive kin. This type of placement is often considered when the child’s safety, well-being, or developmental needs are at risk in their current environment. The goal is to provide the child with a stable and supportive environment that is familiar and maintains a connection to their family, culture, and community.

Kinship caregivers, who may be grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings or close family friends, often receive support from child welfare agencies, including financial assistance, access to resources, and guidance on how to meet the child’s specific needs. However, given the circumstances, the level of support can vary and is typically not quite enough.

CASA Volunteers can be appointed to youth in a kinship placement. A CASA Volunteer can also help an appointed youth living in foster care or a group home identify potential social relationships, such as coaches, neighbors, etc. who have an important relationship with the child and could potentially serve as fictive kin.

As always, a CASA Volunteer’s recommendations are critical in every case and with every child.

My CASA Journey – Supporting Grandparents

As an advocate, a CASA gets to know the child’s foster, group or kinship home often referred to as “placement.” Sometimes a CASA finds advocating for the child means being a conduit to help placement find much needed resources.

For example, placement might be a grandmother now caring for her grandchildren – a new dynamic made more complex with financial and legal challenges.

But awareness of  community partners such as Duet for Grandparents can mean education, grand family outings and even a GrandKin cafe for her to connect in person with other grandparents.

Said one CASA: “My current child is in a kinship placement & this has been a really great resource for me to share with the child’s grandmother.”

A supportive community surrounds youth in foster care and CASA volunteers help make those connections.

Positive Outcomes – Why They Do It

Many times kinship families are created during times of trauma. An infant is born substance exposed. Parents are experiencing poverty or are homeless and can’t care for their children. There is domestic violence in the home.

When a family member receives the call to help they are dealing with much more than just the responsibility of taking care of the child(ren) who are moving from an unsafe home. It may be their own child, or their sibling, whose struggles have led to this traumatic time. The day-to-day dynamics of the now evolving family unit can be difficult.
However, kinship families come together to preserve the family bonds and ensure it is strong and sustainable. There is continuity in everything from the daily routine to family traditions to religious and cultural observations.

As a result, infants grow with their own family from the start. Siblings stay together. Children do better in school with less disruption.

Kinship Caregivers do it because they love their family – They are generational heroes and we honor them every day!

Community & Youth Connections – Celebrating Kinship Caregivers

There are many celebrations occurring throughout the state to appreciate and support kinship families. One such event is being held in Phoenix at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church.

GreyNickel Inc., an organization that focuses solely on kinship families in the early stages of this unique journey, has partnered with Pilgrim Rest Community Hub to pay tribute to kinship and ‘Grandfamilies’. These Kinship caregivers are honored with a luncheon and connected with kinship focused resources and health and wellness vendors.

Pilgrim Rest has also been a supporter and previous host of Maricopa County Family Reunification Day and is dedicated to providing guidance, hope and support to everyone in need.

If you know a kinship family be sure to offer empathy and support all year long.

In Focus – Finding Kinship Connections

Maintaining family connections and cultural identity is crucial for children who are being removed from their homes and in need of safe alternative placements.

Policies that support kin-first strategies and a society that values kinship families can help reduce barriers and increase collaboration with community service providers.

Learn more about kinship search and engagement in this brief: Casey Family Programs.

Strengthening Advocacy Through Education – Kinship Support Services

The Arizona Department of Child Safety emphasizes the vital role that kinship care plays in providing more stable and nurturing placement options for children in foster care. DCS highlights that “when children are with kinship caregivers, there is reduced trauma and children are able to thrive.”

Earlier this year, DCS launched the Kinship Support Services (KSS) contract, which is dedicated to, “to further increase the number of children in kinship homes, improve the supports required to stabilize living arrangements and assist families in navigating the child welfare system while caring for children placed in their homes.”

At the program’s inception, DCS representatives met with CASA volunteers at the VOICES office to discuss the KSS program and explore how volunteers can assist families by connecting them with these crucial services. The training participants were enthusiastic about the initiative and fully supportive of the mission to empower kinship families. As the KSS program evolves, VOICES will continue to inform CASA volunteers about how these services can best support the youth they serve.

Learn more about the KISS Program.

Arizona Department of Child Safety. Service Guide: Kinship Support Services. Arizona Department of Child Safety, 26 Feb. 2024

(This was the Voices of Hope newsletter, September 2024. Subscribe to receive more.)