For Better Child Welfare Outcomes, Always Family First

"While racial disparities in kinship stability are urgent and unjust, in Kansas, between 2017 and 2022, children initially placed in kinship care were significantly more likely to have only one placement (82% v. 65%) than those placed with a non-kinship foster home."

Supporting Kinship Caregiving

In addition to profound benefits for children, many kinship caregivers derive deep meaning from the investments they make for the children in their care. However, few kinship caregivers receive the swift, tailored, and equitable support they need to succeed in their challenging role. Research has highlighted kinship caregivers’ needs for additional information about child development, trauma-informed interactions, legal options for guardianship, financial and academic supports, and youth mental health, as well as other services commonly provided to foster parents, such as respite care and peer alliances. Kansas’ KinVest Project is designed to increase collective capacity to support kinship caregivers and their families, align judicial rulings and caseworker decisions with an emphasis on kinship, and emphasize collaborative caregiving models within child welfare practice.

The KinVest Project

In 2020, catalyzed by research demonstrating kinship care’s significant advantages over other out-of-home placements and by demands for policy and practices that preserve family ties, Kansas declared itself a “Kinship First” state. To move toward that vision, the KU School of Social Welfare and the Children’s Alliance of Kansas, along with other key actors in Kansas child welfare, formed Kansas Invests in Families (KinVest) through a federal grant. KinVest is a 5-year initiative that began in October 2021 with formal kinship families focusing on developing a statewide kinship model. KinVest has four interlocking elements informed by evidence about promising interventions to support successful kinship placements:

1. Policy taskforce, to ground system reforms in the lived experiences of parents, youth, and kinship caregivers.

2. Workforce training, to coach child welfare practitioners in collaborating with kinship caregivers and supporting collaborative caregiving approaches.

3. Resource guides, to help kinship caregivers navigate situations they encounter with the children they’re raising.

4. Courageous conversations with courts and other powerful decision-makers, to elevate the opportunities and benefits

of kinship placements and how to more effectively support birth families and kinship connections.

Policy and practice recommendations to advance kinship care in Kansas

With leadership from families, KinVest is changing the culture of child welfare in Kansas, opening workers’ hearts and minds to the benefits of kinship placements, and orienting the system to transformative shared parenting. In some cases, needed policies already exist, but existing procedures, various biases, or competing priorities prevent full implementation. For example, the border agreement developed to facilitate placement with relatives out-of-state is simultaneously a valuable policy innovation and insufficient in practice — its reach constrained by a limited radius and a cumbersome process that can delay placement for months. Steps taken toward a kinship commitment in Kansas are to be celebrated. However, mounting evidence about superior kinship outcomes and ongoing racial inequities in Kansas’ child welfare system — and specifically in kinship — compel further action.

• Prioritize racial equity in ‘kin-first’ child welfare. Kansas’ proclamation as a ‘kin-first state’ included a goal of placing 50% of all children in kinship care. This declaration and its accompanying policy and practice changes made a difference in overall kinship placement rates. However, prominent racial disparities remained. As Figure 1 illustrates, while kinship placement rates increased markedly, the rate for Black children trailed and even dipped in 2022. Further, while kinship placements are more stable than other out-of-home placements, Kansas data reveal that racial disproportionalities persist within kinship placements (Figure 2). These inequities deny children of color the full advantages kinship placements promise. Kansas cannot claim full victory in its kinship innovations until all children have equitable access to kinship placement—and all families have what they need to care for their kin.

More policy and practice recommendations

To align child welfare policy with ‘kin-first culture’, Kansas should assess all our child welfare policies for evidence of bias toward non-kinship foster care—overall, and specifically for children and families of color. In FY2024, ~51% of Kansas children in the child welfare system were placed in kinship care. This is higher than the national average, but lower than in the states with the most success locating and supporting kinship caregivers—and short of our own aspirations. Kansas should reinforce our ‘kin-first’ declaration with official directives that children should be placed with strangers only if all efforts to find and engage relatives and kin are exhausted. Then, we must leverage policy to support kinship caregivers — particularly those who face additional hurdles in their caregiving efforts.               

• We must construct intentional barriers to non-kinship placements. The states with the greatest success in placing children in kinship care not only make the child welfare process smoother for kinship caregivers; they also complicate the process of placing children with strangers. Some states require a ‘kinship exception request’ to place a child with a stranger; others require secondary or advanced review. These technical changes contribute to altering mindsets and disrupting inequitable habits. 
• New federal rules have outlined how states can streamline approval of kinship caregivers for licensure and equitable reimbursement. While Kansas has moved quickly to align our policies to expedite kinship licensure and close the gap in reimbursement rates, there is still more Kansas can do to support kinship caregivers. The licensure path is a complicated process with barriers due to workers’ incomplete knowledge about the new rules and families’ distrust of the system. One barrier is workers’ competence in using the new rule. Kansas should intentionally implement the modified kinship licensing standards by ensuring workers have a clear understanding of their application. Another barrier is the inherent distrust experienced by those involved with the child welfare system. Kansas should authentically engage families to ensure a common goal to maintain kinship connections. 
• Kansas should ensure that kinship caregivers undergo (1) a background check that meets specific criteria, (2) a caregiver suitability assessment, and (3) a safety and needs assessment — not unnecessary requirements that can prevent receipt of needed support. Further, as allowed in federal rules, Kansas should take a broad view of “kin”, making this streamlined process available both to caregivers related by blood and those children identify as ‘family’.
• To ensure that all child welfare policies demonstrate authentic and enthusiastic embrace of kinship, we should target kinship caregivers and their extended families for Family First Prevention Services Act services and bolster Kansas’ Kinship Navigator program — a model demonstrated to close racial gaps in kinship placement. 

Increase funding to make good on the declaration. Insufficient child welfare funding causes large caseloads for workers who then struggle to provide the intensive support that some kinship families require. Sometimes, finding family members who can/will care for children takes creativity and considerable persistence. Further, even after caregivers have been located, the task of family finding should continue, so that all children have a reservoir of viable caregivers and can grow up with the assurance of not only a kinship placement but also emotional, familial, and cultural connections. The Kansas child welfare system needs more than just money, but we do need financial investments that keep our promises to children and their kinship caregivers.

Provide evidence-based training for families and workers. Child welfare workers need focused training that equips them to support kinship caregivers and facilitate healthy collaborative caregiving between birth parents and kinship caregivers. Kinship caregivers need trauma-informed training that amplifies their families’ strengths and supports them in taking on caregiving on top of their own needs — often with little advanced notice. And all adults in the child’s life need ongoing training to successfully shoulder their respective roles. 

Build on the SOUL Family Legal Permanency Option to provide guardianship assistance and other legal aid. Adoption and reunification are not the only paths to permanency, but barriers can complicate the pursuit of other avenues. Lack of legal assistance can prevent kinship caregivers from making their family relationships permanent, resulting in problems both routine (guardianship for school and medical care) and profound (extended period of uncertainty). The SOUL Family Legal Permanency Option, adopted in 2024 by the Kansas Legislature, provides a valuable tool for youth and the adults who support them. It is also a crucial lesson in the advances possible when youths’ needs and goals are centered in child welfare decision making. To build on this progress, Kansas should consider whether the federal Kin-GAP (Guardianship              Assistance Program) may complement SOUL and other ways to support kinship families with the legal and post-permanency services that facilitate long-term positive outcomes. 

While the compassion of strangers is appreciated, children need their families. When relatives and kin step forward to provide not only affection but also extensive and sustained care, these caregivers deserve respect and support. They should be regarded as key resources for crafting and evaluating child welfare system responses. To honor and protect family bonds and give children the best chance at a thriving life, Kansas must make good on our vow to be ‘Kinship First’.

References

i. Bramlett, M. D., Radel, L. F., & Chow, K. (2017). Health and Well-Being of Children in Kinship Care: Findings from the National Survey of Children in Nonparental Care. Child welfare, 95(3), 41–60.

ii. Ringel, J. S., et al. (2018). Improving Child Welfare Outcomes: Balancing Investments in Prevention and Treatment. Rand health quarterly, 7(4), 4.

iii. Berger LM, et al. (2009). Estimating the “impact” of out-of-home placement on child well-being: approaching the problem of selection bias. Child Development; 80(6):1856-76; Rubin, D. M., et al. (2008). Impact of kinship care on behavioral well-being for children in out-of-home care. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine, 162(6), 550–556. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.162.6.550; Swanke, J. R., Yampolskaya, S., Strozier, A., & Armstrong, M. I. (2016). Mental Health Service utilization and time to care: A comparison of children in traditional foster care and children in kinship care. Children and Youth Services Review, 68, 154–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.06.029 

iv. Chapman, M. V., Wall, A., & Barth, R. P. (2004). Children’s voices: the perceptions of children in foster care. The American journal of orthopsychiatry, 74(3), 293–304. https://doi.org/10.1037/0002-9432.74.3.293

v. Mukhopadhyay, S., Dickerson, K. L., Lyon, T. D., & Quas, J. A. (2022). Foster youth’s placement preferences: The roles of kin, siblings, and age. Child abuse & neglect, 131, 105761. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105761

vi. Danzy, J., & Jackson, S. M. (2018). Family preservation and support services: A missed opportunity for kinship care. In Serving African American children (pp. 31–44). Routledge; Hassall, A., et al. (2021). Does Kinship vs. Foster Care Better Promote Connectedness? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Clinical Child & Family Psychology Review, 24(4), 813–832. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-021-00352-6

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viii. Akin, B. A. (2011). Predictors of foster care exits to permanency: A competing risks analysis of reunification, guardianship, and adoption. Children and Youth Services Review, 33(6), pp. 999-1011; Bell, T., & Romano, E. (2017). Permanency and Safety Among Children in Foster Family and Kinship Care: A Scoping Review. Trauma, violence & abuse, 18(3), 268–286. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838015611673; Koh, E. (2010). Permanency outcomes of children in kinship and non-kinship foster care: Testing the external validity of kinship effects. Children and Youth Services Review, 32(3), pp. 389-398.; Winokur, M. A., Holtan, A., & Batchelder, K. E. (2018). Systematic Review of Kinship Care Effects on Safety, Permanency, and Well-Being Outcomes. Research on Social Work Practice, 28(1), 19–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731515620843.

ix. Wiegmann, W., et al. (2014). The Invisible Achievement Gap Part 2: How the Foster Care Experiences of California Public School Students Are Associated with Their Education Outcomes. The Stuart Foundation. Available from: https://stuartfoundation.org/wpcontent/uploads/2016/04/IAGpart2.pdf

x. National Conference of State Legislatures (2019). The child welfare placement continuum: What’s best for children? National Conference of State Legislatures. https://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/the-child-welfare-placemen…

xi. Schumburg, A. E. (2022, May). Kinship Care Must Be the First Path We Take. Washington, DC: Child Information Gateway. Available from: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USACFCWIG/bulletins/30f36f9.

xii. Cuddeback, G. S., & Orme, J. G. (2002). Training and services for kinship and nonkinship foster families. Child welfare, 81(6), 879–909.

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xvi. Wu, Q., Zhu, Y., Ogbonnaya, I., Zhang, S., & Wu, S. (2020). Parenting intervention outcomes for kinship caregivers and child: A systematic review. Child abuse & neglect, 106, 104524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104524

xvii. Kansas Department of Children and Families (February 2024). SFY2024 Out-of-Home Placement Settings. Available from: https://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/PPS/Documents/FY2024DataReports/FCAD_Su….

xviii. Kimberly, C. (2023). Promoting stability in kinship foster homes. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.

xix. Administration for Children & Families. (2023, February 14). New Proposed Rule Changing the Foster Care Licensing Regulation Supports Keeping Families Safely Together through Kinship Care. Available from: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/02/14/2023-03005/separat…

xx. Casey Family Programs. (2020). Why Should Child Protection Agencies Adopt a Kin-first Approach? Baltimore, MD: Author. Available from: https://www.casey.org/kin-first-approach/

xxi. GrandFamilies (2023). Kin-Specific Foster Home Approval: Recommended Standards of National Organizations [Version 1.0]. Available from: https://www.grandfamilies.org.

xxii. Lee, D.H.J., Huerta, C., & Farmer, E.M.Z. (2021). Kinship navigation: Facilitating permanency and equity for youth in child welfare, Children and Youth Services Review, 131, 106251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.106251.

xxiii. Children’s Alliance of Kansas. (2024). A proposed permanency option designed by youth in foster care. Available from: https://www.childally.org/soul-family.

xxiv. California Department of Social Services. (2023). The Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payment (Kin-GAP) Program. Available from: https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/foster-care/kinship-guardianship-…;

Kansas Invests in Families (KinVest) is funded by the Children’s Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under grant number 90-CW-1150. The brief’s contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Children’s Bureau.

Citations

Lewis, M., Gulledge, E., Miller, B., Harsch, K., McArthur, V., Jager, S., & Akin, B. A. (2024). For Better Child Welfare Outcomes, Always Family First.