Kinship care

Kinship care is the upbringing of a child by relatives or other adults with a close family-like relationship, rather than by the child’s parents. It may be formal or informal and can be temporary or long-term.

Informal kinship care: Child care arranged privately by relatives or close family friends without formal child-welfare or court involvement. It is the family-arranged form of kinship care, often made without agency oversight.
Relative caregiver: A family member who provides ongoing care for a child whose parents are not their primary caregivers. Relative caregivers are the most familiar providers of kinship care.
Attachment theory: A psychological framework explaining how early relationships with caregivers shape emotional bonds and development. Continuity with familiar caregivers can support a child’s sense of security.
Foster care: A state-supervised arrangement in which a child lives with approved caregivers when living with parents is unsafe or impossible. Foster care may use unrelated caregivers, while kinship care relies on existing family-like ties.
Formal kinship care: Kinship care established or supervised through child-welfare agencies or courts. It shows how kinship care changes when public authorities arrange or oversee placement.
Kinship navigator program: A service that helps kin caregivers find benefits, legal guidance, and community resources. These programs address the practical barriers caregivers often face.
Child development: The physical, cognitive, emotional, and social changes that occur from infancy through adolescence. Kinship arrangements influence the environments in which children develop.
Residential child care: A setting where children receive care in a group facility rather than a family household. It contrasts kinship care’s family-home setting with institutional or group care.
Kinship foster care: Foster care in which a child is placed with a relative or another known adult. It is a formal placement that preserves an existing relationship between child and caregiver.
Child welfare: Public and private systems intended to protect children and support their well-being. Kinship placements often form part of child-welfare responses to safety concerns.

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