Kinship Navigator (CHN-KN) Children’s Home Network
Informal and formal kinship families, relatives, and nonrelatives raising children who are not being raised by parents
Kinship Caregiver Support Programs
Definition
Kinship Caregiver Support Programs are defined by the CEBC as programs that support the needs of kinship caregivers, such as training and education, financial services, and support groups. Kinship care refers to the care of children by relatives or, in some jurisdictions, close family friends (often referred to as fictive kin). Kinship care may be formal and involve a training and licensure process for the caregivers, along with monthly subsidies to help defray the costs of caring for the child, or may include voluntary or mediated kin caregivers referring to those relative caregivers caring for children following a child welfare agency assessment to ensure the safety and suitability of the home, or informal caregivers, referring to those relative caregivers caring for children privately, without the involvement of child welfare or other government agencies.
The CEBC also provides information on financial support programs for kinship caregivers.
- Target population: Potential and current kinship caregivers, including relatives (e.g., grandparent, sibling, etc.) and fictive kin (e.g., godparents, close family friends, etc.)
- Services/types that fit: Interventions to orient new kinship caregivers or to provide training, skills development, education, or support for new or existing kinship caregivers
- Delivered by: Child welfare workers, behavioral health professionals, or other professionals or paraprofessionals trained to deliver a kinship caregiver support program
- In order to be included: Program must specifically identify the support needs of kinship caregivers as a goal
- In order to be rated: There must be research evidence (as specified by the Scientific Rating Scale) that examines outcomes for the kinship caregiver (e.g., knowledge or skill, psychological support, improvement in kinship caregivers' satisfaction with their kinship role, or retention of the child in their home) or outcomes for the child(ren) in their care (e.g., placement stabilization, reunification).
Downloadable Topic Area Summary
Definition
Kinship Caregiver Support Programs are defined by the CEBC as programs that support the needs of kinship caregivers, such as training and education, financial services, and support groups. Kinship care refers to the care of children by relatives or, in some jurisdictions, close family friends (often referred to as fictive kin). Kinship care may be formal and involve a training and licensure process for the caregivers, along with monthly subsidies to help defray the costs of caring for the child, or may include voluntary or mediated kin caregivers referring to those relative caregivers caring for children following a child welfare agency assessment to ensure the safety and suitability of the home, or informal caregivers, referring to those relative caregivers caring for children privately, without the involvement of child welfare or other government agencies.
The CEBC also provides information on financial support programs for kinship caregivers.
- Target population: Potential and current kinship caregivers, including relatives (e.g., grandparent, sibling, etc.) and fictive kin (e.g., godparents, close family friends, etc.)
- Services/types that fit: Interventions to orient new kinship caregivers or to provide training, skills development, education, or support for new or existing kinship caregivers
- Delivered by: Child welfare workers, behavioral health professionals, or other professionals or paraprofessionals trained to deliver a kinship caregiver support program
- In order to be included: Program must specifically identify the support needs of kinship caregivers as a goal
- In order to be rated: There must be research evidence (as specified by the Scientific Rating Scale) that examines outcomes for the kinship caregiver (e.g., knowledge or skill, psychological support, improvement in kinship caregivers' satisfaction with their kinship role, or retention of the child in their home) or outcomes for the child(ren) in their care (e.g., placement stabilization, reunification).
Downloadable Topic Area Summary
Programs
KEEP
Caregivers of children 4 to 12 years of age in foster or kinship care placements
Kinship Caregiver Engagement and Support Program
Potential and current kinship caregivers such as grandparents, other relatives (aunts/uncles, older siblings, etc.), and "fictive kin," (e.g., godparents, close family friends, etc.) of children involved in child welfare systems (children aged 0 to 21)
Kinship Supports Intervention
Kinship caregivers (relatives and fictive kin) of children involved in child welfare systems (children aged 0 to 18), regardless of custody status or supervision orders
Support Groups for Grandparent Caregivers of Children with Developmental Disabilities and Delays
Grandparent caregivers of children with developmental disabilities and delays
Connecting
Youth 11-15 years old currently in foster or relative care and their caregivers
Edgewood Kinship Support Network
Kinship caregivers
GrandFamilies House
Families where the grandparents are raising their grandchildren
GrandParent Family Apartments
Older relatives (usually grandparents) who are raising children under 18 years of age
Grandparent Family Connections
Grandparent-headed household families at risk for child maltreatment
Grandparents as Parents
Relative caregivers who have taken on the role of parent to their child relative
Kin as Teachers
Relative caregivers raising children from birth to kindergarten entry
Kinship Care Connection
Children and their kin caregivers
Kinship Education Preparation and Support
Formal kinship caregivers in a large urban city
Kinship Navigator Program – Arizona
Kinship caregivers, such as grandparents, other relatives (aunts/uncles, older siblings, etc.), and fictive kin,” who are raising children (from birth to age 18) because the children’s biological parents are unable to do so
Kinship Navigator Program – Family Connections Grantee Model
Kinship caregivers, such as grandparents, other relatives (aunts/uncles, older siblings, etc.), and "fictive kin," who are raising children (from birth to age 18) because the children's biological parents are unable to do so
Kinship Navigator Program – Washington State
Grandparents and other relatives (aunts/uncles, older siblings, etc.), ages 18 and over, who are raising children because the children's parents are unable to do so
Parenting a Second Time Around
Grandparents and other kinship caregivers who are not the biological parents of the child in their care
Project Healthy Grandparents
Grandparent-headed families of grandchildren (ages birth to 16 years) in which the birth parents are absent
Relatives as Parents Program
Relative caregivers caring for children outside the foster care system
Programs
Kinship Navigator (CHN-KN) Children’s Home Network
Informal and formal kinship families, relatives, and nonrelatives raising children who are not being raised by parents
KEEP
Caregivers of children 4 to 12 years of age in foster or kinship care placements
Kinship Caregiver Engagement and Support Program
Potential and current kinship caregivers such as grandparents, other relatives (aunts/uncles, older siblings, etc.), and "fictive kin," (e.g., godparents, close family friends, etc.) of children involved in child welfare systems (children aged 0 to 21)
Kinship Supports Intervention
Kinship caregivers (relatives and fictive kin) of children involved in child welfare systems (children aged 0 to 18), regardless of custody status or supervision orders
Support Groups for Grandparent Caregivers of Children with Developmental Disabilities and Delays
Grandparent caregivers of children with developmental disabilities and delays
Connecting
Youth 11-15 years old currently in foster or relative care and their caregivers
Edgewood Kinship Support Network
Kinship caregivers
GrandFamilies House
Families where the grandparents are raising their grandchildren
GrandParent Family Apartments
Older relatives (usually grandparents) who are raising children under 18 years of age
Grandparent Family Connections
Grandparent-headed household families at risk for child maltreatment
Grandparents as Parents
Relative caregivers who have taken on the role of parent to their child relative
Kin as Teachers
Relative caregivers raising children from birth to kindergarten entry
Kinship Care Connection
Children and their kin caregivers
Kinship Education Preparation and Support
Formal kinship caregivers in a large urban city
Kinship Navigator Program – Arizona
Kinship caregivers, such as grandparents, other relatives (aunts/uncles, older siblings, etc.), and fictive kin,” who are raising children (from birth to age 18) because the children’s biological parents are unable to do so
Kinship Navigator Program – Family Connections Grantee Model
Kinship caregivers, such as grandparents, other relatives (aunts/uncles, older siblings, etc.), and "fictive kin," who are raising children (from birth to age 18) because the children's biological parents are unable to do so
Kinship Navigator Program – Washington State
Grandparents and other relatives (aunts/uncles, older siblings, etc.), ages 18 and over, who are raising children because the children's parents are unable to do so
Parenting a Second Time Around
Grandparents and other kinship caregivers who are not the biological parents of the child in their care
Project Healthy Grandparents
Grandparent-headed families of grandchildren (ages birth to 16 years) in which the birth parents are absent
Relatives as Parents Program
Relative caregivers caring for children outside the foster care system
Topic Expert
The Kinship Caregiver Support Programs topic area was added in 2017. Jill Duerr Berrick, PhD was the topic expert and was involved in identifying and rating any of the programs with an original load date in 2017 (as found on the bottom of the program's page on the CEBC) or others loaded earlier and added to this topic area when it launched. The topic area has grown over the years and any programs added since 2017 were identified by CEBC staff, the Scientific Panel, and/or the Advisory Committee. For these programs, Dr. Berrick was not involved in identifying or rating them.
Topic Expert
The Kinship Caregiver Support Programs topic area was added in 2017. Jill Duerr Berrick, PhD was the topic expert and was involved in identifying and rating any of the programs with an original load date in 2017 (as found on the bottom of the program's page on the CEBC) or others loaded earlier and added to this topic area when it launched. The topic area has grown over the years and any programs added since 2017 were identified by CEBC staff, the Scientific Panel, and/or the Advisory Committee. For these programs, Dr. Berrick was not involved in identifying or rating them.