Conclusion
The ancient tradition of taking in kin has come full circle. Today's social workers, recognizing the value of kinship care long practiced informally in certain cultures, are reaching out to families to provide a safe, stable, and loving environment for children who can no longer live with their birthparents. The need is expected to increase as the number of children in foster care continues to grow.
There is significant value both to the child and to his or her relatives when the child remains in the family. However, financial, emotional, and practical barriers often make it difficult for relatives to take on this responsibility. Families need to consider carefully their own needs, the child's needs, their motivation, and their ability to assume responsibility for raising a child. At the same time, agencies should work closely with families to help train them and to give them access to the many resources and community services available to them and the children. This kind of support will encourage relatives to follow an old tradition and keep families together.
Written by Gloria Hochman with research assistance from Mady Prowler and Anna Huston, all of the National Adoption Center, for the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse, 1996. Revised 1997.
APPENDIX I: Characteristics of Kinship Care Providers
Researchers have found that kinship caregivers share a number of qualities. These include the following:
- Most kinship parents are grandmothers or other close relatives. University of Maryland School of Medicine researcher Howard Dubowitz, in his 1990 study of kinship cases in Baltimore, found that one-half of the providers were grandmothers; one-third were aunts.
- Kinship families are predominately families of color. Ninety percent of New York City kinship providers were African-American, according to a 1987 study by researcher Jesse L. Thorton. Dubowitz's study showed the same percentage in Baltimore.
- Kinship families tend to have limited incomes. Thorton found that although nearly half of the kinship providers worked full-time, they were also more likely to receive AFDC (33 percent) than their traditional foster care counterparts (6 percent).
- Kinship families have less formal contact with social workers than traditional foster families. In the Maryland study, relative caregivers were visited by social workers 40.8 percent of the time; nonrelative foster homes were visited 53.2 percent of the time. Only 37 percent of relatives had telephone contact with social workers, comparedwith 83.5 percent of traditional foster families.
- Families were overwhelmingly against adopting their foster children. Thorton found that 85 percent of families studied did not want to adopt the children. Most believed it wasn't necessary because they were "already family." Others thought it would cause problems in their relationships with the child's birthparents. Despite reservations about adoption, these families remained committed to the children in their care. Seventy percent said they would allow the child to stay either "as long as he/she wants to remain in the home" or "until he/she is able to take care of him/herself."
APPENDIX II: Resources and Support Groups for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
American Association of Retired Persons Grandparents InformationCenter
601 East E St., N.W.
Washington, DC 20049
(202) 434-2296
Child Welfare League of America
440 First St., N.W., Ste. 310
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 683-4004
Dependent Care Connection
P.O. Box 2783
Westport, CT 06880
(800) 873-4636
Grandparents As Parents
P.O. Box 964
Lakewood, CA 90714
(310) 924-3996
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Lois M. Holloway-Day
P.O. Box 583
Pleasantville, NJ 08232
(609) 645-3061
Grandparents Reaching Out
Mildred Horn
141 Glensummer Rd.
Holbrook, NY 11741
(516) 472-9728
Grandparents' Rights Organization
555 S. Woodward, Ste. 600
Birmingham, MI 48009
(810) 646-7191
Grandparents United For Children's Rights
137 Larkin St.
Madison, WI 53705
(608) 238-8751
Grans In Action
Barbara Montague-Graham
607 Easton Rd., Ste. C3
Willow Grove, PA 19090
(215) 659-7323
National Adoption Information Clearinghouse
330 C Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20447
(703) 352-3488 or (888) 251-0075
National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association
100 W. Harrison St.
North Tower - Ste. 500
Seattle, WA 98119-4123
(206) 270-0072
National Task Force For Children's Constitutional Rights
P.O Box 1620
Litchfield, CT 06759
(203) 567-5437
Parents As Tender Healers (Preparation program for adoptive, foster, and kinship families for fostering and adoption)
National Resource Center for Special Needs Adoption
A Division of Spaulding for Children - Michigan
16250 Northland Dr., Ste. 120
Southfield, MI 48075
(248) 443-7080
Parents Once Again, The Parent Action Network
1401 Arch St., 5th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(215) 686-8650
ROCKING (Raising Our Children's Kids: An Intergenerational Network ofGrandparents)
Mary Fron
P.O Box 96
Niles, MI 49120
(616) 683-9038
Your Grandchild: A Newsletter for Today's Grandparents
Trozzolo Resources
(800) 243-5201
$12.95 for subscription
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