Adoption and Guardianship for Children in Kinship Foster Care

Generations United with support from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, created the following brief, national comparison chart, and state-specific charts that focus on adoption and guardianship for children in kinship foster care so that these children can exit foster care into permanent families.

The laws dictating how adoption and guardianship are granted, by which court, and what those options entail are developed at the state and tribal levels, so the intricacies for obtaining these legal relationships differ.

The Brief

The brief provides general information about the two options, how they differ, and trends in state law as they impact these options. It is important that caseworkers, relative caregivers, older children, and their birth parents understand the two options and determine, based on all the information, what is best for their particular child and family.

Download the Brief

The National Comparison Chart

The chart is designed to help kinship foster parents compare adoption and guardianship as two options that you and the children in your care can pursue to exit foster care and create permanent families.

Download the National Comparison Chart
Download the User Guide on the Charts

State-Specific Charts