Nearly 2.5 million children in the U.S. are growing up in kinship families being raised by relatives, or close family friends. Research is clear – when children can’t stay with their parents, they do best with kin. Kinship families offer greater stability and permanency, stronger connections to cultural identity, better mental health and behavioral outcomes, and deeper community links than non-kin foster families. Unlike parents, kin do not have automatic legal rights—and they often step in unexpectedly, during a crisis, to raise a child they did not plan for. This kinship legal toolkit was created to assist legal professionals understand the value of kinship, the federal laws impacting kin, and the role of judges and attorneys in supporting kin. In this toolkit you will find resources and practical tips to assist in day-to-day work with families and kin involved with the child welfare system.
Collaborative project between the ABA Center for Children and the Law and Generations United.
Access the toolkit: https://www.grandfamilies.org/Resources/Kinship-Legal-Toolkit