Tip Sheet- American Indian & Alaska Native Grandfamilies: Helping Children Thrive Through Connection to Family and Cultural Identity
About 2.5 million children in the United States live in grandfamilies or kinship families, which are families in which children are being raised by grandparents, other extended family members, or adults with whom they have a close family-like relationship. American Indian and Alaska Native children are more likely to live in grandfamilies than children in any other racial or ethnic group. While American Indian and Alaska Native children make up one percent of all children in the United States, they comprise over eight percent of all children in grandfamilies and two percent of all children in state foster care systems.
This resource is designed as a quick reference tool for practitioners and advocates working with grandfamilies and kinship families who identify as American Indian or Alaska Native. It is meant to help them provide services in a way that is culturally sensitive and effective. It also serves as a reference guide for staff orientation/training to work in these communities. The content of this resource is based on the complementary toolkit by Generations United and the National Indian Child Welfare Association, which provides additional detailed information, resources, references, and infographics. The toolkit also includes definitions and explanations of key terms used in this resource.
Tip Sheet- African American Grandfamilies: Helping Children Thrive through Connection to Family and Culture
About 2.5 million children in the United States live in grandfamilies or kinship families, which are families in which children are being raised by grandparents, other extended family members, or adults with whom they have a close family-like relationship, such as godparents. A disproportionate number
of children in grandfamilies are African American. While African American children comprise 14 percent of all children in the United States, they make up over 25 percent of all children in grandfamilies and 23 percent of all children in foster care. The long history in the United States of enslavement, segregation, economic injustice, and institutional racism contributes to this overrepresentation in the foster care system, and likely also contributes to the larger percentage of African American children in informal grandfamilies.
Tip Sheet- Latino Grandfamilies: Helping Latino Children Thrive through Connection to Culture and Family
About one in four children in the United States are Latino. Latino children are much more likely than non-Latino white children to live in multigenerational households where three or more generations live, and where the grandparents or other kin may be providing a significant amount of caregiving. This multigenerational caregiving is one of the Latino community’s many cultural strengths.