Care & Custody

Pew 2023 report incorporating a review of research, state-level policies, and available court data, and interviews with child guardianship scholars, practitioners, advocates, attorneys, and court personnel to analyze minor guardianship practices and make recommendations to court leaders and policymakers to better position courts to help families.

One of the most fundamental differences between kinship/grandfamilies and parent-headed families is the lack of an automatic legal relationship between the caregiver and child. Without such a relationship, access to services and supports for the child and their kinship/grandfamily can be challenging, if not impossible.

This webinar explores the various legal relationship options and the array of public benefits and tax credits that are available to these families. Presented by the Director of the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center, Ana Beltran, JD, and Network subject matter expert, Heidi Redlich Epstein, MSW, JD, Director of Kinship Policy and State Projects, American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law.

2018 Generations United and Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption brief providing general information about adoption and guardianship, how they differ, and trends in state law that may impact those options.

This chart outlines the options for kinship caregiving in the state of New York along with rights and responsibilities of caregivers and the supports and services available under each option.

This toolkit was developed to support child and parent attorneys' advocacy for kinship placements for their clients/client’s children through trial and appellate advocacy, as well as outside of the court setting. This toolkit includes federal and state law and policy resources, and a comprehensive overview of social science articles and research studies on the benefits of kinship care.