General Kinship Publications

On November 16, 2021, the Advisory Council to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren delivered its initial report to Congress. It includes a comprehensive review of the joys, challenges, gaps, and unmet needs and 22 recommendations for how the federal government, states, tribes, territories, and communities—in partnership with the private sector—can better support kin and grandparent caregivers.

This article from Child Law Practice Today (ABA Center on Children and the Law) explores the importance of fictive kin and why states should either include fictive kin in the definition of “relative” for purposes of ASFA, GAP, kinship foster care, and child placement, or define “fictive kin” in their statutes and then apply all policies regarding relatives to relatives and fictive kin equally. 

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.

Child Welfare Information Gateway fact sheet for families about the importance of partnerships between caregivers and parents for promoting family reunification and child and family well-being. It shares stories and advice from caregivers and birth parents who have experienced kinship care on the importance of maintaining boundaries, managing family dynamics, building trust, positive parenting and communication, and securing support.

The ABA Center on Children and the Law is pleased to share Immigration Issues in the Child Welfare System: Case Studies. This resource provides guidance on how to navigate a number of scenarios in which children and their families may benefit from support services but face intersecting immigration and child welfare legal challenges.