Child Trends brief that uses field work, stakeholder interviews, administrative data reviews, and a digital survey tool to examine the use of kinship diversion across child welfare agencies. It finds that while kinship diversion is the most common out-of-home placement, few child welfare jurisdictions collect data on diversion, making it challenging to gauge its effectiveness or understand the experiences of the children involved. Recommendations include clear practice guidelines and collection of accurate, consistent, child-level information.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s recently released a five-part video training series, featuring internationally respected kinship care expert, Dr. Joseph Crumbley, to strengthen the skills of child welfare professionals in supporting families to improve outcomes for children. The video training series includes a discussion guide to help program directors, supervisors and trainers lead group sessions to deepen the learning experience.

Resources which provide information on the use of virtual visitations in child welfare and other fields.

Washington House Bill 1747, signed into law in March 2022, was proposed to prohibit the child
welfare agency from moving children out of a kin placement unless a court finds a change in
circumstances requires a placement change.