General Kinship Publications

A collective advocacy tool created by Generations United, the ABA Center on Children and the Law, and Think of Us to guide our future work to support kinship families. The action agenda identifies and prioritizes key policy opportunities to support kinship families. It was created through a convening of national advocates, featuring professionals with diverse perspectives and individuals with lived experience in grandfamilies/kinship families, and incorporates feedback from the broader advocacy community, grandfamilies services providers, and focus groups with kinship caregivers from varied backgrounds.

In recent years, record numbers of unaccompanied immigrant children have crossed into the United States. While many of these children are soon reunited with and released to parents who are already in the U.S., upwards of 60 percent are released to sponsors who are kin. This tip sheet provides information and guidance to help you better serve these kinship families. 

Summary of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the topic of foster care legal representation, released on 9/28/23. This new rule includes the “costs of legal representation” as a reimbursable expense under Title IV-E for a list of involved persons, including kinship caregivers. The final rule was released on May 9, 2024, and will go into effect on July 9, 2024. 

Children's Bureau & National Youth in Transition Database tip sheet that provides resources for state child welfare agencies and kinship navigator programs, offering guidance on assistance for adult sibling caregivers taking care of their younger siblings either in foster care or informal kinship care. States are encouraged to use this as a foundation to create their own guides for adult sibling caregivers. It includes questions to aid state agencies in exploring each category of support, promoting a tailored approach to addressing the diverse needs of caregivers in states, Tribes, and jurisdictions.

ABA Journal Children and the Law Article Series highlighting advocate support for kinship care and the use of shadow foster care systems to place children with kin outside of child welfare. August 2023.