Why this Topic Matters to Us
Understanding and supporting kinship families is essential. These families can be made up of grandparents, aunts, uncles, or close family friends who step up to care for children when additional support is needed. Kinship caregivers face unique challenges, responsibilities, and often limited resources. For children in kinship care, staying connected to family supports healing, stability, and a sense of identity. Caregivers also need support to manage stress and provide nurturing homes. Kinship families know what helps and what needs to change. Listening to their experiences helps make support systems and child welfare better for everyone.
As of September 2024, over 2.4 million children are being raised in kinship/grandfamilies in the United States.
Learn from Lived Experience
"I believe the support given to relative and kinship caregivers should be the same support that's given to foster families...Just because the youth is placed with family does not mean the family will not struggle. When a family grows in size, so does the cost of things.”
— Kinship caregiver, Texas
