© 2000 Jordan Institute
for Families

Vol. 1, No. 2
Winter 1996

Make Kinship Care the Best it Can Be

• Screen Thoroughly. Do a complete home evaluation, just as you would with any other placement.

• Monitor Frequently. Monitor kinship placements with the same frequency as other out-of-home placements.

• Compensate Adequately. Facilitate the highest possible level of financial compensation--including benefits like Medicaid.

• Deliver Services Equitably. Make sure the same services are provided to children in kinship care as to foster children (e.g., mental health screenings and after-school care).

• Provide Respite Care. Families caring for their own children and a relative's children need a break from time to time. Elderly relatives may also need special assistance with regular child care.

• Offer training. Kinship caregivers need access to training and support groups in the same way and for the same reasons that non-relative foster families do.

© 1996 Jordan Institute for Families