When a child’s birth or first family is unable to safely and adequately care for their needs, this can sometimes result in the involuntary or voluntary removal of the child from their care. If the child experiences out-of-home placement and is under the care of relatives or supportive adults (i.e. family friends, community members, etc.) who are known to the child and/or their family, this is commonly referred to as kinship care.
Informal kinship care involves arrangements that are made by the child’s parents and/or family members without child welfare or court involvement. Formal kinship care refers to an arrangement in which the child is under the guardianship of the state and placed with a relative or someone known to the child and/or family.
Within the context of child welfare, relative kinship refers to situations in which, following their removal from their first parent(s), a child is placed in the care of a member of their immediate or extended family. Fictive kinship refers to situations in which the child is placed in the care of a non-relative adult who is known to the child and/or their family.
Studies have shown that for children and teens who are in foster care—being placed in the care of relatives or others previously known to them and/or their family may help:
- mitigate the impact of the trauma they have experienced;
- ensure that familial, cultural, and community connections are maintained;
- contribute to their increased overall well-being; and
- improve their mental health, behavioral, educational, and permanency outcomes.
Paths to Permanency: Kinship Care
Helpful Resources
- Minnesota Kinship Navigation Tool
- Lutheran Social Service – Kinship Family Support Services
- Foster Adopt Minnesota – Kinship Care
- Kinship: Know Your Rights
- Transfer of Permanent Legal and Physical Custody of Children in Foster Care
- Minnesota GrandFacts State Fact Sheet
- Kinship Care and the Child Welfare System
Home Study, Licensing, Placement Support, and Adoption Services for Kinship Families
Permanency Support Services: Kinship Care
Helpful Resources
- Minnesota Kinship Navigation Tool
- Lutheran Social Service – Kinship Family Support Services
- Minnesota GrandFacts State Fact Sheet
- Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
- Northstar Kinship Assistance – Contact your DHS Kinship Assistance Worker at adoption.assistance@state.mn.us
PSS Agencies with Specific Programming, Resources, and Services for Kinship Families
While all of the PSS agencies serve the kinship community, MN DHS has contracted with the agencies below to provide specific programming for kinship families.
PSS Agencies Providing General Support to Kinship Children, Youth, and Families
These agencies serve the kinship community, but do not offer programming specific to kinship families.
