About this Guide
This guide intends to provide child welfare workers with resources, research, and tools to support family search, engagement with kinship connections and alternate caregivers, and kinship placements. Similarly, the guide offers resources and tools to kin and alternate caregivers to support them in their role of being a caregiver.
Overview
Family engagement, kinship networks, and lifelong connections for children and youth support their safety, well-being, and permanency. The involvement of kin early and throughout child welfare planning prevents placement disruptions and increases positive outcomes for children, youth, and families.
When children and youth are unable to remain in their homes, kinship and community-based placements are preferred. Kinship placements can involve biologically related kin, members of cultural communities, or individuals with other social, emotional, or community connections, such as teachers, coaches, or neighbours.
Children and youth can be placed with kin and community through a variety of placement options, including kin service (out of care), kinship care (licensed care), and customary care. Learn more about the various alternative care options including customary care and kinship care.
Testimonials/Interviews/News
OACAS Content
- Community and Kinship for Black Children and Youth [2021]Hear from Keishia Facey, Manager of the One Vision One Voice program, as she shares about the ways that culture and community through kinship placements can improve resiliency and outcomes for African Canadian children and youth.
- How Kinship Families are Improving Child Welfare Outcomes for Children and Families in Ontario [2017]Sharon Cabrera, Kin Supervisor at the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, shares how kinship families help keep kids connected.
Sector Content
- Ontario Children’s Aid Society Handed $1.3M After Global News ReportSarnia-Lambton Children’s Aid Society, which has become a stand-out for its progressive approach to child welfare, has had its $1.3 million debt erased by the province, in response to their prevention and early intervention efforts to keep kids with family and relatives, and avoid placements in group homes.
- Kin Caregiver Tanisha from Kettle & Stony Point First Nation [2019]Kin Caregiver, Tanisha, from Kettle & Stony Point First Nation shares the impact of providing care to a member of her community.
- DBCFS: What is Alternative Care? [2020]A video that sheds light on Veronica and Beedahsiga Elliot's experiences with being Alternative Caregivers.
- NCFST: Decolonizing Child Welfare Webinar Learning Series #4 [2022]This webinar focuses on the Family Finding model which offers methods and strategies to locate and engage extended family, as well as First Nation, Metis and Inuit communities for children/youth currently living in out-of-care placements.
- Family and Children’s Services of Lanark, Leeds and Grenville: Kinship [2016]A video created by the Family and Children’s Services of Lanark, Leeds and Grenville featuring one family's experience with kinship placement.
External Content
- Everyone Provides Kinship Care | Adrian McLemore | TEDxDaytonThis TED Talk is delivered by Adrian who has the unique perspective of growing up in the foster care system and later providing kinship care to his niece and nephew. He shares his experiences with both systems and explains why he believes kinship care is the better option. Adrian McLemore works for the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore, Maryland.
- A Brief But Spectacular Take on Prioritizing Kinship Care [2023]Sixto Cancel, the founder of Think of Us, speaks about the organization's work that aims to change child welfare systems across the US. Since Sixto has also experienced foster care himself, he shares his take on kinship care.
- #ValueOurLove - Katie's kinship care storyKinship caregiver, Katie, tells her story about becoming the caregiver for her niece. Katie speaks on what it is like being a Kinship caregiver in England and the ways in which she and many others are overlooked as most kinship families receive limited financial or practical support.
- Understanding and Supporting Kinship Caregivers | Angela Tobin | TEDxOhioStateUniversityAfter witnessing her grandparents raise her cousin for over 10 years, Dr. Angela Tobin has made it her mission to listen and amplify the stories of kinship families, who so often are unseen and under-supported.