Standards, Guidelines, and Best Practices
- Policy directive: CW 004-06 – Kinship Service Standards DirectiveIssued on November 30, 2006, Children's aid societies are required to apply the Ontario Kinship Service Standards in service delivery as of December 31, 2006.
- 2023 Ontario Permanency Funding Policy GuidelinesThe Ontario Permanency Funding Policy Guidelines (Funding Guidelines) have been in place since January 26, 2007 (updated July 1st, 2023) and provide a framework for the provision of financial assistance for the purposes of facilitating admission prevention, kinship service, place of safety, customary care, legal custody, and adoption options.
- What to Expect When You're Not Expecting: Report on Kinship Service for Child Welfare Professionals [2021]A report compiled by the Kinship Service Subcommittee (comprised of OACAS and the Association of Native Child and Family Services Agencies of Ontario (ANCFSAO)) that identified gaps in kinship service practices. Note: login to myOACAS required to access.
Tools & Strategies for Family Search & Engagement
- Attempting to Operationalize a Multi-Dimensional Definition of Permanency in Child Welfare Practice: Results From a Demonstration Project [2022]This article argues that there is a strong need for the child welfare system to focus on a multi-dimensional definition of permanency to include relational and physical aspects. The article highlights results from a demonstration project using a Family Finding service model, and emphasizes the need to incorporate relational and Indigenous worldviews.
- Beyond the Search: Supporting Potential Families After Family-Finding Efforts [2021]An article that offers tips on supporting kin caregivers and emphasizes the importance of strong approaches to engaging and supporting possible family connections after they are found.
- Supporting Indigenous Kinship Caregivers [2023]A webinar conducted by Métis Associate Professor, Susan Burke, who presents findings from two research studies done in British Columbia: one involving Indigenous kinship caregivers and the other involving Indigenous Elders.
- Partnering With Relatives to Promote Reunification [2020]A factsheet developed by the Child Welfare Information Gateway that sheds light upon the challenges and nuances that can arise in kinship care arrangements.
- "The Power of Connection"In a webinar series in California for Child Abuse Prevention Month, Kevin Campbell presents "The Power of Connection".
- Lighting the Fire of Urgency: Introduction to Family Finding and Importance of Family Connectedness Part 1From the 2015 Alberta Family Finding Training, Kevin Campbell, the founder of the Center for Family Finding and Youth Connectedness and developer of the Family Finding model, discusses the model and the family finding process.
- Collaborative Family EngagementA tipsheet developed by Waterloo Family and Children's Services that offers tips on engaging with families and youth, moving past barriers, preventing admissions to care, and creating lifelong connections.
Ontario Kinship/Alternate Care Data
Ontario research demonstrates that in 97% of child welfare investigations, children and youth remain at home with their families. Of the 3% of investigations resulting in a change of residence for children and youth, most are placed in kinship service or customary care (2% of investigations), and fewer are placed in kinship care or other placement types (1% of investigations).
Five-year trends in child welfare data show:
- Consistent rates of kinship service placements.
- A decrease in more formalized placements, including kinship care, legal custody agreements following extended society care, and adoption.
These trends fit with child welfare redesign, improvements with family search and engagement, the child welfare sector's 9 Reconciliation Commitments, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action, the One Vision One Voice Race Equity Practices, and legislative obligations.
Data tells us that Indigenous, racialized, and 2SLGBTQ+ children and youth continue to be overrepresented in foster care, requiring the sector to explore systemic racism and oppression and the role it plays in all aspects of the Ontario child welfare system, including placement decisions.
General Kinship/Alternate Care Research
The following sections of the guide offer research conducted by and evaluated by members of the child welfare sector, both within Canada and outside of the Canadian context.
Research shows that broad kin networks are directly linked to better outcomes and positively contribute to the well-being of children and youth in the child welfare system.
Research from Casey Family Programs, the Child Welfare Information Gateway, and another study cites the benefits of kinship placements over other out-of-home care arrangements, including:
- Ongoing connections with a child’s birth family, extended family, siblings, and community—bonds that are essential to well-being
- Emotional and behavioural well-being
- Preservation of cultural identity
- Higher likelihood siblings will remain together
- Placement stability and permanency
Other research conducted speaks on the benefits of kinship placements, such as the following: a research summary of a systemic review of kinship care found that, based on high strength evidence, kinship care shows a positive effect on placement stability as there is a significant link between being placed in kinship care and having fewer placements and less placement disruption.
Similarly, research conducted by PART explores the myths and evidence pertaining to kinship to build awareness of implicit bias in placement decision-making.
Lastly, longitudinal research shows the historical development of kinship care, research on kinship care, and how family life and relations are negotiated and lived in the span between private and public sphere. It includes the perspectives of the children, their parents, and their relatives.
Intersectional Kinship/Alternate Care Research
Note: you have to be authenticated by OACAS’s library databases to access any EBSCO articles. To learn how to be authenticated, you can visit the EBSCOHost research databases guide. If you are an OACAS member and are having difficulty accessing these articles, please reach out to Jessica Mariano, Content & Research Librarian (she/her).
- ‘It's a Family Responsibility’: Family and Cultural Connection for Aboriginal Children in Kinship Care [2014]This article delves into the findings from a research project that included a nested study of Indigenous kinship care. Research participants stressed the imperative for Indigenous children to be connected to family, community and culture. However, survey responses indicated that in many cases, family and cultural connections were not being assisted by cultural support planning.
- “The most challenging aspect of this journey has been dealing with child protection”: Kinship carers’ experiences in Australia [2022]This study aimed to investigate the experiences of kinship carers in caring for their kin children and engaging with services designed to support the kinship placement. Consistent with earlier research, kinship carers reported experiencing financial stressors and significant challenges pertaining to their kin child’s difficulties. An unanticipated finding was the level of stress experienced by kinship carers in relation to their interactions with child protection and other government support services.
- Creating Places of Belonging: Expanding Notions of Permanency with Indigenous Youth in Care [2015]This paper draws on two research studies with urban and off-reserve Indigenous youth to extend understandings of permanency for Indigenous youth. Discussions contrast Western notions of care with Indigenous customary caregiving and cultural planning for cultural permanency, such as naming and coming home ceremonies, custom adoptions, and kinship care.
- First Nations parenting and child reunification: Identifying strengths, barriers, and community needs within the child welfare system [2018]A study and recommendations to improve current service delivery models and create alternative evidence‐based strategies for reunification with parents, families, and First Nations communities. Participants indicated that placing First Nations children and youth with extended family or within home communities facilitate best child outcomes.
“Customary care is an inherent right and practice that predates the evolution of child welfare on Turtle Island
and supersedes jurisdiction. Indigenous worldviews see children and youth at the centre of circles of care.
Our collective work is to prioritize and build meaningful relationships with families, communities, and nations,
honoring them as the experts in kinship and alternate care.”
– Julia Jamieson, FNIM Holistic Practice Director, OACAS
- “We were in White homes as Black children:” Caribbean youth’s stories of out-of-home care in Ontario, Canada [2021]This article reports on narrative interviews conducted with 25 Black Caribbean youth (ages 16–26) who have navigated the child protection system in Ontario, Canada. Themes discussed include transracial placements, adapting to White environments and community visibility; navigating Whiteness and anti-Black racism; and sense of connection with caregivers.
- Aunties, Uncles, Me Maws, and Play Cousins: Exploring Trends in Formal Kinship Care for Black Families in Texas [2022]This study explores Texas state-level data to compare trends of various formal kinship and relative placements. While the data does indicate a shift to increasing use of kinship placements and relative adoptions for Black children, disparities among service provision, and over-surveillance practices for Black relatives and kin individuals persist.
- Former Youth in Care: Kinship Care and Its Potential Impact on Black Families & Cultural Identity in the Child Welfare System [2020]A masters research paper that highlights policies that have been implemented in response to over-represented communities in the child welfare system. There is a strong focus on kinship care and how it is incorporated into policy that seeks to improve the treatment and service for Black families in the Greater Toronto Area.
“The community is a positive social support that promotes healthy coping strategies, endorses cultural connections,
and creates a protective factor against the harmful impacts of anti-Black racism.”
– Keishia Facey, OVOV Program Manager, OACAS
- Strengthening Family Connections and Support for Youth in Foster Care who Identify as LGBTQ : Findings from the PII-RISE Evaluation [2018]This article reports the findings from a model which integrates Wraparound and Family Finding and Engagement with LGBTQ-specific education and support strategies.
- Not all Children are Straight and White: Strategies for Serving Youth of Color in Out-of-Home care who Identify as LGBTQ [2018]This article specifically looks at building upon current best practice standards for serving youth in out-of-home care who identify as LGBTQ by focusing on strategies, developed with input from young people, for ensuring safety and healthy development, promoting well-being, committing to permanency, and fostering agency accountability.
“Family acceptance and support is the number one protective factor for 2SLGBTQ+ youth when it
comes to their mental health, well-being, and positive outcomes. Providing a home which affirms the
sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression of a youth can be lifesaving!”
– Kristin Roe, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lead, OACAS; Jacob Stokl, 2SLGBTQ+ Analyst, OACAS