Kinship Care allows children to live with people they know and trust, creating a sense of stability and continuity in a child’s life.  Children maintain their ties to family and their community and lessen the trauma or separation from parents. 

Working with Protective Services, Kinship caregivers will receive support in areas such as education, medical care, and possible financial assistance (depending on eligibility guidelines).  Protective Services will work with birth parents and engage all parties to help stabilize family situations and assure the children’s safety while preserving and strengthening family relationships, family identity, culture and ethnicity.

When necessary, Kinship caregivers help ensure long-term permanency for children who are unable to return home.  Many Kinship caregivers choose to adopt or become permanent guardians of children in their care when reunification is not possible.