Kinship Diversion Resources

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released its third brief in a five-part series  - Family Ties: Analysis from a State-By-State Survey of Kinship Care Policies - based on survey data collected in 2022 for the AECF by Child Trends.  This brief,  New Insights on State Kinship Diversion Policies, examines survey data related to state’s policies for creating, overseeing and tracking diversion arrangements and the resources made available for children and kinship caregivers in diversion arrangements.

Child Trends brief that uses field work, stakeholder interviews, administrative data reviews, and a digital survey tool to examine the use of kinship diversion across child welfare agencies. It finds that while kinship diversion is the most common out-of-home placement, few child welfare jurisdictions collect data on diversion, making it challenging to gauge its effectiveness or understand the experiences of the children involved. Recommendations include clear practice guidelines and collection of accurate, consistent, child-level information.

Article by Ali Caliendo from First Focus' Big Ideas 2023 that examines various out-of-home kinship care arrangements and the different issues they present. The article argues that a development of a standardized framework to discuss kinship care is long overdue in the child welfare field in the context of child welfare policy and practice. Recommendations include requiring child welfare systems to collect and report data based on the universal nonparental family types touching the child welfare system; requiring states to outline how kinship care will be used as part of a state FFPSA prevention plan; further delinking kinship resources from foster care status, and recognizing the need for independent kinship navigator programs.

2023 Casey Family Programs brief describing hidden foster care and issues related to its practice. The brief lists 3 prinicples of best practice: support to the child is central for safety and permanency; parents have a right to due process and quality representation; and caregivers need support and resources to safely care for children.

2023 ABA Journal article by Amanda Robert examining "shadow" or "hidden" foster care, and following one family's experience navigating the system.