General Foster Care Resources

This report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation explores the practice of "kinship diversion" in which children are placed with relatives as an alternative to foster care.  Different perspectives about whether kinship diversion is a good or bad practice are offered.  The report concludes that child welfare agencies should more thoroughly explore their kinship diversion practices to ensure they adequately meet the needs of children, their parents and kinship caregivers (2013).

This Annie E. Casey Foundation KIDS COUNT policy report underscores a simple fact about childhood: Family matters. Yet, today in America, 57,000 children are still living in group placements. Readers will learn about limiting the role of residential treatment care to its intended purpose and how state and local leaders can work together to enhance family-oriented services and supports (2015). 

This Annie E. Casey Report identifies three major themes for engaging and empowering foster parents: ensuring quality caregiving for children; forging strong relationships; and, finding and keeping more amazing caregivers (2016).

National Center for Youth Law 50-state permanency policy analysis. This brief explores the diversity of state policies and practices aimed at supporting teens’ need for a permanent connection to a family. Recommendations are aimed at helping child welfare agencies use a variety of strategies to achieve permanency for teens, with an emphasis on the use of kinship families.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s recently released a five-part video training series, featuring internationally respected kinship care expert, Dr. Joseph Crumbley, to strengthen the skills of child welfare professionals in supporting families to improve outcomes for children. The video training series includes a discussion guide to help program directors, supervisors and trainers lead group sessions to deepen the learning experience.