[EDITOR’S NOTE: At the request of the involved individuals, names have been changed to protect anonymity.]
Kinship Care In Real Life
Imagine going about your day when suddenly, there’s a knock at the door. When you open it, you see two people – one a resource parent with the state foster care system, and the other your grandson. This is the scenario Ms. G found herself in one day when a resource parent whose home was suddenly being closed came and dropped her grandson, D, at her door.
Naturally, Ms. G did not hesitate – “That’s my baby, he’s funny, he’s smart – he’s my grandson!” – but of course, taking in a teenager does not come without its challenges. When she learned about the home closure and understood that D was in foster care, she began taking the steps needed to get the support her grandson deserved.
Kinship care is the now-preferred model of foster care that the state has adopted. Essentially, the kinship care model means that DCF wants to place kids with family members whenever possible, instead of into a resource home with a random stranger. While studies have shown this to be effective, there are some hurdles to getting family involved.
For Ms. G, though, she was ready to fight for what she needed- and she did. “It felt awesome.” Though she described her anger at finding herself and her grandson caught up in the system, now that she was sitting on the other end of it, she said, “Overall, it felt great.”
Kinship care is a valuable and important part of creating more positive outcomes for youth in foster care. For National Kinship Care Month, we wanted to show exactly why kinship care has become such a priority for states across the nation – and Ms. G and her grandson highlight how hard families can fight to make sure they’re reunited.
In closing, Ms. G had some words of encouragement to others who find their relatives in the foster care system:
“Go get’em. Don’t stop trying. Don’t give up. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. If it means something to you, don’t give up.”
To all the kinship parents out there, thank you for all that you do!