Kinship care is full-time care of a child by relatives or close family friends, known as fictive kin. It is used when children cannot remain with their parents, either voluntarily or by court order.
Two Types of Kinship Placements:
Kinship care provides children with greater stability, consistent and familiar care, and strengthened family connections. Living with relatives supports a sense of permanency, safety, and overall well‑being, while helping preserve the family’s culture, values, traditions, and community ties.
Benefits of kinship care include:
Common challenges for kinship caregivers include:
Virginia has implemented the Washington State Kinship Navigator Program model. This kinship navigator model is evidence-based and trauma-informed. The model provides two levels of services based on the needs of the family and funding for concrete supports for those who qualify. The initial intake identifies the level of services needed that would be most helpful to the family. Caregivers are then referred for one of the two levels of service:
Information and Referral:
The first level of service is information assistance and referral. This is provided when the caregiver’s needs can be met through a referral or information provided such as providing a phone number or service referral. The kinship navigator provides one-time assistance to the caregiver to educate them about resources available in their community.
Case Management:
The second level of services is case management. Case management is provided when the caregivers demonstrate a higher level of need and support. The kinship navigator completes a kinship caregiver needs assessment to identify areas of need and establish concrete and achievable goals. The kinship navigator can provide case management services to the caregiver for up to six months.
Virginia is excited to have trained ten kinship navigators in the Washington State model. The sites are listed below along with the counties served:
