Kinship Families
family comes in many formsWhat is Kinship?
Learn what it meansKinship Parents are those family members who care for children that are related to them, but not their own children. Fictive Kin are a subset of kinship parents such as friends, neighbors, teachers, etc. who step in to care for a child they know on a full time basis. Sometimes these families are also licensed foster families and sometimes they are not.
Kinship Foster Parents are licensed to care for kids in the foster care system who have been removed from their biological family for a period of time. The first goal of foster care is to see the biological family reunited, but foster parents occasionally choose to adopt if reunification efforts are not possible.
Why Kinship?
better outcomes for kids- Kinship placements helps maintain a child's family connections and history fostering stronger lifetime attachments.
- Virginia’s child welfare system is not designed to address the needs of informal kinship arrangements and they also need support.
- Kids in kinship placements tend to have better outcomes as adults.
Formal vs. Informal Kinship
Informal Kinship arrangements continue to growFormal kinship arrangements usually involve local child welfare, the courts, and may be eligible for financial support. There are approximately 1,200 kids currently registered with with Virginia's child welfare system as kinship or relative foster parents.
Informal kinship arrangements happen within families when a grandparent or other relative becomes a guardian of a child but the process usually does not involve child welfare. These arrangements are not often eligible for government financial support. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, 67,000 kids are in informal kinship arrangements in Virginia.
GET CONNECTED
NO ONE SHOULD FOSTER ALONERaising someone else's child is hard! No one should try to do it without a strong community of support. VKB Connected Communities are designed to help you find the resources you need on your journey.
EVERY KINSHIP PARENT needs a group of caring adults to support your efforts.
VKB works with faith communities and other local groups to provide WRAP care which include basic support and respite opportunities. In addition, we encourage every parent to have their own team and seek out other support groups, nonprofits and agency opportunities.
VKB offers a great resource, "Build Your Village" to help you plan for your support needs.
Remember it's OKAY to ask for help!
Helpful Links
Find the Information You Needcommunity resources
VKB provides educational resources to help kinship parents serve their kids in the best possible way. Whether you want to understand what a text abbreviation means or need to know who to call for help, this curated content is designed with you in mind.
stable communities fund
In 2024, VKB established this fund through a generous grant to assist foster & kinship families (formal or informal) to support safe, stable placements for kids in care. Requests are considered by referral from a VKB faith community, partner nonprofit, or social services agency.
Supportive Connections
VKB is a referral partner to several service providers in our Connected Communities for both tangible and intangible needs. Each partner offers different resources and we love to make referrals. Please ask!
foster friendly app
The Foster Friendly App helps kinship families experience the support of their local community. This growing App highlights local businesses offering discounts to active kinship parents, support group information and trauma-informed faith communities. Download the App on your preferred platform.