Is Kinship Care Better for Younger or Older Children? an Examination of Children's Age Entering Kinship Care in Taiwan

Background/Purpose:

In Taiwan in 2023, only 6% of children in out-of-home care were in kinship care, compared to 35% in foster families and 49% in residential institutions. Despite efforts by child welfare practitioners to find suitable caregivers, a practical question was raised: Is kinship care preferable for younger children or older adolescents? Research on this inquiry is needed because placement disruptions sometimes happen in kinship care when the child turns to adolescence, suggesting that the age of children entering kinship care may matter. However, there is yet no evidence in Taiwan, and evaluations of the benefits of kinship care conducted in other countries have revealed mixed findings across age groups. This study aims to involve Taiwanese formal kinship caregivers’ voices to (1) examine caregivers’ parenting stress and perceived social support by children’s age entering kinship care, and (2) explore their caregiving experiences with children or adolescents.

Methods:

This study applied a mixed-methods approach. A survey involving 98 formal kinship caregivers in Taiwan collected data on caregivers’ demographics, caregiving needs, parenting stress, and perceived social support. Further in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 kinship caregivers, focusing on kinship caregivers’ caregiving experiences, including intention, adaptation, service needs, and future planning. The survey data were analyzed using t-tests, Chi-square, and multiple regression. Thematic analysis was employed for the interview data. Two groups (85% younger children vs. 15% older children) were further compared based on the child’s age threshold of 12 upon entry into kinship care.

Results:

Quantitative analyses reveal that the age at which children enter kinship care is related to caregiving experiences. Caregivers of children entering care at an older age reported higher levels of parenting stress but lower levels of informal support and social participation, compared to those of children entering care at a younger age. Although it remains unclear whether kinship care is preferable for younger or older children, another finding suggests that caregivers reported lower levels of parenting stress with longer duration of kinship care, regardless of children's entry age. Qualitative analyses further provide thematic interpretations. Older children may not be preferred because kinship caregivers consider caring for teenagers during their rebellious years to be challenging, and older children may present issues regarding previous placement experiences. But caregivers, who have been caring for children from a young age, have developed positive interactions without encountering parenting-related issues. Instead, they express more concern about the older children’s future planning.

Conclusions/Implications:

The findings inform implications for kinship care practice in Taiwan. First, regardless of children's age, kinship caregiving requires public assistance and informal support to ensure that this primary option for children entering the system is fully backed. Second, older children entering kinship care have experienced complex trauma and multiple placements. Caregiving can be challenging and require additional public services, such as respite care and trauma-informed parenting training respite care. Lastly, case planning for younger children in kinship care should stress on placement stability to prolong the duration of care, while planning for older children should be more future-oriented.