Supporting Kin and Strengthening Families: Using Participatory Qualitative Research Methods to Identify a Kinship Practice Model

Background: Kinship care is increasingly the preference in child welfare policy and practice. A “kin-first” approach prioritizes placements with relatives/kin, maintains family-child connections, and tailors services to support kin caregivers (ABA, 2017). This shift to a “kin-first” model aligns with research demonstrating positive outcomes for children in relative/kin placements, including fewer behavioral problems (Rubin, et al. 2008) and increased placement stability (Akin, et al. 2011). Despite growing research into the benefits of kinship care, little research is available on policy and practice that effectively support kin caregivers. This study sought to: 1) describe the importance of developing a kinship model, 2) identify key components of a kinship model, and 3) explain how a kinship model supports families and kin caregivers.

Methods: Within a larger, five-year federal project to support kinship caregiving, promote collaborative parenting, and create systemic change, data were collected during a Steering Committee meeting. Members of the Committee include lived experts, community-based organizations, and administrators from multiple public and private child welfare agencies (N=25). In brainstorming a statewide kinship model, participants described kinship needs under categories, which included building a kin-first culture, engaging families, accessing resources, and creating kinship-responsive practice. Researchers compiled the data and used thematic analysis to identify patterns and themes. Trustworthiness and rigor were increased through the use of multiple coders, peer debriefing, and member checking.

Results: Our results indicated a kinship model integrates and evaluates kin-first culture across four tiers: 1) values and beliefs, 2) state and agency policy and practice, 3) networks of community-based supports, and 4) prevention and support services for families and kin. In conceptualizing the model, participants described existing programs and solutions for kinship support, as well as areas of deficiency. Identified strengths include kinship-specific workers and enhanced family finding initiatives, while opportunities existed for reducing removals related to truancy and youth behavioral challenges and addressing gaps in access to behavioral health and therapeutic services. Once the model was established, Committee members outlined priorities for supporting kinship families and proposed collective action steps. Committee members identified leverage points related to prevention, placement, and system navigation. Committee members shared that it was important to take action to streamline prevention services for families, educate court and legal partners on assessment and prevention conversation tools, introduce kinship firewalls, and provide timely resources and answers for kinship families.

Conclusions: This study used a participatory, qualitative approach to identify a kinship model, highlighting the importance of a holistic approach to “kin-first” care and prioritization. These four levels of support, while distinct, were also interrelated, and the kinship model therefore demonstrated the overlap, parallels, and connections between the group’s values and beliefs, state and agency policy and practice, community-based supports, and targeted support for families and kin. While prioritization of kin is integrated into stated values and beliefs and woven into policy, a meaningful and authentic “kin-first” practice model underscores the importance of a community-wide investment in families and kinship caregivers and addresses the invisible yet pervasive preference towards child saving.