Empowering Families During Kinship Awareness Month
Kinship Care Awareness Month is observed every September, shining such an important spotlight on the lived experiences of kinship caregivers and their ongoing commitment to children in need.
The child welfare system increasingly recognizes the benefits of kinship arrangements. When children are placed with relatives or fictive kin (trusted family friends who may not be blood-related), they experience less disruption and trauma than if placed with strangers in foster care. By keeping kids connected to their families, culture, and community ties, kinship care offers stability that allows children to thrive even during uncertain times.
What is National Kinship Care Month
Every September, we celebrate National Kinship Care Month—a time to honor the tireless devotion of kinship caregivers and to raise awareness of the challenges they face. This national recognition helps break down stigma, reminding the public that kinship families area cornerstone of the child welfare system.September is Kinship Care Month, and during this time, advocates, communities, and organizations come together to:
- Share stories of kinship caregivers and their lived experiences.
- Promote policies that provide resources and financial assistance.
- Strengthen partnerships between government departments, nonprofits, and local networks.
- Encourage people to join efforts to support families who step in during crises.
Recognizing National Kinship Awareness represents a plan for building a system that prioritizes safety, belonging, and permanency for children.
The Importance of Supporting Kinship Families
While deeply rewarding, caring for grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or children of close family friends comes with unique challenges. Many kinship caregivers step into this role unexpectedly, without preparation or financial resources. Unlike traditional foster parents, who often receive training and structured support, kinship families are sometimes left to navigate the system alone.
Providing resources that support kinship families, like financial assistance, access to healthcare, trauma counseling, and legal aid, is crucial to ensuring both stability and long-term permanency for children. Without these supports, many caregivers struggle to balance raising children with their own health, finances, and responsibilities.
When we recognize the importance of kinship families, we also acknowledge that keeping children with their loved ones reduces the number entering foster care. Every effort to strengthen these families directly improves the wellbeing and stability of kids in the child welfare system.
The Role of Kinship Caregivers
The heart of kinship care lies in the people who make it possible: the caregivers themselves. These are family members and friends who often rearrange their lives overnight to step in when children are separated from their parents.
- Aunts and uncles may adjust their households to welcome nieces and nephews.
- Other relatives or even family friends—sometimes called fictive kin—may step forward to offer safety and love when no one else can.
The role is deeply rewarding, but also complex. Kinship caregivers often navigate issues of trauma, custody, and legal responsibility while balancing their own health and daily needs. Many express a profound sense of honor in keeping children connected to their roots, but they also stress the need for additional resources and ongoing support from both the child welfare system and the community.
Family Services and Community Support
To ensure positive outcomes for youth, we must expand family services tailored to kinship families. Programs like counseling, education, and peer support networks can provide kinship caregivers with tools to manage trauma, address behavior challenges, and strengthen cultural identity for children.
These services are critical not only for immediate stability but also for long-term success. With the right resources, kinship caregivers can foster a deep sense of belonging, helping children maintain ties to their communities and even their tribes when applicable.
In states like Virginia, pilot programs have been created to expand kinship navigator services, connecting families with legal aid, healthcare, and educational support. Expanding such models across the country would be a powerful step in ensuring that every kinship caregiver has access to the tools they need.
Conclusion
Together, we can strengthen the network of care that helps kids grow into healthy, confident adults. This September and beyond, let’s uplift kinship families, share their stories, and continue working toward a brighter future for all children in the child welfare system.
As we honor National Kinship Care Month, we must commit to recognizing kinship caregivers not just in September, but year-round. Supporting them through policy, family services, and community outreach is an ongoing commitment—one that ensures children, youth, and families across the nation can experience permanency, safety, and a true sense of belonging.
