Kinship care is the full time care, nurturing and protection of children by relatives, members of their tribes or clans, godparents, stepparents, or any adult who has a kinship bond with a child. This definition is designed to be inclusive and respectful of cultural values and ties of affection. It allows a child to grow to adulthood in a family environment. One of the most recent stunning changes in the child welfare system has been the major growth in the number of children in state custody who are living with their relatives. This shift has been so significant that its importance is fully national in scope.

The child welfare system explains the rapid growth in foster care by the above attributing factors. Kinship care has become the solution for many children who become known to the child welfare system. It's estimated that approximately 200,000 children, about one-third of all children in foster care, are living with relatives (US Dept. of Health and Human Services: Report to the Congress on Kinship Foster Care. June 2000); According to 2000 U.S. Census more than 2 million grandparents are raising 4.5 million children and other relatives are raising an additional 1.5 million children.

[Child Welfare League of America - http://www.cwla.org/programs/kinship/kinshipaboutpage.htm]

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