Abstract
Kinship foster care has increasingly become the first line of support in child removal cases. Case managers, kinship foster caregivers, and foster parents have perspectives that can inform and enhance services for families and children. The authors investigated the lived experiences of 18 families by conducting 38 qualitative interviews with 20 case managers, 10 kinship foster caregivers, and 8 foster parents. These participants reflected on five themes: starting points for placement, perceptions of and motivations for kinship foster caregiving (e.g., placement considerations, risks in kinship foster caregiving arrangements), informational support (e.g., opportunities, hurdles), barriers and challenges related to support (e.g., financial and instrumental support, child care, respite care), and access to improved social and professional support. The authors describe study limitations, implications for practice, and conclusions.
