More than 2.4 million children across the United States are being raised in grandfamilies (also known as kinship families). These families are formed when grandparents, other relatives, or close family friends step in temporarily or long-term to raise children when their parents are unable to do so. Grandparents and other kin play a key role in achieving permanency for children who cannot return to their parents’ care, including children in foster care. Of all children who exited foster care to adoption in 2022, 33% were adopted by a relative. An additional 11% of children exiting foster care did so through guardianship.
When children cannot safely remain with their parents, research shows they do best in the care of relatives or close family friends. Children in kinship foster care experience better outcomes than those placed with non-relative foster families, including greater stability, higher rates of permanency, improved mental and behavioral health, and stronger academic performance. Recognizing the value of these outcomes, child welfare systems are increasingly identifying relatives to care for children who enter the foster care system. Nationally, the percentage of children in foster care with relatives rose from 25% in 2007 to 39% in 2024. These figures underscore the crucial role kinship caregivers will continue to play in helping children secure stable, permanent homes.
The Administration for Children and Families’ A Home for Every Child initiative continues the important trend of prioritizing kin placements for children in foster care. This context provides a key opportunity to offer post-permanency services and policy solutions that support permanent homes for children through kinship adoption and guardianship.