Training

Webinar Recording – Adoption vs Guardianship for Children in Kinship Foster Care: Making Informed Decisions

Adoption and Guardianship Webinar Slides

When children in kinship foster care are ready to exit the system to permanent families with relatives, the families need to decide whether to adopt or secure guardianship of the child. The laws that determine how adoption and guardianship are granted and what each option entails are developed at the state and tribal levels. As a result, the intricacies of obtaining these relationships and the benefits of each differ across the country.

It is important that caseworkers, relative caregivers, older children and their birth parents understand the two options and determine, based on all the information, what is best for their particular child and family. This webinar provides information about each option, how they differ and trends in state laws as they impact these options. It highlights a new resource from Generations United created with support from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and other state-specific tools for helping families.