This state Dashboard Report shows that kinship foster care increased from 35.8% of days in care to 58.5% since 2014. The federal goal is 37.5%.
When metrics stray this far from expectations we look deeper. In this case we have heard concerns about workers being pressured to move children to questionable kinship settings, including by disrupting stable foster placements.
We don’t have regular reports or quality reviews to know if these anecdotal accounts are part of a pattern, nor do we know for certain what practices counties are emphasizing.
Placing children with relatives can keep them in their communities and free up scarce foster homes.
But we need better data and more transparency around counties’ kinship policies to tell if institutional goals are being prioritized over the interests of children.