Abstract

Relative and Kinship Care - Enabling Families to Support their Children.

Author(s)

Laura Breslin -The Benevolent Society

Ms Paula Hayden -Consultant

This poster outlines the innovative, evidence based relative and kinship care practice framework being implemented by The Benevolent Society (TBS).

Kinship care is increasingly being used as a placement option for children who can't live with their birth parents.  Effective kinship care practice can enable families to care for their own children. It can minimise the need for children to be placed with strangers and reduce our reliance on a decreasing pool of foster carers.

Currently statutory kinship care is located in the NSW general foster care system, kinship care practice is piece meal and carers and children are often left without necessary services and support.

In January 2009 TBS began the implementation of a large state-wide Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) program. The program provides a continuum of care comprising general foster care, relative and kinship care, wraparound support and a family preservation service.

Early in the program's development, TBS recognised that a different approach was required to support kinship care families and that models of practice designed to support general foster carers would not necessarily be appropriate. Whilst they share some similarities, there are significant differences between general foster carers and kinship carers.

TBS embarked on a study to develop a kinship care practice model.  The research placed the voices of carers at the centre and TBS worked in partnership with the Aboriginal Child, Family and Community Care State Secretariat (NSW).

This poster looks at the findings from this research and how this is informing OOHC practice at TBS.