Summarizes the findings of the Kinship Care Project, a series of research projects, roundtable presentations, and monographs exploring the legislative policy framework in which kinship placements are made and also the needs of grandparents providing kinship care in Michigan. The overview covers different care-giving options, including informal kinship care, kinship foster care, and traditional foster care; grandparents’ health status and legal status in court; respite care for and financial assistance to grandparents; kinship care training for child welfare workers that involves assessing extended family relationships, empowering family members to make permanency planning decisions, and providing services to the triad of child, parent, and caregiver; and kinship care policies as reflected in U.S. law, court decisions, and policies and practices in neighboring Ohio and Illinois. Recommendations include securing quality day care if the older adult is working outside of the home as well as respite care for caregivers to reduce stress and exhaustion, providing affordable and accessible counseling services for both child and caregiver, addressing the financial needs of grandparents through higher reimbursements and low-cost legal services, and developing and offering training for kinship care providers as well as establishing an information and referral network.
