Kinship care, where children are raised by extended family instead of parents, is a growing practice. Kinship caregivers face challenges including lack of financial support, legal ambiguity, and stress. They have greater needs for parenting skills, health resources, and emotional support compared to non-kinship foster care. Children raised in kinship care are at risk for behavioral, academic, and emotional issues stemming from their family situations, but may benefit from greater family connection and stability compared to non-kin foster care. Effective support strategies include support groups, education programs, and ensuring kinship caregivers' needs are met separately from children's supervision needs.

1. Literature review Prof. Francisco Guillen Grima

2. Search Databases 1998-2010 MEDLINE, Web of Science, Current Contents Connect PsycINFO Scholar google

3. Keywords “ family”, “foster home care”, “kinship”, “parenting”, “ education”, “child”, “teen”, “adolescent”, “young”, “drug”, “ alcohol”, “risk”, or “prevention”

4. Definitions Family members, other than parents, raising children full-time Family members, other than parents, who are primary carers for extended periods.

5. Magnitud of the Problem USA 3,8% 2.8 millions Australia 1% UK 100 000 children Spain 11 000 families

6. General Findings Minority groups Problems Health Problems Drug related problems Prevalence of Drug abuse in Parents

7. General Findings Not eligible for the payments and support services available legal rights are often ambiguous and difficult to enforce

8. Minority groups grandparent care giving is particularly high in inner cities, estimated 30%- 50%

9. Problems Kinship Carers Depression social isolation poverty

10. Health Problems Women caring for non-ill children 21h/week - 9h/wk have more risk of coronary heart disease (Lee, 2003)

11. Health Problems (2) Kinship carers appear to take less care of their own health. Grandmothers raising a grandchild are less likely to report influenza vaccination and cholesterol screening. (Baker 2008)

12. Drug Problems Parenting a grandchild & the parenthood of a drug abuser produces stress and distress

13. Prevalence of drug abuse Australia 52 % of abusive parents were known to misuse substances. USA: 72 % Kinship carers due to maternal substance abuse [Patton, 2003]

14. Effect parents drug use on children Infants with foetal substance abuse high risk health problems Mothers more punitive affecting kids self-esteem. ↑ risk of abuse Exposure to hostile environments (drug dealing, prostitution, criminal activities)

15. KINSHIP CARE PROVIDERS’ NEEDS AND ALCOHOL AND DRUGS PROBLEMS OF THEIR CHILDREN

16. The Needs of Kinship Carers General needs Health Parental skills

17. General Needs of Kinship carers Kinship families have less resources, receive less training, services, and support. kinship families are less qualified

18. Health of Kinship carers Grandmothers who reported fewer resources, less social support, and poorer physical health experience higher levels of psychological distress. (Kelley SJ, 2000). relationship between burden (family conflict, behaviour management of children, and negative interactions social services) and emotional distress.

19. Parenting Skills older kin families are smaller, lower income, and include adoptive mothers with less education. would benefit from preadoption & post-adoption services to assist them grandmothers more difficulties when caring for boys & white Kinship carers receive less supervision and fewer services than non-kin carers.

20. NEEDS OF CHILDREN RAISED IN KINSHIP CARE

21. The need of children raised in Kinhsip Care. Maltreated Children Behaviour School/Academic functioning Meaning family & care giving: Children in foster care and Kinship Care.

22. Maltreated Children especially advisable (Geen, 2004; Leos- Urbel and Geen, 2002; Testa, 2001), no advantage (Lawler, 2008)

23. Behaviour importance of children developmental stages younger children living w Grandmothers comparable other children (Pittman and Boswell, 2005). young adolescents living w custodial grandmothers more problematic behaviours;

24. School/Academic functioning children in out-of-home care are at risk for short and long term school failure children in kinship care greater difficulties school than children in general

25. Meaning of family and care giving: children in foster care and kinship care studies rarely include assessment of children’s feelings and thoughts regarding their foster placements (Berrick, Frasch and Fox, 2000). If kinship carers & parents have good relations child is more socially integrated. keeping children within their extended family reduces stigma and trauma of separation from parents. Children were happy to be in care of their grandparents and y loved and trustedthem .

26. Helping Custodial grandparents to raise healthy children

27. Needs of kisnhip carers initial stages Beds Food clothing Ongoing needs information regarding case progress and system procedures day care counselling for the child.

28. Policies and their application: civil services and school . (Context) It’s difficult to find information on existing programs lack of legal rights fear of the child welfare system disparities between informal &formal kinship care policies

29. Policies and their application: civil services and school . Emotional needs of grandchildren: Emotional needs of grandparents Financial support issues Legal issues Transitions and reorganisation (Mayer, 2002

30. Emotional needs of grand children Support groups & mental health resoureces Drug & alcohol education Intergenerational activities Mentoring programs Training for social workers.

31. Emotional needs grand parents school psychologists should have helpful information about the available resources in the community Information on before and after-school activities on (grand)parenting extra time for grandparent/teacher conferences services &support to enhance their parental role

32. Legal issues care of their grandchildren informally, formally, through legal custody, guardianship, adoption or by becoming a foster parent.

33. Financial support issues: Information about financial assistance Many kinship care families do not know that they are eligible for it. Information and advice in order to get additional money

34. Transitions and reorganisation Parenting classes Encourage to seek help &resources beyond the family unit Counselling first aid in stabilizing the family system early

35. Successful strategies (1) Support groups including the school system as one of the ways to improve the kinship care families’ support

36. Successful strategies (2) intergenerational school-based intervention Carers participate in support groups and case management services children participate in tutoring, mentoring and counselling, advocacy and resources procurement

37. Successful strategies (3) New Technologies Kinship Support Network (KSN) CD_ROM

38. Key findings

39. Key findings (1)  kinship placements. Advantage achievement permanency & improved well-being. poorer & less educated. receive less supervision & services psychological distress

40. Key findings (2) pre-adoption and post-adoption services lack of legal rights practical difficulties (eg. school, medical care). children less mental problems. KC advisable for maltreated children

41. Key findings (3) KC protective effect on the early behavioural outcomes for children entering out-of-home care. reduces stigma & trauma of separation from parents. more stable adolescents less mental problem.

42. Key Findings Children‘s services should separate a carer´s need for support (money and services) from a child´s need for supervision (casework oversight). It`s difficult for Grandparents finding information on existing programs especially during a family crisis.