Evaluating Services for Kinship Care Families: A Systematic Review

Ching-Hsuan Lin

Children and Youth Services Review, 2014, vol. 36, issue C, 32-41

Abstract: Despite their needs, kinship care families receive less support and fewer resources than other foster care families. This study systematically reviews thirteen studies that evaluated services and programs for kinship caregivers and children. Studies evaluating the effectiveness of the Kinship Navigator Program, financial assistance, support services, and training/educational programs were identified and reviewed. The Levels of Evidence-Based Intervention Effectiveness (LEBIE) scale was used to evaluate the research designs. The findings indicate that although positive results are shown for enhanced well-being and permanency outcomes of children and kinship caregivers, the rigor of the research designs are low, making it difficult to draw any firm conclusions about the effectiveness of these programs. Recommendations for child welfare practice and future research include the need to develop services for informal caregivers and particular racial/ethnic groups. In addition, more rigorous research designs and qualitative research should be conducted to support the effectiveness or social validity of the services and to inform evidence-based practice.

Keywords: Kinship care; Foster care service; Kinship Navigator Program; Support group; Systematic review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:36:y:2014:i:c:p:32-41

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2013.10.026

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