May is National Foster Care Month—a time to celebrate the unwavering dedication of foster parents and acknowledge the invaluable role kinship caregivers play in the lives of children and families within the child welfare system. Kinship care is when a child is raised by relatives or close family friends instead of entering traditional foster care. It includes two main types: relative kinship, where caregivers are blood relatives (like grandparents, aunts, or older siblings), and fictive kinship, where caregivers are trusted family friends or community members who have a connection with the child but are not biologically related.
Kinship families are so valuable within the child welfare system, because it allows children a sense of stability by being taken care of by people that they already have a connection with. When a child is removed from their parents’ care, their world is turned upside down. Kinship families help preserve a sense of stability by allowing the child to stay in a familiar environment or with someone they already know and trust. Modern child welfare systems now recognize kinship placements as a best practice, as they help maintain children’s cultural identity, emotional bonds, and a sense of belonging.
Kinship caregivers step up—often with little notice—to provide stability and love during times of crisis. National Foster Care Month honors their strength, resilience, and the vital role they play in keeping families together.
To support these dedicated families, One Accord for Kids offers Foster Parent Night Out—an evening of free childcare provided by local churches for foster, adoptive, and kinship families. This initiative gives caregivers a much-needed opportunity to rest and recharge, knowing their children are being cared for by safe and trusted adults. The mission behind FPNO is to help provide support to kinship families so that they know that they are valued and supported by their community.