Kinship care complements federal requirements by providing children with stability and permanency. Kinship care offers a viable option for children who are unable to continue to live at home due to a family crisis such as a parent’s illness, incarceration, lack of housing,
insufficient income, abuse or neglect.
Children in kinship care arrangements experience less trauma, have positive perceptions of their placements, and have fewer behavioral problems than children in foster care. Virginia policy strives to preserve families and requires that family members be considered first when out-of home placements are sought.