What is KinshipSC?
Kinship SC serves kinship care families across South Carolina by providing information and resources and services for caregivers and the children they are raising.
The use of kinship caregivers for out-of-home placement for children is the preferred practice in child welfare. The primary purpose of placing a child with a kinship caregiver is to maintain a child’s familial, cultural, and community ties, to provide safety and stability, and to enable a child to live in the least restrictive environment. Most welfare professionals agree that placing children with appropriate kin fare far better in kinship care than they do in foster care. Compared to children in the general foster care population, kids in kinship care tend to be:
- better able to adjust to their new environment;
- less likely to experience school disruptions;
- less likely to experience behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders; and
- more stable — they move less than kids in nonfamily foster care settings.
KinshipSC seeks to promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of children that live in kinship care, and ensure that caregivers have the support they need to meet the child’s physical, social, emotional, financial, and basic needs. It is critical that caregivers have access to a variety of support and are connected with appropriate community resources to keep children healthy and happy.
- 57,000 (5%) children live with a relative with no parent present.
- 34,710 (12.5%) children under 18 live in homes where householders are grandparents or other relatives.
- 109,924 (10.2%) of these children live with grandparents.
- 24,787 (2.3%) of these children live with other relatives.
Source: https://www.aecf.org/blog/what-is-kinship-care/
For more information, or to learn more about services you may be eligible for as a kinship care provider, contact us at 1-854-444-3716.
KinshipSC is a collaboration between HALOS and SC Department of Social Services.
