Kinship Care Permanency Services

What is kinship care?

Kinship care is the raising of children by grandparents, other extended family members, and adults with whom they have a close family-like relationship such as godparents and close family friends because biological parents are unable to do so for whatever reason.

 Fundamentally, Kinship Care is Foster Care, as applicable regulations and accreditation standards are virtually the same. Program objectives are to help the child and his/her kinship caregivers, biological/legal parents, if available, and extended kinship family, work through the problems that made relative placement necessary, and facilitate successful reunification if possible. Should return home to parents not be feasible for the child, determining and working out the best permanency plan possible for all involved becomes the objective.

Pinebrook Family Answers Kinship Care Permanency services are designed to achieve the agreed upon permanency goals through the provision of the following services:

• strength-based, full-family engagement;
• placement supervision;
• safety assessments;
• casework counseling and case management;
• frequent and facilitated visitation of kinship children with biological/legal parents and/or significant other kin.

Potential kinship caregivers are considered after they have met with and have applied to the local County Office of Children and Youth Service agency to care for a child of a relative or significant other, and are willing to be assessed through a home study process to meet the requirements of kinship caregivers as defined by the Commonwealth of PA. Following completion of the necessary home study process and all other mandated requirements, the potential kinship caregivers are recommended for approval and the final decision regarding placement of the child will be made by the County Office of Children and Youth Services agency.

If you are interested in learning more about kinship permanency services, please call Pinebrook Family Answers at 610-432-3919 or email Rosemary Polon, Director of Placement, at .