About Us
MO KIN-4-KID Mission
Raising a child is hard. Raising a child that is not your own can be even more challenging.
The Missouri Kinship Navigator Program (MO KIN-4-KID) is a statewide program that assists kinship caregivers in learning about, finding, and using available programs and services to meet the needs of the children they are raising, and their own needs. The program promotes effective partnerships among public and private agencies to ensure all kinship families in Missouri have equitable access to supportive services.
- To assure kinship caregivers they are not alone. This program strives to connect kinship families to services and to each other in meaningful ways to build relationships and positive support networks.
- To build safety and stability in kinship homes by providing resources and supports to promote physical, emotional, mental, legal, and financial stability. We believe fewer disruptions in the home can lead to more long-term successful outcomes for children and families.
- To empower kinship caregivers, whether formally involved with the child welfare system or in informal arrangements, to advocate for the general health, well-being, and safety of the children in their care.
We serve individuals who provide kinship care to a child regardless of the child’s foster care or custody status, or the caregiver’s age, income level, or relationship to the child.
What is kinship care?
Kinship care is an arrangement where family members or friends provide full-time care, nurturing, and protection for children when the parents are unable due to their absence in the child’s life or incapacity. Children may be in a short- or long-term kinship care arrangement depending on the biological parents’ circumstances.
Formal: A mandated arrangement through the child welfare system/court when the child is in state custody.
Informal: A private arrangement between the parent(s) and the kinship caregiver or through a safety plan when the child is not in state custody.
Who are kinship caregivers?
Kinship caregivers can be a stepparent, grandparent/great-grandparent, aunt/uncle, cousin, sibling, godparent, family friend, neighbor, or other non-relative loved one who has a bond with the child.
MO KIN-4-KID is led by the Missouri Department of Social Services Children’s Division and is made up of five organizations listed below. Together, we work to provide individualized support for kinship caregivers and the children in their care.
Streamlined Service
We strive to provide kinship caregivers direct connections to resources they need for health, safety, and stability for their whole family.
Removal of Barriers
We believe all kinship caregivers deserve equitable access to services for their family and work to remove barriers they may be encountering in accessing needed services.
Listening Support
We recognize the emotional toll it takes to raise a child unexpectedly. We offer a warm supportive presence and listening ear. We walk alongside kinship caregivers to help them work through the issues that arise and take steps toward meaningful solutions.
About Kinship Care
Click the photos below to watch videos about kinship care, resources available through the MO KIN-4-KID program, and how trauma impacts children.
Learn about kinship care, why it is needed, the types of kinship care, and the benefits children receive from being in kinship care when they cannot live with their parents.
Fact Sheet
Trauma is when we experience very upsetting events that are hard to cope with. Learn how trauma impacts children, how to help them, and ways to cope if you've experienced trauma.
Fact Sheet
Learn about resources available to kinship families in Missouri through the MO KIN-4-KID program and hear how resources provided have been impactful for two kinship caregivers.
Fact SheetHow do children benefit from kinship care?
Child development scholars recognize the tremendous benefits of relative/kinship care for children, which include the following:
Less trauma and more permanency.
Relative/Kinship care minimizes the trauma for children by offering more familiarity and continuity. Relatives are often willing to take large sibling groups and live in the same neighborhood, keeping the children in their school and community (Epstein, 2017). Relatives are also less likely to request removal of problematic children and more likely to become permanent guardians (Chamberlain et al., 2006).
Better behavioral and mental health outcomes.
Children in relative/kinship care have fewer behavioral problems (Cheung et al., 2011; Rubin et al., 2008) and better social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes than youth in non-kinship (stranger) foster care (Garcia et al, 2015; Winokur, Holtan, & Batchelder, 2014).
Stronger sibling ties.
Children placed in relative/kinship care have a much higher likelihood of staying connected to or living with siblings than children in non-kinship foster care (Wulczyn & Zimmerman, 2005).
Protects cultural identity.
Children in relative/kinship care are much more likely to stay connected to their extended family and maintain their cultures and customs, which promotes healthy child development and a sense of belonging (Epstein, 2017).
Stronger bridge into adulthood.
Children who age out of foster care often face adulthood alone and have very poor outcomes (e.g., homelessness and criminal involvement). Children in relative/kinship care benefit from a connection to a family member that helps them transition more successfully to self-sufficiency in adulthood.
We Are Here to Help
While all kinship families have some things in common, every journey kinship caregivers experience when caring for another’s child is their own. No matter the circumstance, no question is too big or too small. When you are ready to speak to someone, please reach out to us.
Click the photos below to listen to three kinship caregivers share their journeys.
