There are currently close to 14,000 Arizona children in foster care, but there are only about 3,000 licensed foster families. A small portion of those licensed families is known as Kinship Care Families. Kinship Care is when a child who is in the Department of Child Safety (DCS) system is temporarily placed in the care of a family member or relative.
The ultimate goal of kinship care is for the child to reunify with their birth family and maintaining that family tie brings more benefit to the child. These benefits include increased well-being, minimized trauma, increased permanency, improved behavioral & mental health, promoting sibling ties, and maintaining cultural and community ties.
While kinship care proves to be a better option for the children, these kinship caregivers do not receive the same financial benefits afforded to typical non-relative foster parents. Seeds Community Center is a local micro non-profit seeking to provide additional resources and training to these families.
Producer: John DeSoto
Videographer: John DeSoto, Diana Cadena
Editor: Diana Cadena
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