Calling on kin: Poverty, the family safety net, and child welfare policy

Objective

This study examined parents' accounts of how their extended kin networks shaped and were shaped by the child protective services (CPS) process.

Background

Arguably the most important recent shift in child welfare policy has been a move away from non-relative foster care and toward kin placement. Yet increasing family complexity along with network disadvantage may weaken kin support.

Method

This study draws on 81 in-depth interviews with a sample of parents with prior involvement with the CPS system in New Jersey. Our sample includes 54 Black, 19 white, and 8 Hispanic parents. We used inductive analysis and iterative, qualitative coding to interpret participants' accounts and classify their networks.

Results

Parents often indicated that the quality of kin ties helped to steer case outcomes, benefitting parents with supportive and resourced family connections and impairing those isolated from family or embedded in disadvantaged networks. State intervention in the family also affected kin ties, often compromising parents' relationships with relatives.

Conclusion

The results of this study reveal that child welfare agencies prioritize kin support as a solution to addressing family needs even though the parents who come under the purview of CPS often lack supportive kin networks. This study has implications for understanding the family safety net and the role of kin networks in government processes.