What is kinship Care and why does it matter?
Kinship care gives children and youth a safe, loving home when they cannot live with their parents. This care comes from someone they know and trust, such as a family member, relative, or anyone that they have a close relationship with.
Children and youth often need kinship care during difficult times when their parents are unable to provide a safe environment. They may be any age, from babies up to 26 years old, depending on their needs and situation. By stepping into this important role, kinship care providers help children and youth have the chance to grow and thrive in a familiar setting, surrounded by love and stability.
Support for kinship caregiversAre you caring for a child or youth who is unable to live with their parents? Or are you considering becoming a kinship care provider? The Kinship Care in New Brunswick guide is here to support you. This helpful guide explains how to become a kinship care provider, handle caregiving challenges, find supports, and more. |
Understanding your role as a kinship care provider
As a kinship care provider, you provide love, support, and stability to a child or youth you already have a close relationship with. You play an important role in their life, helping them feel safe, valued, and part of a family.
As a kinship care provider, you will:
- Provide a safe, stable, and nurturing home for the child or youth, whether temporarily or permanently. Support daily activities, like homework, meals, and routines.
- Encourage and guide the child or youth as they grow and develop.
- Make sure the child or youth has what they need to grow and thrive, with help from their care team when needed.
- Work closely with the child or youth’s social worker, teachers, parents, and other professionals to support their overall well-being.
- Staying involved in creating and following a support plan.
- Help the child or youth stay connected with family, friends, and culture, where it’s safe and appropriate.
- Be part of the team working toward the long-term goals for the child or youth.
- Follow plans for visitations or contact with parents, when appropriate.
Your role is vital because it ensures the child or youth has a strong foundation during a time of change or uncertainty. By sharing your heart and home, you can make a lasting difference in their life.
Other ways you can help children and youth
- Kinship is when a family member, relative or someone with a close relationship to a child/youth cares for them (temporarily or permanently) when their parent(s) cannot.
- A foster home is when an individual or family provides full-time care for a - child/youth. Fostering focuses on providing a safe, temporary home while working toward the best long-term solution for the child or youth. Visit the Fostering a Child or Youth page for more information and to apply.
- Respite or relief care is when an individual or family provides short-term care for a foster child/youth such as on weekends or holidays. Visit the Supporting Caregivers, Children and Youth Through Respite/Relief Care page for more information and to apply.
- Adoption is when an individual or family permanently and legally adopts a child/youth. There are multiple types of adoption, each with their own application process. Visit the Adopting a Child or Youth page for more information and to apply.
Anyone with a close relationship to a child or youth may be eligible to provide kinship care. You do not need to be married, wealthy, or have a specific educational background to provide kinship care. What matters most is your connection and commitment to the child or youth’s well-being.
Our top priority is finding children and youth a home where they feel safe, loved, and connected to someone they already know and trust.
You may be eligible to become a kinship care provider if:
- Are 19 years of age or older.
- You have a living space that provides a secure, healthy environment for a child or youth. If your home doesn’t meet these needs, the Department of Social Development can help.
If you are considering kinship care:
Call Social Development at 1-833-733-7835.
- Select your preferred language (press option 1 for English, or 2 for French).
- Next, press option 1 to speak with a child protection social worker.
Provide Social Development with the following information:
- You have a close relationship with a child/youth who can't live with their parent(s) right now,
- You want to care for the child/youth, and
- You want the child/youth's social worker to get in touch with you about kinship care.
Provide your contact information and name of the child/youth you wish to care for.
The Social Worker will be provided with the details of your request along with your contact information to:
- Reach out to the child, youth, and/or their parents, and
- If appropriate, contact you about a possible kinship arrangement.
To complete your application, you must be willing to:
Authorize a Social Development record check,
- Social Development record checks allow the department to check their records to see if you were involved or mentioned in any reported, investigated, or confirmed cases of abuse/neglect involving a child, youth, senior, or person with a disability.
- It is important to note that a history of past child and youth protection services involvement among family members does not automatically disqualify you from caring for a child or youth. We consider each case individually.
Provide all the supporting documents required by Social Development at any time in the process, and
Provide a Criminal and Vulnerable Sector Record Check (for all adults 19 years of age or older living in the household, and any immediate family members with a criminal history).
- It is important to note that a history of criminal involvement among family members does not automatically disqualify you from caring for a child or youth. We consider each case individually.
- A Criminal and Vulnerable Sector Record Check is a special kind of background check done by the police. This check is done to make sure that people who want certain jobs or responsibilities are safe and trustworthy.
- Criminality Checks will look at your criminal history to see if you have done something against the law in the past.
- Vulnerability Checks help identify people who may pose a risk to the safety of vulnerable groups (ex: children or youth, seniors, people living with a disability, etc.).