| During the past two decades, child welfare professionals have given kinship care priority as the preferred least-restrictive, most family-like placement option when a child has to be removed from his or her family. Given this preference, the number of children placed in kinship foster care steadily increased during the 1980s and 1990s, leveling off in the 2000s. Although kinship care has received research attention, much of the extant research has focused on kinship foster care and specific issues such as child safety, stability, permanency, and well-being. However, the available literature lacks investigation into what factors drive the decision to use kinship care, specifically an understanding of why some children are diverted from child welfare system (CWS) into unpaid kinship arrangements while other children enter the traditional foster care system. In addition, the literature lacks evidence that would advance the understanding of the short- and long-term effects of this kind of kinship diversion on child outcomes. These knowledge gaps not only contribute to the ongoing debate about whether children should be diverted from the CWS but also clearly warrant greater attention to children placed in unpaid kinship arrangements. In addition, few studies have developed a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding kinship care, with many of the theoretical elements critical to the conceptualization of kinship care remaining in an elementary state. The following three-paper dissertation aims to address these issues.;The first paper is a theoretical paper based on social exchange theory, inclusive fitness theory, and social capital theory. Key elements of these theories are discussed in the applications of understanding kinship care. Related literatures are reviewed to empirically support the use of these theories in kinship care research. Because each theory has its own strengths and limitations, an integrated theoretical framework based on these three theories is developed and is used to understand kinship diversion. In addition, this framework can help social workers develop a comprehensive understanding about kin caregivers, including their involvement in kinship care, their altruistic behaviors, and their influence on child outcomes.;The second paper presents a descriptive study exploring the factors related to caseworkers' decision-making around kinship diversion. This study uses baseline data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being II (NSCAW II), which provides information about children and caregivers in different types of kinship care. The data are analyzed using multinomial logistic regression based on the multiple imputed data files using NSCAW II weights. Results show important predictors of a child being diverted into private kinship care (i.e., kinship care arranged privately between parents and kin, without involvement of CWS) included the child's age, caseworker's educational background, and caseworker's assessment of harm level. Important predictors of a child being diverted into voluntary kinship care (i.e., a kinship care placement facilitated by CWS but not under auspices of CWS) included the maltreatment type, family structure, caseworker's educational background, and caseworker's assessment of risk level.;The third paper examines the relationship between kinship diversion and child health and behavior problems. This analysis uses data from Waves 1 and 3 of NSCAW II. The analyses use ordinary least square (OLS) regression and logistic regression that are based on the multiple imputed data files using the NSCAW II weights. Results suggest that kinship diversion does not adversely affect the well-being of children and that private kinship care is associated with significantly fewer child behavior problems. Kinship diversion is not significantly associated with child health.;Overall, the findings of this dissertation research suggest important factors of kinship diversion and its association with child health and behavior problems. The concluding section of each paper discusses the implications of the findings for policy, practice, and research. In addition, these paper present suggested directions for future research, including more rigorous research that focuses on evaluation of well-being outcomes. |
