This qualitative research investigates the barriers to supported permanency for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) kinship caregivers that are looking after children in the foster care system. It does so by beginning with the community itself, those caregivers who have decided to raise their nieces and nephews, sisters and brothers, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren without the state support to which they are entitled. The first stage of our research will go directly to BIPOC kinship caregivers and ask them about their experiences with the foster care system. Do they forego government support consciously or unconsciously? Was their decision driven by fear of negative outcomes? Skepticism of positive ones? Or a lack of information? Now, there are no empirical answers to these questions which are specific to this population, so our proposal begins by interviewing these kinship caregivers. As experts in their own experience, our plan is to go directly to the source and ask them for their answers to these questions. With this data in hand, alongside the lived experiences that can help us interpret that data and translate it into actionable steps, we propose to work with policymakers, state agencies, and community stakeholders to develop programs and implement best practices that can keep families together by providing them the support they deserve.

The problem that this research addresses—the separation of BIPOC children from their families—is both timely and lies at the root of multiple negative health outcomes for these children, their families, and their communities. The separation of a child from their family is highly disruptive and one that is by definition a traumatic, adverse childhood experience (Hughes et al., 2017). Stranger (unrelated family) Foster Care is intertwined with America’s historical legacy of family separation, whether against African Americans (e.g., slavery and mass incarceration), immigrants (e.g., separation at the border), or indigenous communities (e.g., Native American boarding schools). 

The primary goal of this research is to deepen the understanding of why BIPOC kinship caregivers forego supported permanency. As the barriers to supported permanency are identified, the secondary goal of the research is to gain insight into practice and policy strategies that could be implemented to better encourage and support BIPOC kinships caregivers to utilize the supported permanency resources to which they are entitled. Regarding the sample, we will recruit 30 unsupported and 20 supported kinship caregivers. To be included in the study, participants must identify as a kinship or fictive kin caregiver, be caring for at least one child under the age of 18 and have decided to forgo or participate in the home licensing process. The interviews will be conducted (and recorded) via Zoom and will last for approximately 60 minutes. Participants will receive a $100.00 gift card for their participation.

To address our research goals, we propose an exploratory-sequential mixed method research (MMR) design (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2017). This MMR design is most useful in cases, such as this one, where limited information is known about a given topic (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2017). Specific to this study, our exploratory-sequential design will involve first collecting and analyzing qualitative data to identify key variables and themes related to barriers to supported permanency. 

The findings from this research will be directed into three domains: academic publications, policymaking, and program implementation. We believe that locally, our research can connect kinship caregivers with grassroots advocates, build communities of mutual aid between both supported and unsupported caregivers, and create a conversation that can lead to concrete changes in how child welfare organizations view both kinship care and the importance of support. On the state level, the research can inform conversations across the policy spectrum, set the standards for best-practices, influence implementation of existing policy, and move the needle toward supported permanency for legislative solutions. Finally, it can build on the work of existing national coalitions directly, as well as potentially providing a model program that other states might emulate.