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Permanency With Relatives
When children in out-of-home care cannot be safely returned home to their parents, child welfare professionals first look to relatives (also known as kin) to provide temporary care and, if needed, a permanent family for them. Relatives may provide care while parents are addressing the issues that brought their children into care, assume legal guardianship, or adopt their relative children. All of these options provide a safe and familiar environment and, if reunification is not possible, a permanent legal family for the children, supporting their exit from foster care and State custody. Kinship families caring for children often need an array of services to support their efforts.