What Is Kinship Care and How Can an Indigenous Family Member Care for My Child?

Kinship care places a child with a family member or someone from their cultural community rather than a licensed stranger. MCFD policy requires workers to explore kinship options first. If your child is in care or at risk of removal, naming specific family members who could care for them is one of the most important steps you can take immediately.

When a child cannot safely remain at home, the next question should always be: who in this child’s family or community can step in? Kinship care is the answer to that question, and it is a legal priority in BC’s child welfare system.

MCFD’s obligation to explore kinship first

BC’s Child, Family and Community Service Act requires that MCFD consider placing a child with a relative or member of the child’s cultural community before placing them with a stranger. This is not automatic. Workers are often managing many cases. If you do not name specific relatives and ask about kinship placement, it may not happen.

The moment any child welfare concern arises, begin making a list of family members who could care for your child. Include grandparents, aunts and uncles, older siblings, and trusted members of your nation or community.

What kinship caregivers need to do

To become a kinship caregiver, the family member will typically need to:

• Complete a home assessment with MCFD
• Pass background checks
• Demonstrate they can meet the child’s needs

MCFD has a Kith and Kin program that supports kinship caregivers. A social worker should be able to explain the assessment process.

Why kinship matters for Indigenous children

Research is consistent: children placed with kin have better outcomes than children placed with strangers. For Indigenous children specifically, kinship placement keeps the child connected to language, ceremony, Elders, and the relationships that hold cultural identity together.

IFISC Pillar 4 — Family and Reunification — requires that certified providers maintain and support contact with birth family, siblings, and extended kin from day one of any placement. A kinship placement with a connected family member is the highest expression of that standard.

If kinship is refused

If MCFD refuses or fails to explore kinship options, ask for the reason in writing. Challenge the decision with your lawyer. The obligation to consider family placement is real, and a refusal without adequate documentation of why family members were ruled out can be contested.

For support navigating this process, contact KFT at [email protected] or visit keeping-families-together.com.

If you are an Indigenous family navigating child welfare in BC and need peer support, contact KFT-Families Society at [email protected], call Lori at 604-512-3266, or visit keeping-families-together.com. IFISC operates weekly peer support circles, connects families with culturally grounded resources, and provides guidance to parents at every stage of the child welfare process — at no cost.