Studies show that placing a child or young person with kin, by blood or by choice, is in their best interest. Why? Because Family Matters. The proven benefits include:

• Minimizing Trauma: Placing a child or youth with someone they know—a relative or close family friend—significantly reduces the trauma of leaving their home, helping them maintain critical connections.
• Preserving Identity: Kinship care helps children stay connected to their siblings, communities, cultural heritage, and social networks, which is vital for their emotional well-being and development.
• Better Outcomes: Research has shown that children in kinship care experience better outcomes, including greater stability and a higher likelihood of achieving permanence.

Over the past several years, the State of Maryland has set out to make this one of our biggest priorities.

We worked directly with Governor Wes Moore and Maryland lawmakers to pass Maryland’s Kinship law in 2024. This law and our statewide policy prioritize placing children and youth in out-of-home care with kin.

This remains the inspiration and foundation for our Family Matters initiative, which takes it a step further by codifying this policy with a Kin-first practice, removing unnecessary barriers for potential kin caregivers, broadening the scope of support given to these families, and encouraging pathways that keep young people with their families, in their communities, and connected to their tribal laws and cultures.