Increased Attention to the Search Process Improves the Chances of Foster Kinship Placements

Although child protective service (CPS) workers are mandated by social policies to conduct a search for relatives, the search process remains unclear and under scrutiny. Placing children with an appropriate relative is dependent on workers' practices and, to some extent, attitudes. Reviewing social policies that mandate the inclusion of relatives as placement options for vulnerable children, this article explores public child welfare policies and how they influence CPS workers' roles in the search process. Changes are presented that were implemented to the search process by CPS workers who participated in a one-year demonstration project.