Important Questions to Ask in a Family Caregiver Discussion

Source: AARP.org |  | April 25, 2006

• Do you anticipate caring permanently for the children until they reach 18 years of age (or longer if the children remain in school or have disabilities)?
• Will you be able to care for the children permanently, given your age and the ages of the children and other special needs that they may have?
• Have you had trouble enrolling the children in school, obtaining health care for the children, or accessing other benefits for the children because you don't have legal custody?
• Are you worried that the child's parent(s) will take the child back unexpectedly or inappropriately?
• How long have the children lived with you?
• How strong is the relationship between you and the child?
• What is the likelihood that the child's parent(s) will be able to resume custody?
• What kind of changes in family relationships will be caused by court involvement?
• What kinds of emotional, social, and financial supports are available to the kinship family now? How would legal custody help enhance the supports available?

Source: the Resource Pages of the Children's Defense Fund's Kinship Care Resource Kit.