As state governments look for solutions to underperforming child welfare systems, there is a big push for more kinship care—placing children with trusted relatives and other people close to the family when separation from parents is necessary. That was the theme of the recent Human Services Policy Advisors Institute meeting—Leveraging Data To Improve Child Welfare Outcomes.

The focus on kinship care is due to better child outcomes data. Children placed with kin are much less likely to experience disruption and are often closer to the child’s community of origin and more likely to take all siblings. In addition, expanded use of kinship care conserves foster care placements in non-family-like settings for children with fewer kin connections and/or…