How is Kinship Care Different from Formal Adoption?
Mutheu Njoroge
Communication & Fundraising Specialist || Product Designer / UI/UX || Content Designer
Kinship care is family‐based care that is provided by the child's extended family or close friends of the family that are well-known to the child. Kinship care has long been a practice in Kenya and usually takes the form of ‘informal adoption.’
On the other hand, formal adoption is a relatively new phenomenon in Kenya. Adoption is a term that refers to the legal and permanent transfer of parenting rights and responsibilities when caring for a child.
In Kenya, formal adoptions are ‘full’ (completely severing ties) and irrevocable. The stigma around infertility and strict adherence to bloodlines and inheritance also play a significant role in the formal adoption equation in most African countries.
In cases where formal adoption is the best and safest option, cultural and social ties must be taken into account when considering the best way to care for vulnerable children.?For instance, domestic adoption is one way to ensure that children are not pulled away from what they consider familiar, this helps boost their sense of belonging.
Fortunately, Kenya has adopted and continuously strives to enact laws that push for domestic adoption and Kinship Care as a way to promote family‐based care for vulnerable children. Through family‐based care, at-risk children can grow up in loving, safe, and sustainable family setups.