Layla was only two years old when she was removed from her home and placed into foster care. At the time, her birth mother, Mandy, struggled with substance abuse and was unable to care for her. 

Soon after Layla entered foster care, her aunt Jean assumed emergency custody of her. Jean and her sister Mandy, Layla’s mom, grew up in foster care themselves.  Jean remembered the trauma of being moved from home to home. She didn’t want that for her niece. Jean wanted Layla to grow up in a stable permanent family, where she would be loved and supported unconditionally. 

Jean took on the role of kinship caregiver. In kinship care, a child is cared for by a relative—such as a grandparent or aunt—or someone close to the family like an old friend, rather than someone the child doesn’t know. Kinship care preserves a child’s family connections, increases stability, and minimizes the trauma of separation. 

Jean benefited from Stanford Sierra Youth & Families’ Kinship Navigator program.  Through the program, Stanford Sierra staff helped Jean and her two biological children through the resource family certification process. Staff also linked the family to other community resources. And Jean attended the program’s support group for kinship caregivers.

Today, Layla is thriving in her aunt’s care. The adoption was finalized last fall. Layla enjoys attending preschool and lights up interacting with other kids her age.  Preschool staff love her big personality, and next year she’ll start kindergarten.

Layla still has a relationship with her birth mother. Jean sets and maintains healthy boundaries for the benefit of everyone. She and her new siblings are getting to know each other, too. There are bumps now and then, but they’re finding their way together as a family, and they know they can always count on their Stanford Sierra team to be there for support.

Are you a kinship caregiver? Do you have questions about what resources are available to you? Learn more about our Kinship Navigator Program here. 
 

*Names have been changed to protect confidentiality.