Kinship (Relative) Adoption
in California

Many children are placed informally with a relative or family member but to formalize the relationship and allow the new caregiver to be legally entitled to act as a parent on behalf of the child they can be adopted by a relative or someone related through a prior relationship connection or connected by legal guardianship (see below)  Kinship (or Relative) families have some needs that are different from families who adopt unrelated children. Adoption agencies that specialize in kinship adoption offer a variety of professional services to help new kinship caregivers manage the transition, access community resources for their new family configuration and provide continuing support specific to the kinship placement.