General Kinship Care Books
Grandmothers Raising Their Grandchildren
This faith-based self-help book offers encouragement and practical guidance for grandmothers raising grandchildren, mothers of addicted adult children, and grieving mothers seeking hope. Designed for individual reflection or group study, it provides resiliency tools to help women find peace, rediscover purpose, and build meaningful connections with others who understand their journey. Ultimately, it invites readers to embrace healing and create a fulfilling life in the midst of change and loss.
The Kinship Parenting Toolbox
With nearly 12 million children in the U.S. being raised by grandparents or other relatives, kinship care is both common and critically important—but it comes with unique challenges. This comprehensive resource brings together insights from over 70 contributors, including grandparents, kinship caregivers, social workers, and therapists. Covering topics such as legal and financial tools, navigating schools, trauma and attachment, and supporting teens, this book provides practical strategies and heartfelt wisdom to help kinship families thrive and positively shape children’s futures.
Grandparents as Parents
If you’re one of the millions of grandparents raising grandchildren, this practical and compassionate guide offers the information and support you need to keep your family strong. It provides proven strategies for managing stress, caring for vulnerable children, setting boundaries with parents, and navigating systems like government aid, court processes, and education. Filled with honest, inspiring stories from other grandparents, this updated edition also addresses modern challenges such as technology use, helping you thrive in your caregiving journey.
The Grandfamily Guidebook: Wisdom and Support for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
This guidebook is a practical and compassionate resource for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. It offers expert guidance on legal, financial, and medical issues, along with advice on navigating relationships with birth parents, addressing trauma-related behaviors, and supporting children at school. With realistic tips on self-care and family routines, this guide helps grandparents build stability, connection, and confidence as they create loving, healthy homes for the next generation.
The Foster Parenting Manual: A Practical Guide to Creating a Loving, Safe and Stable Home
A comprehensive and practical guide, The Foster Parenting Manual offers real-world advice from experienced foster parents on challenges like school support, internet safety, and maintaining contact with birth parents. Drawing from his own years of experience, Dr. John DeGarmo provides straightforward strategies to help foster parents create a safe, nurturing, and stable environment where children feel secure and valued. An excellent, down-to-earth resource for both new and seasoned foster families or those raising a relative’s child.
Adopting the Older Child
A trusted classic of adoption literature, Adopting the Older Child offers an in-depth, compassionate look at the unique challenges and rewards of adopting children beyond infancy. Elinor Jewett explores the emotional journey from the perspectives of everyone involved—adoptive parents, children, and professionals—while addressing the bureaucratic hurdles that can complicate the process. Through five composite case studies, she illustrates common stages of adjustment, from the honeymoon phase to full family integration, offering practical, empathetic guidance for every step of the journey.
A Guidebook for Raising Foster Children
Written by a pediatrician, this book is a practical, down-to-earth guide for raising children in foster or kinship care. It addresses everyday challenges—big and small—with clear, compassionate advice and includes guidance on health, behavior, education, and emotional well-being. The author also helps caregivers recognize when to seek professional support. A trusted and informative resource for any family navigating the journey of caring for another’s child.
The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family
Often the first book recommended to parents adopting a child past infancy or “from a hard place,” this book is a must-read for any parent seeking to understand and nurture children who’ve experienced trauma, neglect, or loss. With warmth, compassion, and practical insight, Dr. Purvis helps caregivers shift their focus from correction to connection—building trust, safety, and healing. Her evidence-based approach leaves readers feeling both hopeful and empowered to parent with empathy and confidence.
Dancing with a Porcupine: Parenting Wounded Children Without Losing Your Self
When author Jennie Owens and her husband adopted three children from foster care, they believed love could heal all wounds—but soon discovered how unprepared they were for the challenges ahead. In Dancing with a Porcupine, Owens shares her raw and honest journey of parenting children impacted by trauma while fighting exhaustion, doubt, and isolation. With wisdom, humor, and deep compassion, she offers hope to anyone navigating the highs and lows of parenting another’s child.
Raising My Brother’s Child
Based on over thirty years of experience, the author shares nearly a hundred stories addressing trauma, attachment, behavior challenges, and generational patterns. Each chapter blends real-life insight with practical guidelines to help parents raise children who may not be theirs by birth, but by love. Compassionate and grounded, this book equips adoptive, foster, and kinship families with tools for understanding and healing.
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