Role of Kinship Care and Financial Supports on Placement Stability Among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Children In Foster Care

In 2024 Hawaiian children comprised 42% of foster care placements in the State of Hawai‘i. In 2018 an additional 241 children were identified as Pacific Islander. However, in the state, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander’s (NHPIs) only account for 27.1% of the state’s population. The disproportionality highlights the need for research with NHPI children in foster care. One area is the role of placement stability in kinship care and how financial supports such as AFDC, IV-E and SSI impact placement stability (PS). Previous research indicates that financial support can impact PS.

This study used data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System 2020 to examine placement stability among NHPI children in foster care. The analytic sample was restricted to cases in which children (or their parents) identified as NHPI and were in out-of-home placements. PS was operationalized as having two or fewer placement changes.

Two logistic regression models were estimated. The first model assessed the main effects of kinship foster placement, NHPI foster parent status, and multiple forms of financial support (Title IV-E foster care payments, Title IV-A AFDC, Title IV-D child support, Medicaid, and SSI) on placement stability. The second model introduced interaction terms between kinship placement and financial supports to evaluate whether the effects of structural resources differed across placement contexts. All models controlled for age at most recent removal.

In the main effects model, kinship placement was associated with significantly greater odds of placement stability (OR = 1.65, p < .001), as was having an NHPI foster parent (OR = 1.71, p < .001). Among financial supports, Title IV-A AFDC payments were associated with higher stability (OR = 2.09, p = .005), whereas Title IV-E foster care payments (OR = 0.49, p < .001) and SSI benefits (OR = 0.38, p < .001) were associated with lower odds of stability. Age at removal was negatively associated with stability (OR = 0.94, p < .001).

In the interaction model, the direct effect of kinship placement was no longer significant, indicating that its impact operates in combination with financial supports. Significant interaction effects revealed that financial resources function differently within kinship contexts. Specifically, Title IV-A AFDC payments (OR = 6.31, p = .001), Title IV-D child support (OR = 3.12, p = .022), and Medicaid (OR = 1.95, p = .045) were all associated with substantially greater odds of placement stability in kinship placements. In contrast, Title IV-E foster care payments did not demonstrate a significant interaction effect. SSI interactions were not statistically significant, though directionally positive (OR = 2.03).

Findings suggest that placement stability for NHPI children is shaped by the intersection of relational context and structural supports. Although kinship care is generally associated with greater stability, its effectiveness is significantly enhanced when coupled with specific financial resources, however, not all financial supports function uniformly; instead, their impact depends on the caregiving context. Strengthening and tailoring financial supports, particularly income assistance and child support, within kinship placements may improve stability for NHPI children.