Key Takeaways:
- Kinship care is growing in North Carolina, which started paying unlicensed kinship caregivers in late 2023.
- Research shows that children in kinship care have better academic and health outcomes than children in traditional foster care.
- State health officials acknowledge there’s work to be done on financial support, access to services and training tailored to the unique relationships between kinship caregivers and children.
At 19 years old, Jamie Barricelli became a de facto mother of four.
She was a student at UNC Wilmington when she got the phone call that changed the trajectory of her life. It was her younger brother, who told her police and social services were at the house. The children, who were ages 11 to 15 at the time, would be placed in foster care when their caregiver was experiencing mental health issues.
Barricelli asked officials if she could take them home with her instead, a response she described as instinctual…