This handbook presents standards for kinship foster care services. The handbook begins with introductory sections describing standards development, detailing how to use the standards, and differentiating standards of excellence; Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children, Inc. (COA) standards for accreditation; and state licensing procedures. The formal introduction describes the growth of kinship care as a child welfare service, the characteristics of such care, and principles for best practice in kinship care. Chapter 1 then defines kinship care, presents kinship care as a child welfare service, and outlines its goals. The chapter also delineates roles, rights, and responsibilities of the child welfare agency, parents, and kinship caregiver in such care. Chapter 2 details standards related to social work practice methods in informal and formal kinship care, including the assessment process and permanency planning. Chapter 3 presents a framework for providing supports and services for kinship families and includes standards related to services for parents with children in formal kinship care, for children, and for kinship caregivers. Chapter 4 presents an organizational framework for delivering kinship care services and includes standards related to staffing, organizational support, educational support for caregivers, staff training, recordkeeping and data systems, evaluation and research, and financial supports for services. Chapter 5 details standards related to community-based support for kinship care services, focusing on the role of various community members. (Contains 161 references.) (KB)