Grandfamily is a recently coined term that refers to a family where grandparents or other relatives are raising a child. Legal custody of a child may or may not be involve, and the child may be related by blood, marriage or adoption. This particular situation is also known as "kinship care", "kincare" or "relative care".

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, there are currently over 6 million children in the United States today who are living in grandfamilies. Of these, 2.4 million children are being raised solely by their grandparents or other relatives with no parents present. These grandparents and other relatives serve to keep children out of the formal foster care system.

Grandfamilies can face obstacles not encountered by biological parents such as the inability to place the children on their health insurance policies, to obtain affordable housing in which they can live with the children, and to enroll the children in school. The obstacles can be even greater if the relative caregiver is "informal," meaning he or she lacks a legal relationship, such as legal custody or guardianship, with the child.

Family