Kinship Care Legislative Policy Network News

August, 2007

1. Is Kinship Care Good for Kids? Center for Law and Social Policy

2. Illinois DCFS Family Matter Pilot Program: Permanency and Stability for Children in the Care of Elderly/Frail Adoptive Parents and Subsidized Guardians

3. Helping Grandparent Caregivers: Kinship Navigator Programs, National Conference of State Legislators Legisbrief

4. Iowa’s Subsidized Guardianship Waiver Program

Once again, we would like to welcome you to the NCSL Kinship Care Legislative Policy Network-your source for the latest news and information on kinship care policy across the nation. As a member of the Network you will receive these newsletters as well as invitations to upcoming meetings related to state kinship caregiver policy.

IS KINSHIP CARE GOOD FOR KIDS? Center for Law and Social Policy

The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) created a fact sheet addressing the benefits of kinship care for children. It states that many relative caregivers are willing to offer a home and support for children in need, but occasionally caregivers require financial assistance to provide the support necessary. Subsidized guardianship programs have proven valuable tools in supporting kinship care efforts throughout the country. Kinship care research reveals that children experience greater stability, have more positive perceptions of their placements, and have fewer behavioral problems in kinship care. Additionally, kinship care supports ethnic, racial and cultural traditions. Research also shows that kinship care is safer than other out-of-home placements. CLASP’s fact sheet concludes that children unable to live with their parents benefit from living with grandparents or other family members. To read the fact sheet, click here.

ILLINOIS DCFS FAMILY MATTERS PILOT PROGRAM: PERMANENCY AND STABILITY FOR CHILDREN IN THE CARE OF ELDERLY/FRAIL ADOPTIVE PARENTS AND SUBSIDIZED GUARDIANS

Over concerns that elderly/frail adoptive parents and subsidized guardians may not be able to provide for children in their care due to illness and death, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services conducted a pilot project addressing future care planning. The project seeks to create future care and custody plans for children and to provide legal options to eligible families. The preliminary recommendations include continuation of the program with expanded capacity to serve more families; training of DCFS and private agency staff to assist families with the process; policy and procedure development to address supports; and outreach to inform the community about backup planning services. Click here to view the final report.

HELPING GRANDPARENT CAREGIVERS: KINSHIP NAVIGATOR PROGRAMS

This LegisBrief addresses comprehensive Kinship Navigator Programs developed in Ohio, New Jersey, and Washington. It also highlights legislation in Connecticut, Kentucky, New York, Indiana, and Minnesota. Finally, the LegisBrief touches on a recently reintroduced piece of federal legislation related to kinship caregiver support. Click here to see full article.

State Program Highlights

IOWA’S SUBSIDIZED GUARDIANSHIP WAIVER PRORGAM

Iowa’s Subsidized Guardianship Waiver Program will examine the impact of offering financial support to an experimental group of families accepting permanent legal and physical custody of eligible children. This program is approved by the federal government and will assess whether providing continuous financial benefits to kinship care families will lead to better outcomes for children. The program will compare a control group with the experimental group made up of randomly assigned eligible children. Prospective guardians in the experimental group will receive a subsidy to provide food, clothing, shelter, and other necessities for the eligible children. New funding will not be provided for the demonstration project, however the federal government has authorized the flexible use of existing federal funds for subsidized guardianship. Payments similar to the foster care rate are given as legal responsibility is transferred from the child welfare system. This program is similar to programs found in Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin. For more information about Iowa’s Subsidized Guardianship Waiver Program, click here.

Please let us know if you would like your state’s kinship care initiatives highlighted here or if you would like more info on a particular state or program email Kyle.ramirez@ncsl.org or nina.mbengue@ncsl.org .

If you would like to unsubscribe from this network or refer someone else to the network, please contact Kyle Ramirez-Fry at 303/856-1507 or kyle.ramirez@ncsl.org. If you have comments or questions about the network, please contact Nina Williams-Mbengue at 303/856-1559 or nina.mbengue@ncsl.org. Again, we look forward to communicating with you on this issue.