“KINSHIP CARE NAVIGATOR” PROGRAMS HELP CHILDREN STAY WITH FAMILIES
Volume 28, Issue 493 June 11, 2007
Nina Williams-Mbengue
The extended family has long played a role in caring for children whose parents are unable to do so—a practice commonly referred to as kinship care. To help the millions of (mostly older) family caregivers plot a course through the often confusing array of services that are available to them and the children, a growing number of states are enacting laws to create “kinship care navigator” programs.
Grandparents and other family members provide a critical safety net to some 6 million children whose parents may be ill, incarcerated, have substance use disorders, have been convicted of child abuse or are away on military service. But many of these caregivers are elderly, in poor health, on limited incomes, and otherwise ill-equipped to handle the stresses of caring for children who may have social, emotional, health and educational issues. An estimated 70 percent do not apply for the financial assistance for which they are eligible.
The care navigator programs vary in the type and number of services they provide, but most mandate the dissemination of information about services such as TANF, as well as health, legal, judicial, and educational services. By helping kinship caregivers to obtain services (often through toll-free telephone numbers), the navigator programs ease the strain on caregivers and help children to remain with their birth families.
State Actions
Although most states attempt to disseminate information about the services available to kinship caregivers, Ohio, New Jersey and Washington have created formal statewide kinship care navigator systems.
Ohio lawmakers were the first to enact legislation that allowed the Department of Job and Family Services to establish a statewide navigator program, which provides information on publicly funded child care, respite care, training related to caring for special-needs children, legal services. The New Jersey Legislature authorized a similar effort when it passed AB 208.
In 2001, the Washington Legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to conduct an investigation of the needs of kinship care providers. The study found that caregivers had difficulty navigating the legal and social service systems; meeting basic financial needs; accessing basic medical, housing and transportation services; and in being acknowledged by agencies and caseworkers.
As a result, in 2003, lawmakers authorized two kinship care navigator pilot projects in Seattle and Yakima. Casey Family Programs funded the projects and, in July 2005, the Legislature provided $200,000 for the 2005-2007 biennium to the Aging and Disability Services Administration to continue the programs.
An evaluation of the first 16 months of the program concluded that:
- an estimated 690 children were diverted from non-kinship foster care;
- kinship caregivers had a better understanding of the services and benefits available to them; and
- a satisfaction rate of 98 percent was reported among kinship caregivers who used the service.
In 2006, the Connecticut and Kentucky Legislatures authorized the creation of kinship navigator programs, by passing HB 5532 and HB 45, respectively. The New York State Office of Children and Family Services provided $250,000 to fund its first navigator program. This year, Indiana enacted HB 1406, which directs the Department of Child Services to help nonprofit community-based agencies apply for pilot program funding.
A June 2000 report to Congress found that almost all states give preference to relatives when placing a child with someone other than his or her parents. In addition, many states have a broad definition of kin and include persons with emotional ties to the child, such as godparents, neighbors, and family friends. Nearly all states allow kin into licensed foster care programs designed for non-kin and provide foster payments to those who meet program standards.
This article is adapted from an IssueBrief written by NCSL’s Nina Williams-Mbengue. For more information, visit http://www.ncsl.org/programs/cyf/fostercare.htm
Contact Nina Williams-Mbengue at (303) 364-7700, ext. 1559; nina.mbengue@ncsl.org
© Copyright 2007, State Health Notes
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