Transcript Corporate Partnership Campaign

Supporting Kinship Caregivers
or “Grandfamilies” in Ohio
Crystal Ward Allen, Executive Director
Public Children Services Association of Ohio
NACHSA Conference, December 2006
AGENDA
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Definition of Kinship or “GrandFamilies”
Benefits of Kinship Care
Continuum of Kin Arrangements
Ohio Policies for Kin
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Basic supports
Kinship Navigator Program
Grandparent Caregiver Affidavit & Power of Attorney
New Kinship Permanency Incentive Program
• Federal Policy Concerns & Opportunities
What is Kinship Care?
• Families with children lucky enough to be
cared for by kin, when their own families
cannot / do not, care for them
• Kin families step up and temporarily or
permanently raise these extended family
children
• Caregivers could be relatives or close family
friends
• Better outcomes for children
Kinship Families are Unique
• Different from birth families - did not plan on
the responsibility to raise these kids, but agreed
to when needed!
• Different from unrelated foster caregivers –
kinship is not a contractual business
arrangement, they are family to kids
• Different from unrelated adoptive families –
often wary of hostile termination of parental
rights process, but open to permanent
commitment.
Why Support Grandfamilies?
• Facilitates Personal and Family
responsibility
• Reduces Government intervention
• Society expects it
• Better outcomes for children (than if left
uncared for or placed with safe, but
unrelated foster caregivers)
• Fiscally sound policy in age of limited
resources at local, state and federal level
Who are Kinship Caregivers?
• Grandparents
• Other relatives - Aunts, Uncles, Cousins,
Siblings
• Close family friends
• 2005 US Census counted Grandparents raising
Grandchildren – those as primary caregivers:
– US – 2.4 Million
– Ohio – 88,000 families, many sibling groups, but
only GPs counted!
• Grandfamilies!
Better Child Outcomes
• Compared to children in licensed, but
unrelated foster care, children in Kinship
Families have:
• Greater placement stability (blood is thicker…)
• Better school attendance
• Better academic performance
• Fewer community problems (i.e. unruly and
delinquent incidents)
What do Kinship
Caregivers Need?
• According to 1999 Ohio Dept of Aging
“Grandparents Raising Grandchildren” report:
• Financial assistance
• Legal documentation for school enrollment
and obtaining medical care
• Affordable child care
• Assistance accessing services
• General emotional support
Kinship Families Continuum
• Informal Kinship Families – no government
intervention needed
• Kinship families caring for children involved with
the child welfare system (unlicensed)
• Kinship foster families (formally licensed as foster
parents)
• Legal guardians / custodians (with judicially
awarded custody)
• Kin families that have adopted
Basic Kinship Supports in Ohio
• Cash Assistance – TANF (Ohio Works First)
Child Only Benefits - $245/month +
$77/sibling. Unrelated to caregiver income or
custody status
• Medicaid Coverage – most all children in
kinship care should qualify
• Eligibility for Early Learning Initiative
(ELI) – combines early childhood education
with childcare for all day care. Without regard
to income for preschoolers in kinship care.
Legal Documentation
• For Grandparents without judicial custody:
• Caregiver Authorization Affidavit (CAA) –
parent unable to be located
• Power of Attorney (POA) – consensual
agreement with parent and grandparent
• Two primary functions:
• School enrollment & participation
• Obtaining medical, dental, psychological
services
…More CAA and POA
• GP (and parent for POA) completes form, has it
notarized, files with court
• Good for one year, then re-file for renewal
• At renewal request, Juvenile court to schedule “best
interest” hearing, can continue CAA or POA, award
legal custody to GP, or initiate dependency
proceedings, bringing in child welfare agency
• Limited to Grandparents, advocating to extend to
other relative caregivers
• Formal implementation evaluation in progress now
so policy makers can make informed decisions
Kinship Navigator Program
• Professionals located at county level to help
Kinship Caregivers “Navigate” thru existing
state and local support services.
• In child welfare agency, Area Agency on
Aging, or other local entity
• Often facilitate support groups too
• TANF funding allowable…
Three Paths to Move Children to
Permanency (if child removed…)
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Reunification w/ birth parent
Custody Award to Relative
Adoption
Ohio law – Guardianship & Legal Custody same
status, by different courts (Probate vs Juvenile).
Law includes language that Legal Custody is
“intended to be permanent”, court will only review
if status changes for caregiver or child (not birth
parent).
Kinship Permanency Incentive
(KPI) Program
• Incentive for Permanency
• Financial payments to families with judicially
awarded custody of kids in their care.
• Three year duration, payments at six month
intervals
• Total $3,500 - $1,000 initially, then five $500
• Funded with $10 Million/year TANF $
Kinship Permanency Incentive
Eligibility Criteria
• Child must be abused, neglected, dependent or
unruly
• Court must have awarded custody (legal or
guardianship) July 1, 2005 or later
• Family low income (200% FPL, may up to 300%)
• Child welfare agency completed site and safety
audit
• Criminal background check of all adults
KPI since Jan. 1, 2006 launch
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General Assembly strongly supported
Media strongly highlighted, endorsed
Brochures, posters out
Many families ineligible due to July 1, 2005
custody award threshold
• Estimate 3,000 families/year will be eligible, but
slow start. Making changes, based on data!
• Evaluations in law – Dec. 31, 2008 (at three years)
& Dec. 31, 2010 (at five years)
Federal Policies & Concerns
• Federal law requires relative search and preferential
placement if safe; ASFA recognized relatives as
permanency plan
• New language in Deficit Reduction Act prohibits Title
IV-E support for case management services to
unlicensed caregivers:
– Forces agencies to provide these services without federal
support – OR –
– Forces relatives to get licensed and enter into contractual
business arrangement to raise extended family children
– Will cost additional federal and state/local $
Need Title IV-E Federal Support
Foster Care Maintenance
Adoptive Subsidies
 Guardianship / Legal Custody Subsidies
Why not?
Recommended by Pew Commission on
Children in Foster Care
Title IV-E Guardianship Waivers
 To demonstrate positive child outcomes thru
innovation, cost neutral
 IV-E Guardianship Subsidies improve
permanency for foster children
 Nine states; Illinois’ long history, 6,800 kids
 Good Safety & stability, shorter length of stay,
positive youth and caregiver perspectives
Policy Groups
• Statewide Kinship Caregiver Advisory
Council – multi-system members including
caregivers and policymakers. Strategic Plan
based on research
• Ohio Grandparent & Kinship Caregiver
Group – statewide group of caregivers and
Kin Navigators
• Local Kin Support Groups
Next Steps
• Informal - Expand Power of Attny &
Caregiver Affidavit beyond Grandparents
(Evaluation in process).
• Financial Patch - Adjust Kinship Permanency
Incentive eligibility requirements using eval
data (only 3 years support..?...)
• Federal finance reform - Title IV-E
Guardianship Subsidies for permanent
kinship families
Resources…
• Ohio Kinship Supports –
http://www.pcsao.org/KinshipSupports.htm
• Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care http://www.pewfostercare.org
• IV-E Guardianship Waiver Evaluations
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/programs
_fund/cwwaiver/agissue/execsum.htm
• Generations United
http://ipath.gu.org/Grand8101303.asp
• Fostering Results “Family Ties” http://www.fosteringresults.org/results/reports/
pewreports_10-13-04_alreadyhome.pdf