A Grandfamilies Policy Update: Past, Present and Future

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A Grandfamilies Policy Update Past, Present
and Future

• Generations United 14th International Conference
• July 26, 2007

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Center for Law and Social Policy

• CLASP is a national non profit that works on
  improving the lives of low income families and
  individuals through national and state level
  research and advocacy .
• Child Welfare
• Child Care and Early Ed.
• Welfare Policy
• Work-Life
• Prisoner re-entry
• Legal aid

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Knowing where youre going is a good place to
start

• Where weve been
• Relevant policies
• Where were at
• Quick overview of the research
• Lots of attention!
• Where were headed
• The Kinship Caregiver Support Act

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Where weve been Policies affecting kinship care
families over the years

• Child Welfare Waivers (1994)
• Subsidized Guardianship waivers are among the
  most successful in terms of demonstrated outcomes
• ASFA (1997)
• Explicitly recognized return home, adoption and
  legal guardianship as appropriate permanency
  options for children
• Unlike adoption, no federal financial assistance
  for legal guardians

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Where were at Getting lots of attention!

• In the media
• In the states
• Now there are 38 States and DC that have some
  sort of subsidized guardianship program
• Some are even preventive
• On the hill
• Foster care in general
• Consistently mentioned in hearings
• Briefings

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Where were at the research

• Children in kinship care experience greater
  stability
• Fewer placement changes
• More likely to be with siblings
• More school stability
• Less likely to reenter foster care if they are
  reunified
• Children in kinship care report more positive
  perceptions of their placements and have fewer
  behavioral problems

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Existing supports in summary

• Variety of supports available (foster care,
  adoption, TANF, various other such as SSI, food
  stamps, etc)
• Few of the supports were designed with
  grandparent and other relative caregivers in
  mind.
• Access may not be easy or comfortable.
• Improvements to existing laws and to the
  implementation of those laws are critical.

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The Kinship Caregiver Support Act (S. 661/H.R.
2188)

• Sponsors
• Senators Clinton (NY), Snowe (ME) and Cochran
  (MS)
• Representatives Davis and Johnson (both IL)
• Major provisions
• Kinship Navigator program
• Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program
• Notice provision
• Separate licensing standards
• Expand Independent Living Services

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Kinship Navigator program

• Provide grants to establish navigator programs
  that would help kinship caregivers navigate the
  complex array of services and programs available
  to them.

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Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program

• The legislation would give states the option to
  provide federal subsidies to some relative
  caregivers who become legal guardians.

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Notice provision

• Requires that adult relatives be notified within
  60 days of a child being removed from his or her
  parents custody and that those relatives be made
  aware of their options relating to the childs
  placement.

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Separate licensing standards

• Allows states to establish separate licensing
  standards for relative foster homes and
  non-relative foster homes so long as both, at a
  minimum, protect the childs safety and provide
  for criminal record checks.

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Expand Independent Living Services

• Make youths exiting from foster care to legal
  guardianship eligible for federally-supported
  independent living services (after 16 in S. 661
  and after 14 in H.R. 2188).
• The House bill also clarifies that youth exiting
  foster care to legal guardianship after reaching
  age 14 are eligible for Independent Living
  Services.

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Final thought

• Weve enjoyed considerable attention and were
  hoping for success in relation to kinship care
  but we cannot lose sight of other goals that will
  help all generations and all families- namely,
  the provision of a continuum of comprehensive
  services and supports that can help prevent the
  need for any form of substitute care. That would
  truly be a monumental achievement for all
  generations!

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Contact information

• Tiffany Conway
• Center for Law and Social Policy
• 1015 15th St. NW Suite 400
• Washington, D.C. 20005
• 202.906.8031
• tconway_at_clasp.org

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Thank you!