Kinship Adoption Resources

What is Kinship Adoption? When parents are unable to care for their children and those children then are placed in the care of extended family or others with whom they share an emotional bond; this is referred to as kinship care. Kinship care is the full time care, nurturing and protection of children by relatives, members of their tribes or clans, godparents, stepparents, or any adult who has a kinship bond with a child. This definition is designed to be inclusive and respectful of cultural values and ties of affection. It allows a child to grow to adulthood in a family environment. Such arrangements have been carried out informally for hundreds of years. In the past 10 to 20 years, child welfare agencies have sought to provide homes for children in need. Processes allow for foster or adoptive family members to have full custody of children and compensation for their assistance

Statistics, Benefits, and Downfalls There are 157,298 children living in grandparent-headed households There are 35,333 children living in households headed by other relatives. Kinship Care allows for closer ties with biological parents and siblings than those in non-kin care. – More visits, calls, letters and communication exchanged between parent and child in kinship care. Children in public kinship care are less likely to have multiple placements. They are also less likely to be reunited with their parents and more likely to remain in the care of a relative.

Video Overview Highlights reasons for rising trend of grandparents raising grandchildren – Reasons such as drug or alcohol abuse, mental health, jail, or death Discusses challenges for families – Disabilities, finances, structure, illness

General Information Regarding Kinship Adoption Relative adoption gives a broad overview of the main concepts regarding adoptions within a family The site offers information to help make kinship decisions, such as sections on “Barriers to Kinship,” “Making the Decision,” “Legal Options,” and “Other Forms of Care.” The site offers a Directory of Professionals that includes lawyers, advocates, mental health professionals, and adoption liaisons by state There are several blogs and forums that offer a support system for families considering kinship adoption Barriers of Kinship Care involve lack of financial or housing resources, inability to understand effects of abuse, and pressure to make important decisions for the children Benefits of Kinship Care are described as reduced attachment issues, increased feelings of trust, and better emotional regulation – One study showed that relatives generally have a more positive perception of children in their care than nonrelative foster parents; they are also more likely to like and accept them

Processes for Adoption Adoption Under One Roof provides comprehensive adoption information with informational sections, blogs, Q & As, and articles for issues surrounding adoption The “Kinship” section answers questions about the process, adoption subsidies, expected timeline for adoption, and preparation work to be done to ensure adoption success The site offers blogs for adoptees, adoptive parents or relatives, and birth parents This site is an important networking system after an adoption takes place so members of the family could continue to receive support from others similar to themselves

Establishing Relationships with Grandchildren The AARP gives suggestions for building relationships between grandparents and their grandchildren The site offers blogs, articles, and discussion boards for grandparents searching for more information about relating to their grandchildren onships/grandparenting/ onships/grandparenting/

Advocacy for Needs in Adoption and Child Well-Being The Children’s Defense Fund advocates for the well-being of all children. Kinship adoption is described as a policy priority to the organization. In adoption, the defense assists in the implementation of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act, which requires relatives of children who are removed from their parents’ custody to be notified Children’s Defense Fund works to ensure that children: – enter foster care only when they cannot be safely cared for by family – are safe – get appropriate basic supports and special help – find permanent, nurturing families (“permanency”) through reunification, adoption or legal guardianship in a timely fashion

Financial Assistance to Kinship Families The Urban Institute Project provides a brief overview of some of the licensing requirements for kinship adoption and foster care throughout the country The most beneficial aspect of the site is the specific state break down of financial assistance that is provided (such as TANF) and the legal processes that must occur before funds may be received Because each state is different, it is important to become educated with the process and complete appropriate paperwork pdf pdf

Financial Assistance for Children with Disabilities This government website assists with understanding the process and eligibility for receiving Supplemental Security Income for children (under the age of 18) with disabilities Other funds are also available for children who have disabled caretakers An individual under age 18 is "disabled" if he or she has a medically determinable physical or mental impairment, which: – results in marked and severe functional limitations; and – can be expected to result in death; or – has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months. Amount given to families is dependent on earned income (or governmental assistance) for entire family and amount of caretakers Grandparents and other relatives are eligible for assistance

Kinship Permanency Incentive Program The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services sponsors a Kinship Permanency Incentive program designed to assist families or friends financially who are caring for other children The program provides incentive payments to families. – Eligible families will receive an initial payment of $1,000 per child – They will also receive five hundred dollars per child each six-months, up to a maximum of $3,500 Incentives are provided to support the stability of the child’s placement in the home. The payments are in addition to Ohio Works First cash assistance received for the child.

Legal Assistance While the Adoption Child Welfare Law site is comprehensive and offers information about many topics in adoption, it has a strong section regarding kinship adoptions and foster care The site offers an extensive history of adoption law by state and gives a listing of available legal organizations to assist in various processes Important adoption cases that have set precedent can be searched by state The site also has a very informational Q & A section for families looking to adopt or foster other family members. – Differences between Kinship Care, Guardianship, Adoption, Medical & Educational Consent, Stand-by Guardianship, and Legal Custody are explained

More Legal Resources-Kinship Care Navigators The Grandfamilies State Law and Policy Resource Center serves to educate individuals about state laws and legislation in support of grandfamilies The site gives an overview of Ohio’s program, kinship care navigators. – Navigators are individuals who provide relative caregivers with information, referral services, and assistance concerning available services and benefits at the state and local level. – Some of the services include funded child care, respite care, training related to caring for special needs children, legal services, and a crisis hotline. The site also explains housing waivers for families, subsidized guardianship, and other difficult topics in kinship care

Government Research about Relative Adoption The United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families data and reports completed by the department regarding appropriate matching with relatives, statistics of pre and post adoption families, and other issues surrounding the well-being of a child The site extensively described the benefits of relative adoption. In one report, relative adopters rated children as more capable, reported feeling closer to their children, reported less negative effects of the adoption, reported fewer school problems, and adopted children were reported to have less special medical needs. Another report observed the outcomes of kinship adoption and that kinship caregivers expressed a willingness to adopt their adolescent kin but need the support of social workers, most kin adolescents had a strained or non-existent relationships with their birth parents, most kinship caregivers have a social support network they can depend on, most service workers had extremely high caseloads, and most service workers held a negative perception of kinship caregivers. Abstracts of the reports are provided

Support for Post-Adoption The Child Welfare League of America seeks to protect all children and promote their well- being The site offers a fact sheet regarding Kinship Care in every state including specific laws, agencies that can assist or provide services, and census information about kinship rates – Statistics described in first slide The specific agencies described on the website offers a variety of services such as counseling, coordination, and support kinship/factsheet.htm kinship/factsheet.htm

Support for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Grandsplace is a site catered to grandparents and relatives caring for grandchildren or other family The site offers specific locations and agencies throughout the country (chosen by state) that focus on the support and services for Grandparents in need The site provides practical information such as healthy cooking recipes for growing children, immunization information, learning to take personal time, and other words of wisdom from grandparents There is also a list of compiled resources from grandparents that include places to look for financial assistance, adoption subsidies, and respite services

Completed by Nicole Wojnarwsky MSASS Candidate 2011 February 19-20, 2011