State Fact Sheet  Across the country, more than six million children -- approximately 1 in 12 children -- are living in households headed by grandparents or other relatives.  Alabama has more than 113,000 children living in households headed by grandparents or other relatives.  In many of these households, grandparents and other relatives are the primary caregivers (“kinship caregivers”) for children whose parents cannot or will not care for them due to substance abuse, illness and death, abuse and neglect, economic hardship, incarceration, divorce, domestic violence, and other family and community crises.

In response to the growing numbers of these kinship care families, state legislatures, public and private agencies, and grassroots coalitions in Alabama and across the country have begun to expand services and supports for children living with kin inside and outside of the foster care system.
 

A Look at the Numbers: Kinship Care in Alabama

The data below show the numbers of grandparents who are living in households with at least one grandchild under the age of 18, as well as the numbers of grandparents who are the primary caregivers for these grandchildren. These numbers were reported by the 2000 U.S. Census and are available for every place (as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau) in the country, including cities, towns, villages, and boroughs, on the U.S. Census website.*
 

	Grandparents Living in Households with One or More Own Grandchildren Under 18	Grandparents Responsible for Meeting the Basic Needs of Grandchildren
Location	#	#
United States	5,771,671	2,426,730
Alabama	100,765	56,369
Birmingham City	8,504	4,764
Montgomery City	4,352	2,325
Mobile City	5,190	2,825
Huntsville City	2,922	1,524

*These data are taken from the U.S. Census Bureau Table DP-2. Profile Selected Social Characteristics: 2000. The U.S. Census website is http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServle

Kinship Care Initiatives in Alabama

In Alabama, public and private agencies and grassroots coalitions of grandparents and other relative caregivers have begun working together to expand the services available to kinship caregivers who are caring for children outside of the foster care system.

Several of the major kinship care programs and supports are listed below. Additional support groups can be found through the AARP Grandparent Information Center Database. Call 1-800-424-3410, e-mail information requests to gic@aarp.org.

Support for Kinship Care Families: The Alabama Department of Human Resources has initiated the Kinshare Program, a pilot program for kinship care families at seven locations throughout the state.  The primary goal of the program is to offer comprehensive support services to relative caregivers responsible for children at risk of entering the foster care system. The Kinshare Program helps caregivers find child care, respite care services, clothing and furniture, and emergency items.  In addition, the program provides referrals to financial, legal, medical, and mental health support services.  Contact: Jackie Moffitt, Kinshare Program Specialist, at (334) 242-1979 or jmoffitt@dhr.state.al.us .

Statewide Kinship Care Resources and Information: The Alabama Cooperative Extension System-Family and Human Services Division provides a statewide information network for kinship care providers. The network has established a statewide coalition with the Area Agency on Aging, AARP and the Department of Human Resources.  The state coalition provides financial support and educational services to local communities to assist them in forming local support groups based on a state model.  The state model offers community information meetings with speakers, an attorney specializing in the needs of senior citizens, and educational seminars.  Contact:  Wilma Ruffin, Development Specialist, at (256) 858-4960 or wruffin@acesag.auburn.edu.

Kinship Care and Alabama’s Foster Care System

Sometimes children in the care of the states are placed in foster care with grandparents or other relatives.  In Alabama, the Department of Human Resources (DHR) reports:

Number of children in kinship foster placements: As of March 29, 2002, the Alabama DHR had a total of 5,044 children in out-of-home placements. Of these children, 173 (3%) were placed with kinship foster parents. An additional 400 children in DHR custody were placed in relative placements that are not foster care homes.

Preference for kinship placements: State policy requires that kin be considered first when an out-of-home placement is sought for a child under DHR’s care.

Licensing for kinship foster parents: There is no separate licensing program for kinship foster parents.  Kin have to meet the same licensing standards and requirements as non-kin foster parents, but the child welfare agency may waive one or more licensing standards for kin that do not affect the safety of the child.  Licensed kin receive the same foster care payment rate as non-kin foster parents.

Subsidized guardianship: In addition to foster care payments and other benefits available to kin raising children in the foster care system, some states also have subsidized guardianship programs. Most of these programs offer ongoing subsidies to children who have left foster care to live permanently under the legal custody or guardianship of relatives. Alabama currently does not have a subsidized guardianship program.
State foster care contact: Questions about kinship foster care placements should be directed to the State of Alabama DHR, Office of Foster Care at (334) 242-9500 or your local county DHR.

Training and support for kinship foster parents: The Alabama Foster and Adoptive Parent Association (AFAPA) encourages involvement of kinship care families in the foster care system.  Contact: AFAPA at 1-888-545-2372 

Other Supports for Alabama Kinship Care Families

Children raised by kinship caregivers are often eligible for a range of state and federal programs. In most cases, kinship caregivers may apply for these programs on a child’s behalf even though they are not the child’s parents or legal guardians. Some examples of these programs include:

Cash assistance: Cash assistance may be available to children and their grandparents and other relative caregivers through the Alabama Family Assistance (FA) Program.  Kinship care families may also be eligible for food stamps to help meet their children’s food and nutrition needs.  For more information about these programs, call (334) 242-1700 or log on to http://www.dhr.state.al.us/fad/default.asp.

Health insurance: Grandparents and other relative caregivers may apply for free or low-cost health insurance on behalf of the children they are raising through the Alabama Medicaid and ALL Kids programs.  In some cases, caregivers may also be eligible for free coverage under Medicaid.  For more information about how to apply for Medicaid, call 1-800-362-1504 or log on to http://medicaid.state.al.us.  For more information about ALL Kids, call 1-888-373-KIDS or log on to http://www.adph.org/allkids/.

State Laws and Policies

Alabama currently does not have any state laws in effect specifically directed at kinship care families.

Questions about this fact sheet or recommendations for additions to future versions should be submitted to Roseana Bess, The Urban Institute, at rbess@ui.urban.org.