Across the country, more than six million children -- approximately 1 in 12 children -- are living in households headed by grandparents or other relatives.  The District of Columbia  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 The District of Columbia  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 The District of Columbia

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
District of Columbia	16,842	8,183

*This data are taken from the U.S. Census Bureau Table DP-2. Profile Selected Social Characteristics: 2000. 

Kinship Care Initiatives in The District Of Columbia

In District of Columbia, 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, or search AARP’s online kinship care support group database at http://www.aarp.org/grandparents/searchsupport/

Support For Kinship Families

Grandparents on the Move is a grassroots coalition that provides support groups, information, and advice to help kinship caregivers in the District of Columbia to prevent and deal with stress and to find social service contact information and other supports and services available to kin.  Grandparents on the Move also gives school presentations on the issue of kinship care.  Contact: Mary D. Jackson, Founder and Director, at (202) 575-2811 or mdj98@hotmail.com.
The Center for Mental Health provides a comprehensive range of services for kinship care families, including support groups, mental health consultations, and information and referrals.  The Center also provides counseling services for children being raised by relative caregivers.  Contact: Barbara Harling, Director of Adult Mental Health Services, at (202) 678-3000 or bharling@cmhcinc.org.

The Megaskills Education Center, part of the Home and School Institute, is a non-profit educational institution that provides programs and materials to connect families, schools, and communities nationally.  Megaskills offers leadership training and workshops to groups of grandparents caring for their grandchildren on how to get connected with schools and communities and get the services and supports they need.  The Center also educates grandparent caregivers on how to train fellow grandparent caregivers.  Contact: Harriett Stonehill, Director of Megaskills Education Center, at (202) 466-3633 or hsidra@erols.com.  The website is http://www.megaskillshsi.org.

Services for Families Infected and/or Affected by HIV and AIDS: The Family Ties Project is a permanency planning project for families infected and/or affected by HIV and AIDS.  Services include free legal services, kinship care case management, art therapy, and individual and family counseling.  Contact: Michelle Palmer, Life Planning Specialist, at (202) 547-3349 or mpalmer@familytiesproject.org.  The website is http://www.familytiesproject.org.

Services for African American Kinship Care Families: The National Center on Permanency for African American Children at Howard University provides local and national information and resources (research, training materials, trends, policy and legislation) on permanency issues involving African American children, including those being cared for by kin.  Contact:  Jacqueline Kidd, at (202) 806-8100 or ncpaac@howard.edu.

Legal Services for Kinship Caregivers:

The Children’s Law Center provides free legal services to eligible kinship caregivers in the District of Columbia.  Contact: Matthew Fraidin, Legal Director, at (202) 467-4900 or mfraidin@childrenslawcenter.org.   The website is http://www.childrenslawcenter.org.

The Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia provides free legal services to eligible individuals with little or no income in cases concerning landlord-tenant problems, public benefits, and family issues involving child support, child custody, and domestic violence.  Contact: (202) 628-1161 or info@legalaiddc.org. The website is http://www.legalaiddc.org.

Bread For the City provides free legal services to eligible kinship caregivers in cases concerning landlord-tenant problems, public benefits, and family issues involving child support, custody and domestic violence.  In addition the agency provides food and clothing, medical care and social services to low-income residents of the District of Columbia.  Contact: (202) 265-2400.  The website is http://www.breadforthecity.org.
 

The Whitman-Walker Clinic provides free legal services to people who are HIV-positive.  Services include permanency planning for children of people who are ill or dying, uncontested custody matters, and estate planning (involving child custody and placement).  Contact: (202) 939-7627.  The website is http://www.wwc.org.

Kinship Care and District of Columbia’s Foster Care System

Sometimes children in the care of the states are placed in foster care with grandparents or other relatives.  In the District of Columbia, the Child and Family Services Agency reports:

Number of children in kinship foster placements: As of March 31, 2002, the Child and Family Services Agency had a total of 3,396 children in out-of-home placements. Of these children, 950 (28%) were placed with kin.

Preference for kinship placements: District of Columbia policy requires that kin be sought out and given preference when an out-of-home placement is needed for a child under the Agency’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 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. In the District of Columbia, subsidized guardianship may be offered if the child’s caregiver: (1) has been awarded permanent guardianship by the District of Columbia Superior Court; (2) has been an approved kinship caregiver for at least 6 continuous months immediately preceding application for the guardianship subsidy; (3) has continued to be the child's approved kinship caregiver since the court entered the permanent guardianship order.  The child must be have been adjudicated neglected or abused and placed in the legal custody of the agency.

The child must be either: (a) a member of a sibling group; (b) difficult to place for adoption; (c) at least two years old; or (d) not be placed in a permanent placement outside of applicant's family.  The Agency must also determine that the child's best interest is not met by either reunification or adoption.  Finally, the Agency must find that legal guardianship with the applicant is in the child's best interest and the caregiver must have a financial need for a permanent guardianship subsidy.  (District of Columbia Municipal Regulations, Chapter 61, sections 6100-6199).  Contact: Carolyn Smith, Program Manager, at (202) 727-3074.

State foster care contact: Questions about kinship foster placements, training, and support should be directed to Carolyn Smith, Program Manager, District of Columbia, Child and Family Services Agency, at (202) 727-3074.

Support groups for kinship care families in the foster care system: The National Center for Children and Families provides a bi-weekly support group for relatives raising kin who are in foster care or in danger of entering the foster care system.  Caregivers receive an array of services including resource referrals, transportation assistance, and education on permanency options.  Child care is available during the support group.  Contact: Tracie Nelson, Foster Care Training and Recruitment Supervisor, at (202) 396-9330 or traciegn@aol.com.

Other Supports for District of Columbia 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 relative caregivers through the District of Columbia Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (TANF) 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 (202) 724-5506 or log on to http://dhs.dc.gov/main.shtm.

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 DC Healthy Families.  In some cases, caregivers may also be eligible for free coverage.  For more information about how to DC Healthy Families, call 1-800-MOM-BABY or log on to http://dchealth.dc.gov/.

State Laws and Policies

Sometimes kinship caregivers find it difficult to obtain services their children need, such as medical care or education. In addition to the state’s child guardianship and custody laws, the following law may be helpful to kinship caregivers1:

Medical Consent Law (D.C. Code Ann. § 16-4901): This law allows parents or guardians to sign a consent form authorizing a grandparent, other relative caregiver, or other third party to obtain medical care on behalf of a child without obtaining legal custody or guardianship.  Authorized medical care includes all necessary immunizations, mental health treatment, routine care, or emergency treatment, including surgery.

1 Laws change and are subject to different interpretations. These general descriptions are not intended as legal advice in any particular situation.