*These
data are taken from the U.S. Census Bureau Table DP-2. Profile
Selected Social Characteristics: 2000.
Kinship
Care Initiatives in Delaware
In Delaware,
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/.
Statewide
Support for Kinship Care Families: The Delaware Health
& Social Services, Division of Services for Aging and
Adults with Physical Disabilities has established the Joining
Generations program for kinship care families throughout Delaware.
Senior centers, children and family agencies, YMCAs, schools,
and Head Start have partnered with Joining Generations to
establish Family Circles in all three counties:
New Castle, Kent, and Sussex. Family Circles provides
information and referrals, workshops, and community outreach
to kinship caregivers and other community organizations interested
in kinship care. The program also developed GRAND: Grandparents
Raising and Nurturing Dependent Children, a resource directory
for Delaware kinship care families. This resource book
can be downloaded from the Delaware Division of Services
for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities website at
http://www.dsaapd.com/grands.htm. Contact: Carolyn
Boyer, Joining Generations, at (302) 577-4791 ext. 15 or cboyer@de.state.us.
A Network
of Support Groups: Children & Families First sponsors
four grandparent/relative caregiver support groups throughout
the state. The support groups provide a place for grandparents
to talk about issues and concerns about raising grandchildren.
Expert speakers are invited to discuss various topics. Child
care is provided at all sites during the group meetings. In
New Castle County, respite care services are provided for
caregivers that are 60 years or older free of charge.
The respite care programs include “Grand Time Off Saturdays,”
in-home respite care, and scholarship memberships to youth
organizations such as Girls Inc., Boys & Girls Club, Boy
Scouts and Girl Scouts, and the YMCA / YWCA. Availability
varies according to county. For caregivers under 60,
respite care services may be provided for a fee of $10 per
child. Contact: Wadine Toliaferro, Program Manager for
Parenting Education, at (302) 658-5177 or wadine.toliaferro@cffde.org.
Grandparenting
Education: Creative Grandparenting, Inc. provides in-school
mentoring and community grandparenting education. The organization
inspires caring grandparents and other adults to play an active
role in children's lives. Other services include: Creative
Community Builders program in Northwest Wilmington, which
advises and supports community leaders in their efforts to
enrich the education of young people; A Creative Youth Development
program which is a summer youth drama troupe program, and
a Creative Elder program, a program that features workshops
for mature adults. Contact: Henry Hirschbiel, at (302)
656-2122 or hhirschbiel@creativegrandparenting.org.
Statewide
Grassroots for Kinship Care Families: GrandParents
United DE is an advocacy organization that is responsible
for bringing the need for greater services for relative caregivers
to the attention of Delaware legislators. The organization
assists any caregiver that is in need of support and direction.
This group was instrumental in the formation of the state’s
Kinship Care Task Force and continues to lobby for expanded
financial assistance for the caregivers of children outside
the foster care system. Contacts: Nina McGonegal, Co-chair,
at (302) 791-7715 or Mnmcgonegal1117@aol.com; Tina
Light, Co-chair, at (302) 234-0360 or CL0802@aol.com
or http://www.geocities.com/grandparentsunitedde/index.html.
Kinship
Care and Delaware’s Foster Care System
Sometimes
children in the care of the states are placed in foster care
with grandparents or other relatives. In Delaware, the
Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families
reports:
Number
of children in out-of-home placements: As of December
2001, there were 862 children in out-of-home placements. Of
these children, 93 children (10.8%) were placed with relatives.
Sixteen of these relative placements were with Foster Care
Approved Relatives.
Preference
for kin in out-of home placements: State policy requires
that kin be considered first when an out-of-home placement
is sought for a child under the Department’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 and receive
the same foster care payment rate as non-kin foster parents.
Assisted
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. Delaware was awarded a federally-funded waiver
to establish a subsidized guardianship program. It has initiated
the Assisted Guardianship Program as a five-year demonstration
project to provide funding for children who have been transferred
from the supervision of the child welfare system to the legal
guardianship of relative caregivers or non-relatives.
To qualify, the children must be 12 years or older, have special
needs, or be part of a sibling group. The guardian may be
related or not related to the children, but must be an approved
foster care provider. The child also must have been
living with the approved foster care provider for one year
before becoming eligible for this program. Reunification
with the birth parents and adoption must be ruled out for
the child. Contact: Frank Perfinski, Program Manager,
at (302) 633-2655 or fperfinski@state.de.us
State foster
care contact: Questions about kinship foster placements
should be directed to Malissa Knox, Foster Care Administrator,
at (302) 633-2643 or mknox@state.de.us.
Training
and support for kin foster parents: Any person applying
for a foster care license must complete 21 hours of pre-service
training annually. In addition, a minimum of 12 hours
of in-service training is required each year for license renewal.
Contact: Darlene Lantz at (302) 633-2674 or dlantz@state.de.us.
Other Supports
for Delaware 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 Delaware’s Welfare to Work
or A Better Chance (DABC) 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, relative caregivers should call the Delaware
Helpline (1-800-464-HELP) or log on to http://www.state.de.us/dhss.
Relative
Caregiver’s Transition Resource Program: This program
provides up to $500 for eligible relatives who are raising
children to purchase necessary items such as clothing, beds,
linen, safety equipment, etc. to care for children.
The child must have come to reside with the caregiver within
90 days of the application. For more information, contact
1-800-464-4357 or the nearest State Service Center.
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 Delaware Medicaid
and Healthy Children programs. In some cases, caregivers
may also be eligible for free coverage under the Medicaid
program. For more information about how to apply for
Medicaid, call 1-800-372-2022 or log on to http://www.state.de.us/dhss.
For more information about Delaware Healthy Children Program,
call 1-800-996-9969 or log on to http://www.state.de.us/dhss/dss/healthychildren.html.
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
laws may be helpful to kinship caregivers1:
Medical
Consent (Del. Code Ann. tit. 13, § 707): This law
allows a grandparent, adult aunt or uncle, adult brother or
sister, or stepparent (or any person with power of attorney)
to consent to medical care on behalf of a child: (1) after
the treatment provider has made a reasonable attempt to contact
the child’s parent or legal guardian and that person cannot
be contacted; and (2) if the parent or legal guardian has
not given the treatment provider notice that they oppose the
treatment. The relative caregiver must complete and
have notarized a “Caregivers Medical Authorization” affidavit.
Educational
Consent (Del. Code Ann. tit. 14, § 202): This law
allows a child who resides with anyone other than his or her
parent(s) to be enrolled in a school district based on the
residence of the child's guardian with a proper “Caregivers’
School Authorization” form..
