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.
A Look
at the Numbers: Kinship Care in Nebraska
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 |
| Nebraska |
17,401 |
8,454 |
| Omaha
city |
5,456 |
2,592 |
| Lincoln
city |
1,957 |
873 |
| Bellevue
city |
594 |
252 |
*These data
are taken from the U.S. Census Bureau Table DP-2. Profile
Selected Social Characteristics: 2000.
Kinship
Care Initiatives in Nebraska
In Nebraska,
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/.
Additional
state and national kinship care resources and supports
are available on the Generations United website at http://www.gu.org,
and GrandsPlace at http://www.grandsplace.org and
Grandparent Again at http://www.grandparentagain.com,
two websites coordinated by grandparents raising grandchildren.
Statewide
Support for Kinship Care Families: The Nebraska Department
of Health and Human Services Relatives as Parents Program,
funded in part by the Brookdale Foundation Group, has established
a statewide support system for Nebraska kinship care families.
The program sponsors four support groups across the state,
three in the Panhandle of the state and one in Nebraska’s
northeastern counties. The State has provided additional
support services for kinship care families, including the
development of A Resource Guide for Relatives Raising Children.
The program has also started a multidisciplinary statewide
network to improve education, resources, and laws for kinship
care families. Contact: Roger Lott, Vice-President, Nebraska
Relatives as Parents Program (NRAPP), at (402) 472-3479.
A Range
of Services for Kinship Care Families: Eastern Nebraska
Office on Aging Grandparent Resource Center provides a variety
of services for caregivers of any age who are currently raising
a relative's child, are in the process of gaining custody
of a relative's child, or have been involved in raising a
relative's child. Services include monthly support group
meetings, a video library that contains educational material
for adults and children, and books and other materials for
children and adults. The Resource Center also provides
phone support to caregivers, legal assistance, counseling,
and a pantry of food, diapers and perishable items. Contact:
Linda Henson, Coordinator, at (402) 444-6536 ext. 297 or lindahenson@hhss.state.ne.us.
Kinship
Care and Nebraska’s Foster Care System
Sometimes
children in the care of the states are placed in foster care
with grandparents or other relatives. In Nebraska, the
Department of Health and Human Services reports:
Number
of children in out-of-home placements: As of January 2001,
there were 4,876 children in out-of-home placements. Of these
children, 693 children (14.2%) were placed with relatives.
Preference
for kinship 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.
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. Nebraska’s subsidized guardianship program
is funded by state funds and is provided for children who
were in the legal custody of the state of Nebraska and have
finalized guardianship with a relative or foster parent.
The program is encouraged for older children, ages 12 and
older. Contact: Mary Dyer, State Adoption Program Manager,
(402) 471-9331 or mary.dyer@hhss.state.ne.us.
State foster
care contact: Questions about kinship foster placements
should be directed to LaDonna Shippen, Program Specialist,
Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services, at (402)
471-9333 or ladonna.shippen@hhss.state.ne.us.
Other Supports
for Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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 (402) 471-2306 or log on to http://www.hhs.state.ne.us.
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 Nebraska Medicaid
and Kids Connection Children's Health Program. In some
cases, caregivers may also be eligible for free health coverage,
under Medicaid. For more information about how to apply
for Medicaid, call 1-800-362-1504 or log on to http://www.hhs.state.ne.us.
For more information about Kids Connection Children's Health
Program, call 1-877-632-5437 or log on to http://www.hhs.state.ne.us/med/kidsconx.htm.
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 caregivers :
Standby
Guardianship (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 30-2608 {c}): This
law authorizes the court to appoint a “stand-by guardian”
for a child whose parent is chronically ill or near death.
The authority of the stand-by guardian takes effect when the
parent dies, becomes mentally incapacitated, or becomes physically
debilitated and consents to the guardianship.
