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 New Jersey
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 |
| New
Jersey |
185,771 |
58,789 |
| Newark
city |
10,969 |
4,832 |
| Jersey
City city |
8,381 |
2,996 |
| Paterson
city |
7,528 |
2,537 |
| Trenton
city |
3,277 |
1,439 |
*These data
are taken from the U.S. Census Bureau Table DP-2. Profile
Selected Social Characteristics: 2000.
Kinship
Care Initiatives in New Jersey
In New Jersey,
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
Information and Referrals for Kinship Care Families: The
New Jersey Kinship Navigator Program is a centralized, statewide
service that provides information, referrals and follow-up
services to grandparents and other relative caregivers through
a toll free number: 1-877-816-3211. The Navigator Program
provides information for a wide variety of services including:
grandparenting and other family support groups, TANF, medical
coverage and services, child care, and child support. The
Navigator Program also provides referrals to wraparound services
such as housing assistance, legal services, and respite care
for low-income kinship caregivers. Contact: Brunilda Luciano,
RAPP Coordinator, at (609) 588-0187 or bluciano@dhs.state.nj.us.
Support,
Referral, Child Care, and Education: The Atlantic County
Grandparents Raising Children Initiative at the Uptown Family
Center provides a support group, counseling and legal services,
parenting classes, and after-school child care for kinship
care families in the Atlantic County area. Contact: Rosalind
Norrell-Nance, Director, Uptown Family Center, at (609) 345-1994
or liznn@aol.com.
Support
and Services for Kinship Care Families: The Salvation
Army Grand Parent Program provides services and supports kinship
care families in Essex County and across New Jersey experiencing
stress related to the absence or loss of the child(ren)’s
parents. Support is provided through group meetings and a
variety of social and recreational opportunities. The program
offers a social and legal advocacy initiative to represent
the needs of kinship care families on an individual and policy
level. The Salvation Army also runs a summer respite camp
for caregivers and children. Kinship caregivers are
given the opportunity to enjoy seven days of Senior Camp R&R,
while their children spend the same seven days in a supervised,
residential camp. Contact: Louise Eagle, Coordinator, at (973)
623-5959 or tsanewarkhsb@aol.com.
Supportive
and Educational Services: Rutgers Cooperative Extension’s
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Program offers quarterly
group meetings for grandparents and the children they raise
led by Rutgers faculty members and featuring presenters on
various topics affecting grandparents raising grandchildren.
They distribute a quarterly newsletter to the Cape May County
area and have developed two fact sheets on grandparents raising
grandchildren. Contact: Marilou Rochford, Associate Professor,
Rutgers University, at (609) 465-5115 or rochford@aesop.rutgers.edu.
Kinship
Care and New Jersey’s Foster Care System
Sometimes
children in the care of the states are placed in foster care
with grandparents or other relatives. In New Jersey,
the Department of Human Services, Division of Youth and Family
Services (DYFS) reports:
Number
of children in kinship foster placements: As of January
4, 2002, there were 10,607 children in out-of-home placements
under DYFS’s supervision. Of those children, approximately
1,911 (18 %) live in relative/family friend foster 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 DYFS’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.
However, in rare situations, the court may consider exemptions
to certain licensing requirements for kinship foster parents
that do not affect safety.
Other Programs
Available to Kinship Foster Parents: New Jersey’s Relative
Care Permanency Support (RCPS) Program is limited to children
who have been removed by DYFS for risk and safety factors
(protective service reasons) and placed by DYFS with relatives
or family friends. The program provides time-limited financial
support of $250/month. For information about the RCSP program,
call (609) 292-3035 or log on to
http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/dyfs/index.html.
State foster
care contact: Questions about kinship foster placements
should be directed to Donna Younkin, Assistant Director, Department
of Human Services, Division of Youth and Family Services,
Office of Program Support and Permanency, at (609) 292-3035
or dyounkin@dhs.state.nj.us.
Kinship
foster care support services: The Foundation of the University
of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is a private, non-profit
corporation located in Newark. Through the Foundation’s
Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center, the Foundation provides support
group services, directs referrals to community resources,
and identifies and helps to address the health related concerns
and needs of caregivers and their children. Contact:
Call (973) 972-4830.
Other Supports
for New Jersey 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 Kinship Care Monthly Subsidies
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 the Kinship Care Monthly
Subsidies program, call 1-877-816-3211 or log on to http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/sp&i/Kinnav.html.
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 Medicaid and
NJ FamilyCare programs. In some cases, caregivers may
also be eligible for free coverage. For more information
about how to apply for Medicaid or NJ FamilyCare, call 1-800-701-0710
or log on to http://www.njfamilycare.org.
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:
Educational
Enrollment (NJ Stat. Ann. § 18A: 38-1): This law
allows a New Jersey public school to enroll any child who
is living in the home of another person who resides within
the school district and is caring for the child without cost
under certain conditions.
Kinship
Legal Guardianship (NJ Stat. Ann. § 3B: 12A-2): This
law allows a relative caregiver or family friend who has been
providing care and support for a child for at least 12 consecutive
months (due to parental incapacity) to petition the court
to become legally responsible for the care and protection
of the child.
