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 Ohio
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 |
| Ohio |
185,443 |
86,009 |
| Columbus city |
12,324 |
6,263 |
| Cleveland
city |
14,528 |
7,039 |
| Cincinnati
city |
6,087 |
3,202 |
*These data
are taken from the U.S. Census Bureau Table DP-2. Profile Selected Social
Characteristics: 2000.
Kinship
Care Initiatives in Ohio
In Ohio, 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
Information and Referrals for Kinship Care Families: The Ohio
Department of Jobs and Family has established the Kinship Care Navigator
Program. The program provides kinship caregivers with assistance
in obtaining information about benefits and services, including child care,
support groups, respite care, training on how to care for children with
special needs, and legal services. The program also has published a self-help
manual, Relatives Caring for Children: Ohio Resource Guide. Contact: For
more information, call “Help Me Grow,” a telephone help-line for grandparents
and other kinship caregivers raising children, at 1-800-755-4769.
New Kinship
Permanency Incentive Program - effective January 1, 2006 new fiscal
supports will be available for qualifying permanent kinship families.
A program description and actual budget language and allocated resources
can be reviewed below.
HB 130 Grandparent
Power of Attorney and Caregiver Affidavit forms -
HB 130 created legal documentation to assist Grandparent Caregivers that
have physical custody of their grandchildren, but not judicially awarded
custody. When properly completed, notarized and filed with the court,
these forms will assist grandparents in enrolling grandchildren in school
and participating as the parent; accessing routine and emergency medical
and dental care. In order to be legally viable, the forms available
on this page must: (1) Be signed by a grandparent, and an official notary,
(and a consenting parent in the case of Power of Attorney), (2) Be filed
with your local juvenile court within five days of signing, (3) Contain
no false statements.
For grandparent's
whose children are authorizing the grandparent's power of attorney for
their grandchild.
: For grandparents
caring for their grandchildren who are unable to locate the child's parent
or parent's.
Kinship
Caregiver Brochure (Front Page, Back Page)
PCSAO HeartBeat
- Special Kinship Edition
HB 130 Detailed
Outline
ODE Center
for School Finance and Accountability overview of HB 130 -Explains
that any child covered under the Grandparent Power of Attorney or Caregiver
Authorization Affidavit forms is entitled to a free and appropriate education
in the district of the grandparent's residence.
Ohio overview
of Kinship Policy – PCSAO Presentation to National Conference of Safe
Title IV-E
Guardianship Waiver Evaluations
Pew Commission
on Children in Foster Care just released a report with significant
recommendations about Child Welfare Federal Finance Reform and recommendations
to Strengthen Courts. One recommendation would allow use federal
funds for subsidized guardianships when children exit foster care.
Fostering
Results is a national public education campaign to increase public
awareness of issues related to Child Welfare Federal Finance Reform and
Strengthening Courts
The Children
and Family Research Center at the University of Illinois provides research
related to child welfare outcomes, including a study of Subsidized Guardianships,
showing it as an important tool for permanency for children (click on "News
from CFRC")
-The just
released Fostering Results report, “Family Ties,” uses recently released
2002 federal data to estimate that 19,250 children in long term relative
foster care in the U.S. are in “permanency limbo”– where a court has determined
that they cannot be safely returned to their parents nor is adoption an
option. According to the report, children adrift in foster care can find
safety, permanence and security with grandparents and other caregivers
as an alternative to remaining in foster care. While federal foster care
funding can be used to support children in foster care or in adoptive homes,
the so-called Title IV-E foster care funding cannot be used to support
legal guardianship. Yet, the report found that when states were allowed
to use “waivers” of federal foster care financing rules, and when they
made use of other flexible funding dollars like TANF to offer federally
subsidized guardianship, 9,636 foster children left foster care after one
year for permanent homes with legal guardians including grandparents and
other caregivers between 2000 and 2001. The study illustrates the benefits
of having the option of federally subsidized guardianship available for
children, families and the foster care system as a whole.
Problems
and Concerns of Ohio Kinship Care Families: The Ohio Department of
Aging’s Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Task Force has developed a comprehensive
strategic agenda to support kinship care families across the state.
Submitted to the Ohio General Assembly in 1999, the Ohio Grandparents Raising
Grandchildren Task Force Report summarizes the task force policy recommendations.
A copy of the report can be found at http://www.state.oh.us/age/grandparents.pdf.
Contact: Chuck Wilson, Ohio State Department of Aging, at (614) 466-5390
or cwilson@age.state.oh.us.
Developmental
Newsletters for Kinship Care Families: The Ohio Department of Job and
Family Services and the Ohio Department of Mental Health have teamed up
to create “Relatively Speaking,” a series of newsletters geared towards
kinship care families. As kinship care families call into the “Help Me
Grow” information line (see description above), they will receive a newsletter
in the mail customized to the ages and developmental needs of the children
they are raising. As their children grow, caregivers will receive
the next developmentally appropriate newsletter in the series. Contact:
Karen Berry, Ohio Mental Health Association, at (614) 221-1441 or kebmha@aol.com.
GrandParents
GrandChildren Initiative: Wright State University Kettering Center
has developed the GrandParent GrandChildren Initiative (GPGCI). This
program encourages local organizations to develop new programs to meet
the needs of kinship caregivers and to remove barriers in accessing services.
Contact: Barbara Fuller at (937) 775-1116 or Barbara.fuller@wright.edu.
Grassroots
Coalition of Kinship Caregivers: The Ohio Grandparent Coalition is
a statewide group comprised of kinship caregivers, child welfare agencies,
and service providers. The purpose of the group is to identify kinship
care issues and propose solutions to government and other agencies.
A quarterly newsletter is published and made available to kinship caregivers.
Contact: Peg Arnold at pegandbobarnold@yahoo.com or Barbara
Fuller at (937) 775-1116 or Barbara.fuller@wright.edu.
Advisors
on Kinship Care Policy: Kinship Care Advisory Council is a statewide
group comprised of local and state agencies representatives and kinship
caregivers. The group reviews state kinship care policy and provides
advice and input to the Director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family
Services. Contact: Barbara Turpin at (614) 466-9274 or turpib@odjfs.state.oh.us.
Support
for Kinship Care Providers: Guernsey County Children’s Services
provides the Guernsey County Kinship Support Group for grandparents and
any other relatives who are providing kinship care. The group offers
community speakers and a licensed social worker to address the needs and
concerns of the kinship caregivers. The program also organizes outings,
family events, and kinship conferences. Contact: Jolene McClay,
Kinship Coordinator, at (740) 439-5555 or fam2famgue@yahoo.com.
Reentering
as Parents (REAP): The Ohio Parents and Resource Center’s REAP Program
was created to offer support, information, resources and to build a network
of community leaders for grandparents raising their grandchildren.
REAP addresses issues from feelings of guilt to dealing with personal health
challenges. Group members meet monthly. The group also features experts
to present on issues of concern for kinship care families. Contact:
Vandelia Todd at 1-(800) 686-1738 or vtodd@lys.org
Kinship
Care and Ohio’s Foster Care System
Sometimes children
in the care of the states are placed in foster care with grandparents or
other relatives. In Ohio, the Department of Job and Family Services,
Bureau of Family Services reports:
Number of
children in kinship foster placements: As of March 2002, there were
20,765 children under the Department’s supervision in out-of-home placements.
Of these children, 4,000 (20%) were placed with kin.
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. Relatives have to meet the same licensing
standards and receive the same foster care payment rate as non-relative
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. Ohio does not currently have
a statewide subsidized guardianship program. However, several counties
now offer their own subsidized guardianship programs. Each county
develops its own eligibility guidelines. Contact: Barbara Turpin, Kinship
Division, Bureau of Family Services, Ohio Department of Job and Family
Services, at (614) 466-9274 or turpib@odjfs.state.oh.us.
State foster
care contact: Questions about kinship foster placements should be directed
to Barbara Turpin, Kinship Division, Bureau of Family Services, Ohio Department
of Job and Family Services, at (614) 466-9274 or turpib@odjfs.state.oh.us.
Training
and support for kinship foster parents: The Ohio Family Care Association
addresses the needs of foster, adoptive and kinship families. Contact:
Dot Erickson at (614) 268-7776 or ofca@aol.com. The website is http://www.ohiofamilycareassoc.org.
Community-based
services for kinship foster parents: Licking County Department of Job
and Family Services offers support services for relative caregivers through
its Kinship Navigation Program. Through the support groups, caregivers
raising children in foster care are provided with information on legal
options, resource referrals, parenting skills, and respite care.
Child care is also available during support group meetings. Contact:
Sandy Williams, Kinship Navigator, at 740-349-6237 or willis09@odjfs.state.oh.us
.
Other Supports
for Ohio 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 Ohio Works First (OWF) 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 (614) 466-3698 or log on to http://www.state.oh.us/odjfs/owf/tanf/.
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 Ohio’s
Healthy Start program. The state offers a Healthy Start brochure
geared specifically to kinship care families. In some cases, caregivers
may also be eligible for free coverage under Medicaid. For more information
about how to apply for these programs, call 1-800-324-8680 or log on to
http://www.state.oh.us/odjfs.
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:
Educational
Consent (Oh. Rev. Code Ann. § 3313.64(11): This law allows
relatives raising children to exercise authority in school issues under
certain circumstances.
