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 Vermont
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 |
| Vermont |
5,332 |
1,934 |
| Burlington
city |
232 |
74 |
| Rutland
city |
183 |
32 |
| Montpelier
city |
47 |
17 |
*These data
are taken from the U.S. Census Bureau Table DP-2. Profile
Selected Social Characteristics: 2000.
Kinship
Care Initiatives in Vermont
In many states,
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.
Vermont does not currently have any of these programs, but
shows some promising activity in this area.
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.
Kinship
Care and Vermont’s Foster Care System
Sometimes
children in the care of the states are placed in foster care
with grandparents or other relatives. In Vermont, the
Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, Residential
Licensing Unit reports:
Number
of children in kinship foster placements: As of January
2001, there were approximately 1,654 children in out-of-home
placements under the Department’s supervision. Of those children,
144 children (8.7%) 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. Kin have to meet
the same licensing standards and requirements and receive
the same foster care payment rate as non-kin foster parents.
Kin are required to attend the same training as other foster
parent applicants and have the option of requesting an exemption
using the same process as other applicants.
Subsidized
Guardianship: In addition to foster care payments and
other benefits available to kin raising children in the foster
care system, some states have subsidized guardianship programs.
Most of these programs offer ongoing subsidies to children
who have left foster care to live permanently under the legal
custody or guardianship of relatives. Vermont currently does
not have a subsidized guardianship program.
State foster
care contact: Questions about kinship foster placements
should be directed to Lucy Abair, Department of Social and
Rehabilitation Services, Residential Licensing Unit, at (802)
241-2159 or labair@srs.state.vt.us.
Resources
for kinship foster parents: Partners In Service (PINS)
is a non-profit organization contracted with the state of
Vermont to act as a liaison that links religious congregations
with children in the state’s custody. Through PINS, congregations
provide children in foster care with such items as sporting
equipment and tuition to summer camps. PINS’ services are
available statewide. Contact: Francesca Fraser Darling, Program
Director, at (802) 241-2123 or ffd@srs.state.vt.us.
Support
and education for kinship foster parents: The Grandparents
as Parents support group offers weekly support and discussion
groups for grandparents and other relative caregivers, led
by trained professionals. They also offer a concurrent
supervised playgroup for children. The group is sponsored
by Chittenden County KidSafe and the Milton Family Community
Center and is open to surrounding counties. Contact:
Charlotte Parot, Family Advocate, Milton Family Community
Center at (802) 893-1457 or Marge Wood, Mental Health Consultant,
Milton Family Community Center at (802) 893-2468.
Other Supports
for Vermont Kinship Care Families
Children raised
by kinship caregivers are often eligible for a range of states
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 Vermont District
Programs. 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
1-802-241-2800 or log on to http://www.dpath.state.vt.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 Vermont’s Dr. Dynasaur
Program. In some cases, caregivers may also be eligible
for free health coverage under Medicaid. For more information
about how to apply for Dr. Dynasaur, call 1-800-250-8427 or
log on to http://www.dsw.state.vt.us/districts/ovha/ovha5.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 caregivers1:
Educational
Enrollment (VT. Stat. Ann. tit. 16 § 1093): This
law allows non-resident students to attend school at the discretion
of the school board.
