A national analysis of guardianship assistance policy and implementation

Killos, Lydia F.; Vesneski, William; Pecora, Peter J.; Rebbe, Rebecca; Christian, Steve

doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.09.017

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Kinship foster parents are often not provided with adequate awareness of the options for financial and long-term assistance accompanying licensure, which can act as an additional barrier to these supports. As many states have begun to utilize kinship foster parents as the preferred option for temporary placement and also as the first choice for permanency when reunification cannot be achieved, many commentators have pointed to the increased importance of long-term permanency supports such as kinship guardianship assistance that provide financial support after permanent placement and until the child reaches the age of majority (Gupta-Kagan, 2015 ; Killos et al, 2018 ). However, given that many states have not opted to provide this avenue of support and given reports that, in states that do have such programs, many kinship foster parents are made aware of neither the existence of this option nor its eligibility requirements, many barriers to utilization of guardianship assistance programs remain (New Directions for Kinship Care Policy and Practice, 2017 ).…”

Section: Training and Licensure Of Kinship Foster Parentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, given that many states have not opted to provide this avenue of support and given reports that, in states that do have such programs, many kinship foster parents are made aware of neither the existence of this option nor its eligibility requirements, many barriers to utilization of guardianship assistance programs remain (New Directions for Kinship Care Policy and Practice, 2017 ). The requirement that kinship foster parents must be licensed for a designated period is a commonly-cited barrier due to the compounding effect of the licensure training described above (Killos et al, 2018 ; Testa, 2017 ).…”

Section: Training and Licensure Of Kinship Foster Parentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An estimated 200,000 of these children are placed in kinship foster care homes, which occur only after the state has already assumed legal custody of the child. These figures represent a significant increase from prior decades, and they are expected to increase further as many child welfare agencies adopt policies that establish relative placement as the preferred option for children who cannot remain at home (Killos et al, 2018 ; Lee et al, 2017 ). The many empirically-supported benefits of kinship care—including lower rates of placement disruption and re-entry into foster care, higher rates of reunification, and fewer threats to well-being such as behavioral and mental health concerns—justify a preference for placing children with kin rather than with non-kin caregivers (Killos et al, 2018 ; Lee et al, 2017 ; Winokur et al, 2018 ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These figures represent a significant increase from prior decades, and they are expected to increase further as many child welfare agencies adopt policies that establish relative placement as the preferred option for children who cannot remain at home (Killos et al, 2018 ; Lee et al, 2017 ). The many empirically-supported benefits of kinship care—including lower rates of placement disruption and re-entry into foster care, higher rates of reunification, and fewer threats to well-being such as behavioral and mental health concerns—justify a preference for placing children with kin rather than with non-kin caregivers (Killos et al, 2018 ; Lee et al, 2017 ; Winokur et al, 2018 ). The preservation and support of kin and fictive kin relationships have also been shown to buffer the negative impacts of maltreatment and family separation (Leon & Dickson, 2019 ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Improving Parenting Competency and Permanency Awareness for Kinship Foster Parents Through In-Service Licensure Training

Gibbs

Ansong

Brevard

et al. 2022

Child Adolesc Soc Work J

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Child welfare jurisdictions increasingly place foster children with kinship foster parents as a means of meeting their need for stability, family connection, and behavioral and emotional support. However, the lack of financial and educational assistance provided to kin by child welfare authorities often undermines these caregivers’ ability to provide effective and lasting care for the children in their homes. This study uses a mixed-methods approach to understand how formal training and licensure processes can aid kinship foster parents in facilitating positive outcomes for children and youth in the foster care system. Specifically, we investigated the barriers experienced by kinship foster parents while trying to access existing licensure-based training and supports, as well as the initial outcomes of a kin-tailored licensure training curriculum alternatingly administered in in-person and virtual delivery formats. Participants reported that incomplete or inaccurate communication about licensing processes, practical difficulties in attending training, irrelevant session content, and stringent licensing requirements acted as barriers to accessing these resources. However, participants in the kin-specific licensure training administered in this study reported high levels of learning related to key parenting competencies and increased awareness of kinship permanency supports, although these outcomes appeared to be less pronounced among those receiving the training in a virtual format. These findings suggest that researchers and policymakers should consider developing, implementing, and evaluating further initiatives to provide accessible and tailored supports to kinship foster parents as a means of improving outcomes for the children in their care.

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Section: Training and Licensure Of Kinship Foster Parentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Training and Licensure Of Kinship Foster Parentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Improving Parenting Competency and Permanency Awareness for Kinship Foster Parents Through In-Service Licensure Training

Gibbs

Ansong

Brevard

et al. 2022

Child Adolesc Soc Work J

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Care Centers and Professional Caregivers: from the Project to a Sustainable Social Child Care Policy

Genienė

Nedvecka²

2021

STEPP

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In Lithuania the deinstitutionalisation of children left without parental care is being implemented since 2014. The term of transformation is more recognizable in the political context of the country. Various alternative services to institutional care are being developed during the transformation process, but some have become massive and overly institutional in nature (e.g., community children living homes), while the institute of professional caregivers has not gained popular attention when comparing child care rates across different alternatives. This article presents and discusses the activities of care centers that train permanent guardians (caregivers) and professional guardians. The article presents a research during which the staff of the care center evaluated the effectiveness of the activities of the care center and the guardians on duty. The results of the study revealed that care centers face the risk of projectivity at both micro and macro levels. Cooperation and support between the Ministry of Social security and labout and municipalities and other institutions is also very important for the effectiveness of care centers.

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State Implementation of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act

Koh

Ware

Lee

2021

ASW

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Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (FC Act) has been in place for over 10 years. However, children in kinship care continue to receive fewer benefits, supports, and access to resources due to challenges with fully integrating kinship care into the child welfare system. The current study explored the state implementation of the FC Act with a focus on kinship care. Representatives from 15 states across the U.S. completed an online survey focused on their state’s response to the FC Act, and 14 participated in a follow-up survey on their states’ plan for kinship navigator programs with the passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 (FFPSA). The findings show that the most common change after the FC Act was observed in the Act’s mandatory requirement to identify and search for kinship caregivers. States were less likely to implement non-mandated services or programs despite their potential benefits. In response to the FFPSA, states were looking for opportunities to learn from other states implementing kinship navigator programs. More support and oversight from the federal government are needed to promote successful policy implementation at the state level. In addition, social work practitioners need to be aware of programs and legislation on kinship care in order to advocate for and ensure the well-being of children and caregivers who provide kinship care.

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A national analysis of guardianship assistance policy and implementation

Cited by 3 publications

References 9 publications

Improving Parenting Competency and Permanency Awareness for Kinship Foster Parents Through In-Service Licensure Training

Improving Parenting Competency and Permanency Awareness for Kinship Foster Parents Through In-Service Licensure Training

Care Centers and Professional Caregivers: from the Project to a Sustainable Social Child Care Policy

State Implementation of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act

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