Subsidized Guardianship

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Ten States (see box) have developed programs of subsidized guardianship to help relatives who are willing to care for children in their families but are unable to afford it. Through these programs, the State provides the families with a monthly payment and allows them to make all major decisions about the children. These families are not expected to meet the same criteria as traditional foster parents.

States using this plan report that it has been helpful for children who need permanency, but for whom adoption and reunion with their parents have been ruled out. Administrative costs are lower than for traditional foster care since little supervision is required.

The Child Welfare League of America and its North American Kinship Care Policy and Practice Committee believe that child welfare agencies can do much to ensure the success of kinship placements and work toward permanency for children by providing the following:

Family preservation services -- Secure parental agreement for a child's temporary placement with a relative to help parents through a crisis and avoid court involvement.
Family support services -- Work with birthparents, relatives, and the child to create a plan for the child's care and welfare. Options are enlisting relatives to demonstrate appropriate child care techniques to birthparents or asking relatives to provide child care while birthparents work or improve their lives.
Family reunification services -- Return children from traditional foster care to a relative's home. Relatives, in these cases, need support services to understand the children's needs and resolve family relationship issues.
Respite care -- Encourage relatives to be respite care providers, even if they cannot care for the children all day every day. Also, encourage relatives to make use of outside respite care providers if that will help to stabilize the placement.

The League has also developed guidelines that agencies can use to assess the appropriateness of a family member as caregiver. The League recommends that an assessment include a review of the following:

Nature and quality of the relationship between child and relative
Ability and desire of the kinship parent to protect the child from further abuse or other maltreatment
Safety of the kinship home and ability of kin to provide a nurturing environment for the child
Willingness of the kinship family to accept the child into the home
Ability of the family to meet the developmental needs of the child
Nature and quality of the relationship between the birthparent and the caregiver, including the birthparents' preference about placing the child with kin
Any family dynamics in the home related to the abuse or neglect of the child
Presence of alcohol or other drug use in the prospective home
Family's willingness and ability to cooperate with the agency
Existing supports to which the family has access
Number of children already being cared for by the relative and status of other children in the home (such as HIV status, drug or alcohol exposure, or medical conditions)
Health of the caregiver
Age of the caregiver in light of the child's developmental and long-term needs
When relevant, the possibility that the relatives will pressure the child into recanting a disclosure of abuse

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Credits: Child Welfare Information Gateway (http://www.childwelfare.gov)