Support for Kinship and Foster Families: New Rules and Benefits
This act aims to facilitate the placement of children with kinship and foster families, especially relatives, when they cannot safely remain in their own homes. It introduces changes to ensure children have stable and permanent living arrangements and supports families caring for them by providing access to services and financial benefits. These changes are intended to reduce the number of children aging out of foster care without family support.
Key points
Increased Support for Kinship and Foster Families: The act expands the definition of family support services to include crisis stabilization, financial aid for caregivers, assistance in finding biological family members, and support for rebuilding family relationships.
Easier Placement with Relatives: It mandates active efforts to identify and locate relatives and fictive kin as potential caregivers and removes barriers like caregiver age in the qualification process.
Changes to Caregiver Background Checks: It establishes procedures to prevent denial of kinship placements based on past allegations if the caregiver does not pose a current safety threat to the child.
Mandatory Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program: State kinship guardianship assistance programs become mandatory, and children can qualify for benefits after a shorter period in foster care.
Elimination of AFDC Eligibility Requirement for Foster Care Payments: Removes the AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) eligibility requirement for children placed in foster family homes, making benefits more accessible.
Greater Flexibility for States and Families: Amends rules for parental rights termination, requiring states to demonstrate all efforts for family reunification and that termination is in the child's best interest.
Introduced
Citizen Poll