The evolution of federal and state policies for assessing and supporting kinship caregivers

Abstract

The use of relatives as foster parents increased substantially in the 1990s and the federal and state governments are struggling to adapt existing foster care policies and practices to reflect the unique circumstances of these placements. We examine the evolution of policies affecting kinship caregivers based on data from a 1999 national survey of state child welfare administrators, a follow-up survey to one conducted in 1997. In 1999, 10 states required kin to meet the same standards as non-kin foster parents to care for children in state custody. The other 41 offer kin at least one other assessment standard that is different than non-kin standards. Of these 41, 25 states provide foster care payments to kin meeting these different standards. We also found that 39 states help place children with kin in some instances without seeking state custody. In addition, we found that at least 16 states made changes to their kinship care policies between the 1997 and 1999, illustrating that kinship care policies are still in flux. Finally, we note that recent federal policy changes that took effect after the survey period will likely have a significant impact on states' licensing and payment of kinship foster parents.