When children in Georgia need out-of-home placement due to safety concerns, the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) prioritizes placing them with relatives. This approach, known as kinship care, is rooted in the understanding that children thrive best within family environments. Recognizing the long-standing tradition of relatives caring for children when their parents are unable, DFCS is committed to strengthening partnerships with extended families. This commitment aims to better support children in foster care and facilitate their journey towards permanency.
Kinship care in Georgia is not just a preference; it’s a cornerstone of the state’s child welfare system. If placement with a non-custodial parent isn’t viable, DFCS actively seeks out relatives or kinship caregivers as the primary placement option. This article delves into the specifics of the kinship care program in Georgia, exploring how relative kinship is defined, the different types of kinship placements, the approval process, and the financial support available to kinship caregivers.
Defining Relative Kinship in Georgia
To understand kinship care, it’s essential to know how Georgia DFCS defines “relative kinship.” According to DFCS, relative kinship is broadly defined, encompassing relationships through:
- Blood: Biological family members.
- Marriage: Individuals related by marriage, including spouses of blood relatives, even if the marriage has ended due to death or divorce.
- Adoption: Legally adoptive family members.
This inclusive definition ensures that children can be placed with individuals who have existing emotional connections and family ties, providing a sense of stability and familiarity during a challenging time in their lives.
Types of Kinship Care Placements in Georgia
Georgia offers various kinship care placement options, each designed to meet different needs and circumstances. These placements differ primarily in the level of financial support and the caregiver’s formal foster care status.
Relative Placement: Unpaid and Subsidized Options
Relative Placement refers to placing a child with a relative who does not initially receive a standard foster care per diem. This can take two forms:
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Non-Paid Relative Placement: In some cases, relatives may choose to care for a child without seeking financial assistance from DFCS. This might occur when relatives have sufficient resources and prioritize family unity above financial compensation.
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Subsidized Relative Placement: Even without becoming licensed foster parents, relatives may be eligible for financial assistance through programs like:
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): A federal program providing temporary financial aid to families with children.
- Enhanced Relative Rate (ERR) Subsidy: A state-funded subsidy specifically designed to support relative caregivers who are not licensed foster parents. This subsidy helps cover the costs of caring for the child.
Approval Process for Relative Placement:
Before a relative can be approved for placement, DFCS must conduct a thorough assessment to ensure the safety and suitability of the home. This process generally includes:
- Comprehensive Home Assessment: A detailed evaluation of the relative’s home environment to ensure it meets safety standards and is conducive to the child’s well-being.
- Background Checks: Mandatory background checks on all adults residing in the home to ensure the child’s safety.
Emergency Placements: In situations requiring immediate placement for a child’s safety, an emergency relative placement can be made. However, even in emergencies, the comprehensive home assessment and background checks must be completed and submitted for approval within 30 days of the placement.
Factors Considered by DFCS for Relative/Kinship Caregiver Placement:
DFCS carefully considers several factors to ensure that placing a child with a relative or kinship caregiver is in the child’s best interest. These considerations include:
- Child’s Age, Desires, and Needs: Taking into account the child’s developmental stage, expressed preferences (if age-appropriate), and specific needs.
- Special Needs and Relative’s Ability to Meet Them: Assessing if the child has any special medical, emotional, or educational needs and whether the relative caregiver can adequately address them.
- Impact of Abuse/Neglect: Understanding the trauma the child may have experienced and evaluating the relative’s capacity to provide a supportive and healing environment.
- Relative’s Awareness and Intervention: Considering the extent to which the relative was aware of the circumstances leading to the child’s removal and what actions they took to intervene.
- Relationship Between Child and Relative: Assessing the existing bond and relationship between the child and the potential relative caregiver.
- Cooperation Towards Reunification: Evaluating the relative’s willingness to cooperate with the child’s parents and support the goal of family reunification, when appropriate.
- Foster Parent Requirements Notification: Ensuring the relative is informed about the option and requirements of becoming a licensed foster parent.
- Understanding of Financial and Non-Financial Supports: Making sure the relative is aware of the various financial and support services available to assist them in caring for the child.
- Court Notification: Informing the court of the plan to place the child with a relative caregiver.
Relative Partnership Parents (RPPs): Licensed Foster Care
Relative Partnership Parents (RPPs) are relatives who choose to become licensed foster parents for the children in their care. This means they undergo the same approval process and meet the same standards as non-relative foster parents.
Benefits and Responsibilities of RPPs:
- Foster Care Per Diem: RPPs receive the full foster care per diem reimbursement, providing financial support to meet the child’s needs.
- Same Expectations as Regular Foster Parents: RPPs are held to the same standards and expectations as all foster parents in Georgia, including training, ongoing support, and collaboration with DFCS.
- Serving Relative and Non-Relative Children: While primarily caring for relatives, RPPs may also be approved to care for non-relative children in foster care, expanding their capacity to help children in need.
Relative Adoptive Parents: Permanent Homes
Relative Adoptive Parents are relatives who provide “forever homes” for children when reunification with their birth parents is not possible. This occurs when birth parents voluntarily surrender their parental rights or when parental rights are legally terminated by a court. Relative adoption provides children with a permanent, loving family within their extended family network.
Relative Resource Parents (RPs): Concurrent Planning
Relative Resource Parents (RPs) represent a hybrid approach, acting as both foster parents and potential adoptive parents for a child. Children placed with RPs have a concurrent permanency plan, meaning that DFCS is simultaneously working towards reunification with the birth parents while also planning for adoption with the Relative Resource Parent as a backup plan.
Key Features of Relative Resource Parents:
- Dual Role: RPs must be prepared to fulfill the roles of both temporary foster parents and permanent adoptive parents.
- Concurrent Permanency Planning: RP placements are part of a dual-track approach, preparing for both reunification and adoption.
- Commitment to Adoption: A willingness to adopt the child is a core requirement for becoming a Relative Resource Parent.
ICPC-Partnership Parents and Adoptive Parents: Interstate Care
For children placed across state lines through the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC), Georgia recognizes specific categories of kinship caregivers:
- ICPC-Partnership Parents
- ICPC-Adoptive Parents
- ICPC-Relative Partnership Parents
- ICPC-Relative Adoptive Parents
These categories mirror the in-state options but are specifically designed for interstate placements, ensuring legal and procedural compliance across state lines.
Financial and Support Services for Kinship Caregivers in Georgia
Georgia DFCS recognizes that kinship caregivers need both financial and non-financial support to provide the best possible care for children. The child’s foster care case manager works with the relative caregiver to determine the most appropriate forms of support based on the child’s individual needs and program eligibility.
Available Support Services:
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Direct financial assistance for eligible families.
- Foster Care Per Diem: For relatives who become licensed foster parents (RPPs).
- Enhanced Relative Rate (ERR): For relatives who are not licensed foster parents but need financial assistance.
- Prevention of Unnecessary Placement (PUP) Services: Services aimed at preventing children from entering foster care, potentially available to kinship families.
- Parent Aide or Homestead Services: In-home support services for families.
- Wrap-Around Services: Comprehensive, individualized support services tailored to the family’s needs.
- Initial and/or Annual Clothing Allowance: Financial assistance for clothing.
- Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS): Subsidized childcare assistance.
- Supplemental Supervision: Additional support and supervision services when needed.
- Mental and/or Behavioral Health Services: Access to mental health care for both children and caregivers.
- Medicaid: Healthcare coverage for eligible children.
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Retirement, Survivors, Disability Insurance (RSDI): Federal benefits for eligible children.
- Adoption Assistance: Financial and other support for relatives who adopt.
Conclusion: Kinship Care – A Vital Support System in Georgia
The kinship care program in Georgia is a critical component of the state’s child welfare system. By prioritizing placement with relatives, DFCS aims to provide children with stability, family connections, and a sense of belonging during challenging times. Understanding the different types of kinship care options and the available support services is crucial for relatives considering opening their homes to children in need. Kinship care not only benefits the children but also strengthens families and communities by keeping children connected to their roots. If you are interested in becoming a kinship caregiver in Georgia, contacting your local DFCS office is the first step to learning more and beginning the process.
