Let's Acknowledge Relatives Caring For Kids
Written by FrameWorks Program Director, Rachel Kinder
Originally posted in Charleston Gazette. To view that article, click here.
FrameWorks Program Director, Rachel Kinder
Grandparents throughout West Virginia are raising their grandchildren in increasingly large numbers. According to the May legislative foster care report, there are currently 6,916 youth in foster care in West Virginia. Of those youth, 3,682 are in a kinship or relative placement, meaning that over half of our foster youth have been able to remain in the care of relatives or individuals known to them (kinship) even after entering state custody.
West Virginia State Code and Department of Health and Human Resources Policy both require that when a child enters care, placement preference be given to grandparents, followed by other appropriate adult caregivers. Placement with relatives is considered the least restrictive and often mean increased stability and security as well as the ability to maintain family connections and culture. These relatives are not required to be certified foster parents at the time of placement but can work toward certification after the children are placed.
Relative placements are better for our youth in care and better for our state as they are providing families for over half of the youth in foster care in a state with an ongoing shortage of foster homes. We need to acknowledge the sacrifices that these families are making and provide all necessary support that will allow them to best provide for the youth in their care. Grandparent families often need extra support because they are providing care with no notice, on fixed incomes and with fewer resources than foster families.
A “typical” grandparent who cares for youth in foster care will face the following tasks within the first 30-60 days:
A safety check of their home, criminal background checks and Protective Service checks.
Agree to meet the physical and emotional needs of the youth as well as to protect the children from the offending parents, often their own son or daughter.
Apply for TANF benefits with the DHHR (they will receive these until they can achieve foster parent certification). Apply for WIC and childcare assistance depending on the age of the child(ren).
Purchase clothing as most youth do not come into care with many belongings. In best case scenarios a placement voucher of up to $300 is provided by the DHHR.
Purchase any items necessary for housing the child(ren) in their home, often including baby items and beds.
Ensure that the children are seen by a doctor within the first 3 days of placement.
Cooperate with visitation schedules for the children and their parents.
Communicate regularly with the child’s DHHR worker and the child’s attorney.
Participate in any services that the child may need such as therapy or Birth to Three.
Work toward foster parent certification including 30+ hours of training as well as a homestudy which includes paperwork, references, home visits, safety checks and more.
In addition to these tasks, grandparents face the challenges of raising youth who have experienced trauma and loss, working with a system they have never worked with before including state oversight of their homes and lives and maintaining new boundaries with their son or daughter. Additionally, they may experience workers or attorneys who judge their parenting ability as well as possible embarrassment about the situation that brought the children into care.
A promising development to help these families was the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018, which allowed states to apply for federal funds for Kinship Navigator programs. Kinship Navigator programs assist grandparents and relatives caring for children by helping them navigate the social services system and access all resources and information.
Mission West Virginia was able to start our program in 2019, with 4 Kinship Navigators serving families across the state. The program allows a Navigator to work with relative-kinship families upon placement of youth by the foster care system and provides the family with a worker dedicated solely to their needs. Kinship Navigators complete a needs assessment, explain the various systems and programs to the family, assist them in signing up for resources and services, help them obtain needed items and advocate for the family. Our goal is also to decrease the workload of various DHHR workers who are also serving the family and to take on time-consuming tasks. One Navigator spent several weeks locating an apartment sized oven to replace a non-working one. Another Navigator helped a grandmother track down diapers when they were difficult to find due to the pandemic.
Kinship Navigators may also provide a non-judgmental listening ear for grandparents who often feel overwhelmed and unheard. Our Navigators are not DHHR employees, and we find that families are more likely to disclose needs without fear of being judged as inadequate caregivers by those within the system.
We have served over 500 families since the start of the program and have anecdotally observed the following successes: families obtaining needed items more quickly, fewer placement disruptions and an increase in confidence and peace of mind for the caregivers.
Our goal is for the process to be easier, timelier, and less stressful for caregivers. One caregiver stated to us after working with the program: "we would've struggled so much if it wasn't for you letting me know about all these things that can help us. I would have done it no matter what it takes to care for these kids, but this helps so much.”
To learn more about Kinship Navigator program email Rachel Kinder at rkinder@missionwv.org or call 304-565-0723. For information on foster care or adoption, visit www.missionwv.org/request-information, email fosteradopt@missionwv.org or call 304-512-0555. For more information on the Glam Gala visit https://bit.ly/GlamGala2022Tickets